Caru Regional Network Events
The Caru Team have held four Regional Networking Events this year so far. After our first event in CHO7 in April, Regional Lead, Sharon O’Brien held the second event in The Bridge House Hotel Tullamore in May and received excellent feedback from all attendees.
Sixty-six multidisciplinary staff from across 19 local nursing homes attended and were treated to presentations from local palliative care nursing experts and other relevant service providers. The keynote speaker, Michelle O’Donnell from Glasshammer.ie gave a very impactful presentation on how grief and loss can be processed through art and creativity. The audience were also invited to network with local organisations who provided information stands including Ceile Care and Siel Bleu, to name a few.
The event was an opportunity for local nursing home staff to showcase their Caru QI projects that have been initiated since their teams completed the Caru QI Workshops. Seven nursing homes presented various initiatives including purple hearts for bereavement support, Caru corners for staff education, development of a ‘Serenity Suite’ for families, and bespoke condolence cards for bereavement support.
Our CHO5 Regional Lead Janet Tobin-Martin, hosted her RNE at Woodlands Hotel, Waterford. Caru Teams from different nursing homes in the CHO 5 region presented their extraordinary change initiatives and experienced fabulous education speakers, such as Brid Carroll and Claire Meaney from Réalta Waterford Arts, and musician Liam Merriman. Their insights and expertise made the event truly memorable.
The CHO1 RNE took place on 13th June in the Clayton Hotel in Sligo. The day started with an energising session for 10-15 minutes with Thomas McCabe (Siel Bleu); this was a great start to the morning. We then had our Education Snacking sessions which consisted of five speakers with a brief of 15 mins per table. We welcomed keynote speaker, Maria White, End-of-Life Co-Ordinator from Sligo University Hospital, who spoke to the group about communicating with bereaved residents and families. We then finished off an incredible day of education and networking with a 25-minute meditation with self care professional, Ted Kelly.
Our last RNE in Dublin was hugely successful with very positive feedback. One participant wrote:
"…there is so much I loved about this Caru Regional Network, the speakers were so different and interesting and I feel so energised, thank you"