REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF ST. MARY’S DAY CARE CENTRE FOR ALZHEIMER PATIENTS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE OPENING OF ST. MARY’S DAY CARE CENTRE FOR ALZHEIMER PATIENTS MALLOW, CO. CORK
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as ucht bhur bhfáilte a bhí caoin, cneasta agus croiúil.
I would like to begin by thanking Mary Dunleavy, Chairperson of the North Cork Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, for inviting me to join you in celebrating the opening of St. Mary’s Day Care Centre today in Mallow. I know that Mary has been one of the key people involved in setting up support groups for carers and sufferers of Alzheimer’s Disease throughout the North Cork area and has worked tirelessly to get this wonderful new Day Care Centre up and running. So I was delighted to accept her invitation and to have this opportunity to meet with all of you – those who suffer from Alzheimers, and their carers, families and friends – all the more so, as I recently had the privilege of accepting patronage of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.
I was deeply moved by a comment that Mary made in her invitation to me: ‘the patient suffers from the Disease, but the Family suffers from its effects’. The question we must ask, is not just who cares for the sufferers, but also, who cares for the carers? Those who bear the double burden of 24 hour care for their loved one, and of seeing that loved one lose their vitality, lose their memory, lose the essence and colour of their character –those very things that made them the unique individuals that you love. I know that that cannot be a light burden to carry, that it takes its own toll on carers and families – that it can at times lead to despair, frustration and exhaustion, as the disease takes hold and takes them away from you.
It is the most frightening disease that any of us can imagine. And so, we as a society too often exclude it from our thoughts – increasing the burden and isolation that carers must bear. That is why Day Care Centres such as this are so important. They allow carers the opportunity – even for a brief spell of time – to do the things that each of us take for granted – the chance to chat with friends and neighbours, go shopping, visit the hairdresser, spend time with their families – in the knowledge that their loved one is being well cared for.
We need carers to be well, to have the energy they need to sustain the round-the-clock caring that they give. Their health, their wellbeing, is a crucial element in the overall welfare of the person being cared for.
In recognising the great load that you carry, I also want to pay a warm tribute to those who organise these facilities – those who are members of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland throughout the country, but especially here in Mallow, who give of their precious spare time, love, energy and resources to help others in need. I know that many of them are themselves relatives of sufferers, and so know only too well what a difficult and exhausting role that is. I would like to thank Mary Dunleavy, all the members of the North Cork Branch, and the local community and businesses who have supported them so magnificently in resourcing this Day Care Centre. It really is a wonderful achievement, and you deserve our heartfelt thanks.
I would also like to commend the staff and volunteers who work at the Centre and who have made it such a welcoming and hospitable place for the sufferers themselves. Your work really is making a vital difference to patients and carers alike.
I mentioned earlier that we as a society are only starting to come to grips with the phenomenon of dementia as a whole and Alzheimer’s Disease in particular. In this age of extraordinary strides in medical research and treatment, it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that there is no cure for this disease. Ironically, because general advances in medicine have greatly increased life expectancy in Ireland and across Europe, the number of people suffering from Alzheimers is likely to steadily increase in the future.
While we hope and pray that it may be curable and treatable someday soon – it is a problem that increasing numbers of Irish families will face in the years ahead. It is therefore all the more important that there be greater understanding and recognition of the nature of the disease and of the caring facilities required. I would like to congratulate Michael Coote, Maurice O’Connell and everyone in the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland for their outstanding work in raising awareness and improving facilities for sufferers and their careers. The fundamental questions we all face is whose problem is this? The answer has to be that as a caring and humane security this is a problem we all must take responsibility for solving. It is not one that should be left entirely to careers and families. It is a community issue a community responsibility and here in Mallow this community is living up to that responsibility with real commitment and vision.
Finally, I would like to thank you again for your hospitality – for giving me the opportunity to meet you and hear your stories – and to spend some time with those who are afflicted with this distressing condition. You are doing great work – providing a badly needed service. I wish you well in that work for the future and especially in your endeavours to increase the Centre’s services to a five day week basis.
Mo bhuíochas libh arís. Go maire sibh.