Caru Team Engagements in 2024
The Caru team has been involved in many fantastic events this year, including Palliative Care Week, Nursing Home Week, Nursing Home Irelands Conference, Waterford Older Persons Council Meeting, and more!
Our efforts in the communities we reach go way beyond education, with advocacy and policy playing a huge role in everything we do to improve the quality of end-of-life and bereavement care in nursing homes.
Palliative Care Week 2024
During #PallCareWeek, we were absolutely overwhelmed by the staff at Peamount Healthcare who launched Caru in their organisation, and went above and beyond providing education to all staff including new student doctors and nurses on placement.
In CHO 9, TLC Santry’s Caru Group Coordinator Edell set up a sand in reception, and included a talk on palliative care as part of the residents council meeting, generating discussions with families and residents on the meaning of palliative care and advance care planning.
The Caru team at New Haughton Hospital in New Ross took the opportunity to promote the Caru Programme and highlight the principles of palliative care through an information stand at the hospital’s entrance, and Caru Groups from Mountpleasant Lodge Nursing Home and Leopardstown Park Hospital took the opportunity to discuss the Caru Programme and share resources from Irish Hospice Foundation too!
Nursing Home Week 2024
During Nursing Home Week this year, Caru Regional Lead Sarah McDonald attended Elm Hall Nursing Home’s carnival party to celebrate #NursingHomesWeek2024 and #TimeToTalk with residents, their families, and staff. It was a fun-filled afternoon with games, music and dancing.
CHO6 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.
NHI Conference 2024
Caru were delighted to hold a stand at the NHI conference in Lyrath Hotel on 19th September. Members of the Caru team met with delegates who are interested in taking part in training but were also to catch up with the nursing homes who are already benefiting from the programme. Irish Hospice Foundation CEO Paula O’Reilly spoke on the Role of the HCA panel, highlighting the often close relationship between HCAs and their residents and how they are uniquely placed to provide excellent person-centred end-of-life care. To date, HCA’s are the largest cohort of attendees at our Caru Workshops.
We heard from Minister Mary Butler, who in her opening address also mentioned the impact a residents death can have on staff. This was followed by Laura Casey, Principal Officer, Social Care Projects, Department of Health speaking on the latest policy updates relevant to nursing homes, who highlighted the Caru Programme and how it is addressing the recommendations made in the COVID-19 Nursing Home Expert Panel Report. Overall it was an informative day and a great event!
Other Engagements
Caru Regional Lead for CHO5, Janet Tobin-Martin, attended and presented at the Waterford Older Persons Council Meeting in July, initiating important discussions on future care planning and end-of-life preferences with attendees.
Care Groups
The Caru Regional Leads continue to engage with nursing homes across the country. We are also engaging with the nursing home groups including emeis, Care Choice and Bartra Healthcare. We have also been invited to present on Caru at Céile Care Annual DON and PIC Gathering in October in Cork.
Janet Tobin-Martin, Regional Lead for CHO5, had the honor of accepting an invitation from Dr. Sara Kennedy, Head of the Department of Nursing, along with colleagues Geraldine Purcell and Patricia Hunt at South East Technological University (SETU).
Janet will present details of the Caru Programme, along with other Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) healthcare initiatives, to second-year general nursing students during their community nursing module at the end of November.
Janet will also participate in the Age-Friendly Waterford – Age Well Expo on Tuesday, October 1st, from 11 am to 4 pm at the Park Hotel, Dungarvan. She will be hosting a Caru Information Stand to raise awareness of the programme. This free event will showcase services aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults and is free and open to all.
Regional Lead for CHO8 attended the ICPOP working group as part of “Dying Well” workstreams. This group meets every two months, and continues to focus on mapping services, sharing knowledge, and establishing connections between services within CHO 8. The aim is to ensure that information is easily accessible to older persons and that healthcare professionals are well-informed about available services to support people in dying at home—wherever home may be. Additionally, the group seeks to connect families with the necessary supports. Caru has proven to be an invaluable resource during these meetings.