An 'informative' and 'interactive' day for CHO8 in Mullingar.
The second Regional Network in CHO8 took place on Thursday November 2nd at Bloomfield House Hotel Mullingar.
CHO 8 Regional Lead, Sharon O’Brien hosted the event which was attended by a number of local Caru Workshop participants, and stakeholders.
The Regional Network was a great opportunity for networking between a number of CHO8 nursing homes.
A great day networking with like-minded people and learning new information.
Sharon presented an update on the Caru programme to kickstart the day, followed by a presentation on the Levels of Palliative Care by Anne Gilliard, candidate ANP in Palliative Care in Westmeath.
Anne’s talk specifically concentrated on palliative care delivery within the nursing home sector. CHO 7 Caru Regional Lead Ann Marie Murphy presented on advance care planning for nursing home residents while Dr. Mark Howard, Consultant in Palliative Medicine in Longford Westmeath, concluded the morning presentations with a thought-provoking presentation on the communication challenges commonly faced in a residents’ final days. Following this there was a well participated 30-minute Q&A session.

After lunch, James O’Hagan from LGBT Ireland presented on the issues and experiences for LGBT nursing home residents. This was a wonderfully engaging hour which stirred much discussion and emotion amongst attendees.
The day concluded with Jennifer A Edgeworth, Principal Psychologist in Longford Westmeath, presenting on self-care strategies and building resilience. All attendees agreed this was an inspirational way to end the day and very much enjoyed.
The feedback was very positive with the day described as “informative and interactive” and an opportunity for “gaining awareness of relatable and common issues”.

If you are located in CHO8 and would like to speak to someone about registering your nursing home for the free Caru Programme, please contact Regional Lead, Sharon O’Brien.