REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF ST. JOSEPH’S DAY CARE CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF ST. JOSEPH’S DAY CARE CENTRE FOR THE ELDERLY WEXFORD
Is mór an pléisiúir dom bheith anseo i bhur measc inniu. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte chaoin.
I am delighted to join you all here today to officially open the new Day Care Centre here in Wexford. Thank you for the great welcome you have given me.
I am impressed to see the energy and care that the people of Wexford have shown in supporting the needs of older people in their community.
This is, of course, the UN International Year of Older Persons – and I can think of no better way of celebrating that event than opening a new Day Care Centre which will be an ongoing source of help and a focus of friendship and social activity for older people in this area.
Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of welcoming hundreds of older people from all over the country to Áras an Uachtaráin for a park picnic. It was not only an extremely enjoyable afternoon, but also one which reminded me once again of what an incredible resource older people are. Younger people sometimes forget what a great reservoir of experience and knowledge their parents and grandparents possess, and are only too happy to pass on. We must find fresh new ways for the young to listen to the old, to learn from them and learn about them, to understand that older people can still be crucial teachers of the young, long after retirement, long after the children and grandchildren are grown.
After all, the current economic and cultural success that Ireland is so fortunate to enjoy has been built on the sacrifice and hard work of past generations. It is important that we acknowledge that and express our thanks to you, and to all older people, for all you have given us.
This Day Care Centre is a wonderful way of doing just that – providing important services to older people which will allow them to remain healthy and happy in their own homes, among their family and friends in the community, while receiving the help and support that they and their carers need. More than that, I have no doubt it will be a place where older people will make new friends, swap stories and news – maybe even the odd bit of gossip - and gain the energy and confidence to find new ways of enjoying life.
It will also be a wonderful resource for all the carers of older people – who give so generously of their love and their energy to ensure that the person they care for has the best possible quality of life. This Day Care Centre will give them a much needed chance to recharge their batteries, and regain the physical and emotional strength to continue doing their important work. We owe them those few hours of respite, for without them, so many lives would be so much poorer.
I would like to warmly congratulate everyone associated with the new Day Care Centre for giving so generously of your time and energy to realise this project. Your achievement owes much to the strong sense of community spirit that exists here in Wexford. I know that many local organisations have given donations and countless others have held fund-raising projects.
I wish you the very best of luck with the new Day Care Centre.
Mo mhíle buíochas libh arís as ucht an chuireadh a thabhairt dom teacht anseo inniu agus guím Rath Dé oraibh go léir sna blianta atá romhaibh.