Supports available from organisations in Ireland during COVID-19

Alzheimer National Helpline – available to offer practical information and emotional support about dementia. We can also give you tips if you find it difficult to follow the HSE advice about coronavirus. We cannot however offer personalised medical advice. But we will direct you towards reliable sources.
Freephone – 1800 341 341
Email – [email protected]
Live Chat – www.alzheimer.ie 

Dementia Advisers – are continuing to work with people with dementia, their families and carers to provide a highly responsive and individualised information and signposting service. This service is available over the phone, no face to face meetings will take place until further notice. Click here for further information

Online Family Carer Training – If you are enrolled in our Home Based Care-Home education please continue to participate as normal. We welcome further applications for our online course, and we will endeavor to offer as many courses as possible to meet demand from family carers. To apply please click here

Home Care Services – Our home care service offers dementia specific, person centred care and our trained staff work with clients to ensure that we meet your needs. Click here for further information

Age Action has launched a COVID-19 Hardship Fund in conjunction with the Irish Red Cross to respond to the immediate needs of older people in vulnerable situations across Ireland experiencing additional hardship as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis. More information available by clicking here

Age and Opportunity are broadcasting live 15 minute seated and standing physical activity sessions which older adults can join.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AgeandOpportunity/

A national support line for older people in collaboration with the HSE and the Department of Health. As the situation develops, Alone is looking at how it can work collaboratively to ensure older people will have access to food, medication, fuel, daily contact, and any other support that may be needed.
Phone – 0818 222 024 (Monday –Friday 8am to 8pm)

An Garda Síochána is in the process of hiring additional vehicles to provide additional mobility to members nationwide to provide increased community support and community engagement across the country. These ‘contingency’ vehicles will be used to maintain personal interactions and where needed to assist and support people, which may include collecting medical prescriptions, attending hospital appointments and other supports they may need. They are not ‘primary response vehicles’. Any person with these concerns for themselves or for a neighbour should contact their local Garda station, contact details, including email contact, for all Garda stations can be found on the Garda website or in any phonebook.
Website – https://www.garda.ie/en/Contact-Us/Station-Directory/

An Post have announced that postmen and postwomen across the country will call into older and vulnerable customers along their delivery route, particularly those who are living alone in isolated areas.

They will check on their well-being by way of a set of standard questions and any requests for provisions or medicines will be relayed directly back to the local HSE team. An Post will also support the delivery of such essential supplies back to these customers. More information on this service is available by clicking here.

Have set up an online Family Carer Support Group through the Facebook platform in a closed/private group format. Users will need a Facebook account to participate. Open to all Family Carers living in the Republic of Ireland, this new online private group will be facilitated by a number of professionals with social work and counselling qualifications, moderation experience and will be supported by a number of former and current family carers who have stepped forward to volunteer. Go to the below group on Facebook and ask to join the group.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/FamilyCarerOnlineSupportGroupIreland/

COVID-19 Community Outreach (CCO), will be coordinated by The Wheel and Irish Rural Link, and funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

CCO will link and support the work of community and voluntary organisations across Ireland who are responding to meet the needs of communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

There are Community Champions in 26 counties and they have strong links within their local areas, existing experience of engaging with community organisations and volunteers, and are already in contact with the people that the programme ultimately seeks to support.

For more information click here

Dental & Denture services available are:

• Emergency Dental & Denture Treatment in our Dublin clinic (Tooth Pain or broken tooth, Broken/lost or Ill-fitting dentures)
• Pick up service for broken Dentures for repair Dublin and surrounding counties for people unable to get to us
• Home Care Dental & Denture service with our fully portable kits & amazing team for people unable to get to us
• Free Emergency Dental care in our Dublin clinic for Front line staff who experience any dental pain
• Free phone support Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm to answer any queries or concerns

See the link below for more details https://www.dentaltech.ie/emergency-mobile-dental-denture-services/

National Dementia Café Project is part of Engaging Dementia and they are running Virtual cafés every Friday.

If you are interested in joining you can email Grace on [email protected] in advance of the cafe or you can phone on 085 2691025 and she will give you the instructions to link into Zoom.

A number of Local Link services are offering to deliver critical medical supplies to the elderly, the vulnerable and sick within rural areas during the coming weeks. Those in need of such support should contact their Local Link provider. Click here for contact details of your local provider.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis Monaghan Integrated Development has brought forward the launch of its “Good Morning Monaghan” service. This project aims to reduce loneliness and isolation for older people and others living alone. It will also be able to direct people to other vital services such as food delivery. The project coordinator is Caoimhe Rudden and she can be contacted at 087 7189396 or 042 9749500 E-mail: [email protected]

RTE has launched a 15 minute fitness programme to help older people to keep active at home. It will be broadcast daily on RTÉ One at 2.20pm with Ray Lally, the Today Show fitness expert, and Dáithí Ó Sé. It will help viewers who are at home and some in self-isolation or cocooning and will offer tips, especially to older viewers, on how to keep healthy and happy.

RTE are also producing a 4 week programme series of Operation Transformation Staying Well Apart going out on Wednesday evenings at 9.30 in RTE 1 as a response to the need to help people cope with staying at home/cocooning at this time. For more information visit https://ot.rte.ie/ 

Siel Bleu holds a range of physical activity sessions which are open for people with dementia and their carers. They have a number of videos on their Youtube channel which people can play any time in their home. They are also running home exercise classes on their Facebook channel daily.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC85v-ZwbC9J-HJps0o_hPAw 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SielBleuIreland/