Time To Talk With Caru
Time to Talk: Tomorrow Starts Today is a campaign by Irish Hospice Foundation which aims to normalise conversations about dying and grieving. Death and grief affect us all. It’s important that we explore and think about our end-of-life wishes, and that we discuss them with our loved ones. It’s also important that those of us who are grieving are acknowledged and given the space and opportunity to talk about our losses.
During Nursing Home Week this year, the Caru Team were out in their CHO areas taking the opportunity to talk to residents and staff about advance care planning and #TimeToTalk and continue to do so. Caru Regional Lead Sarah McDonald attended Elm Hall Nursing Home’s carnival party and Regional Lead Mary Ferns visited Greystones Nursing Home and spoke to resident Mary O’Riordan about her advanced care plans. Mary is 90 years old, loves yoga and participates in various arts and crafts activities offered by the nursing home. Her faith is very important to her, and she has clearly communicated her religious preferences for her end-of-life care. Mary is pictured here with nursing home staff Amy Carthy, Niamh Butler and Anjitha Kengayill.
Recently, Caru Regional Lead, Janet Tobin-Martin supported Catriona Kavanagh, the Caru Lead at Evergreen Middleton Nursing Home and Retirement Village, in delivering a Caru education session. This session sparked important conversations around advanced care planning, involving residents, families, and staff, emphasising the value of open dialogue on end-of-life care preferences.
We also had the fantastic opportunity to discuss the Caru Programme and Time to Talk with Minister Mary Butler at the 2024 Nursing Homes Ireland Conference.
If you would like more information on Time to Talk, visit Irish Hospice Foundation’s page of resources.