Caru Newsletter – Summer 2024
We hope you are as happy as we are that Summer is upon us! School is out, but we are still hard at work. We have lots of interesting updates to share with you, including our fantastic Virtual Networks, Regional Network Events and Workshop updates for the Autumn, and some exciting news in relation to the Arts in Residential Care Seed Grant applications.
Thank You for Joining Us at the First Virtual Network of 2024!
We hosted our first Caru Virtual Network on the 10th July. The Journey of Life and Loss for Residents Living in Nursing Homes highlighted the different losses a resident may experience living and dying in nursing homes.
A big thank you to all our presenters, Catherine Tierney and Dominic Campbell from Irish Hospice Foundation and an extra special thank you to Majella Guildea, Pauline Conlon and Elaine Moloney from Sunhill Nursing Home, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, who shared experiences of supporting residents through this journey of loss and grief. It was truly inspirational.
I loved the Sunhill presentation, just proves the person-centred care works; Rosemary's story was beautiful, Majella, Pauline and Elaine were so refreshing.
Save the Date - Caru Virtual Network
Building a Compassionate Workplace Culture in Nursing Homes.
Date: Wednesday 27th November
Time: 2.30 – 4 pm
More details and registration announced soon.
'Education Snacking' Format a Big Hit at Caru Regional Networking Events!
This year the team introduced a new concept for Caru education events called ‘Education Snacking’ – speakers delivered short education presentations to small tables of attendees, rotating around the room delivering information. This new format, coupled with the presentations from healthcare experts, provided ample opportunities for attendees to grow and expand their knowledge and network.
Upcoming Regional Networking Events
Event details will be added to our events page soon. Alternatively you can contact the regional lead directly for more event information.
- September 24th: Castlebar, Mayo
Contact Liz Jacques for more information - October 8th: Castletroy Hotel, Limerick
Contact Mary Fahy for more information - October 17th: LinkedIn Community Space, Wilton Terrace, Dublin 2
Contact Alison McMahon or Mary Ferns for more information - December 3rd (date TBC): Oriel House, Ballincollig Main St, Ballincollig, Cork
Contact Mark Murphy for more information
Welcome to the Caru Team to All Our New Caru Leads!
We are thrilled to welcome the new Caru Leads to the team! Leads in CHO2, CHO3 and CHO4 have officially completed the four Caru QI Workshops. More than thirty-nine participants have become trained Caru Leads for their organisation. We are excited to see what new initiatives will be undertaken at each of the nursing homes.
Upcoming Workshops
Recruitment for all workshops is ongoing, and we encourage all interested staff to get involved and take advantage of this opportunity for professional growth and development.
- CHO3: New round of Workshops in CHO3 will commence on the 27th of August in the Hospital of Assumption Thurles Co Tipperary. Contact Mary Fahy.
- CHO5: Workshops in CHO5 will recommence in Dungarvan Community Hospital on Sept 5th. Contact Janet Tobin-Martin.
- CHO9: CHO9 will be running another round of Workshops starting 11th Sept in the IHF offices in Dublin. Contact Alison McMahon.
- CHO4: Next round of workshops planned for Cork are commencing in September 2024 with a provisional date of the 11th. Contact Mark Murphy.
- CHO8: Workshops in CHO8 are back on 18th September in Simonstown GFC Navan. Contact Sharon O’Brien.
- CHO1: The next round of Workshops in CHO1 will commence in September in Monaghan. Contact Clodagh McGuinness.
- CHO2: Workshops in CHO2 will recommence in September in Claremorris, Co Mayo. Contact Liz Jacques.
- CHO6: The next series of Workshops in CHO6 will commence in October. Contact Mary Ferns.
- CHO7: In CHO7 Workshops are commencing in November in Kildare Town. Contact Sarah McDonald.
Updates from Project ECHO
Project ECHO learning and support networks continue with their learning sessions in HSE areas CHO2, CHO3, CHO6, CHO7 and CHO9. Participants completed the initial 10 virtual learning sessions in CHO2 recently. Feedback from the sessions was incredibly positive, with a variety of topics presented by the AIIHPC team and facilitated by Galway Hospice. Many thanks to Vanessa Butler, ECHO Facilitator for CHO2, for her hard work in coordinating each of the sessions.
Membership of each ECHO network remains open to staff from local public and private nursing homes. Project ECHO networks will be established in CHO1, CHO4, CHO5 and CHO8 later this year. Recruitment for the new networks is under way.
Caru AIIHPC Webinars
The next Caru Webinar will take place during Palliative Care Week 2024
Date: Thursday Sept 12th
Time: 3.00 – 4.00pm.
Recordings of all past Caru webinars are available on the Caru Learning Hub area of the Palliative Hub Learning Platform.
Caru Team Engagements
On Thursday 6th June, Caru Programme Manager, Ann Marie Murphy presented on the Caru Programme at Curam Care Homes Clinical Governance Day hosted by Director of Nursing at Oakfield Nursing Home, Spergen Franklin Jeyarathinam.
This day was led by Director of Care Quality and Standards, Audrey Beckett and Risk and Compliance Manager Laura Collins with CEO James White also in attendance. The interest from the Care Group was generated through Oakfield’s involvement in Caru through the Workshops and Networks. Since completion, four staff members have developed some robust Quality Improvement Initiatives. These Initiatives were showcased at their local Network event facilitated by Regional Lead, Janet Tobin-Martin. The Oakfield staff have also used the Webinars from AIIHPC as part of their training initiative and look forward to becoming involved with Project Echo later this year.
Finally, a huge well done to Sunhill nursing home, Termonfeckin, who have developed a Caru-branded pop-up stand displaying the jigsaw pieces from Caru Review Process. Their rainbow symbol came about following a staff discussion to inform staff residents and visitors about the death of a resident. Sunhill have regular Caru Group meetings and use this forum to discuss ideas around palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care. Well done guys!
Caru and IHF are Excited to Announce Funding Has Been Awarded for Six Seed Grant Projects!
In May this year, following a call-out for applications, we received circa 40 submissions for a place on IHF’s Seed Grant programme designed to encourage creative exploration through micro-financing and mentorship.
We are thrilled to announce that six projects have been awarded! Awardees include activity co-ordinators, academics, artists, and writers. Deploying a wide range of creative practice, each project is aimed at encouraging safe conversations about end-of-life planning, dying, death, grief, and loss.
Caru Interim Report is Now Completed and Available by Request
This interim evaluation gives a comprehensive understanding of the Caru Programme and valuable insights into its effectiveness to date.
A big thank you to all the Nursing Homes and staff that are participating in the study.
Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) is Encouraging People to Start Having Conversations About Dying and Grieving
IHF’s Time to Talk, Tomorrow Starts Today campaign aims to help people navigate the conversations surrounding death, advance care planning and grief. It can be difficult for people to discuss these matters, but it is important to do so, and they are providing resources to open up and facilitate those conversations.
The National End of Life Survey and IHF’s Time to Reflect Survey both highlighted the need for greater communication regarding end of life wishes. This campaign is IHF’s response to these findings.
The reality is that, despite Irish people telling us they want to be able to talk about death and dying more, many of us do not know how to start this conversation. Perhaps we are afraid we might upset a loved one or it’s a topic that scares us. IHF wants to support and encourage people to start these conversations. It is often easier to do this when a person is well. The result is that the person’s end-of-life wishes are known – as opposed to families having to figure things out. Knowing how to start the conversation is really important, and this campaign gives people the tips and resources to do that.
IHF has many tips and resources on having conversations about end-of-life wishes
Time to Reflect
Looking Back... Four Years Since COVID-19
It is now four years since we first had to live with the impact of COVID-19 in Ireland. For some, this may feel like a long time ago. But for others, intense feelings of grief are still raw. Our new report, Time to Reflect, is the findings from a survey commissioned by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) detailing people’s experiences of end-of-life and bereavement care during COVID-19.
The survey was completed by over 2,200 people across all demographics, on their experiences and views on dying, death and bereavement during the pandemic between November 2021 and February 2022.
It also includes the experiences of healthcare workers in supporting patients and their families at end of life, many of whom would have worked in nursing home settings during that incredibly difficult time. Healthcare workers recalled the distress of witnessing so many deaths and family members not being able to visit their loved ones.
Time to Reflect is their story.
Among the key recommendations in the report is the need for continuous training in delivering quality end-of-life and bereavement care for healthcare staff. This recommendation is very much linked to the work of the Caru programme which supports and improves the delivery of compassionate, person-centred palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care to residents and family members in nursing homes.
Early Bird Fee for European Grief Conference 2024 Open Until 15th August!
Irish Hospice Foundation is delighted to be hosting the European Grief Conference 2024, in partnership with the Bereavement Network Europe (BNE), RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences (RCSI) and the Danish National Center for Grief.
When: November 11 – 13, 2024
Where: Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland