Six months ago, Mallow town made a commitment towards becoming a Dementia Inclusive Community. With the support of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), the Friends of ASI Mallow was established and since then it has made great strides on this journey.
Building awareness of dementia is important to the Friends of ASI Mallow. To date the group has hosted five training workshops for 17 organisations, with 46 individuals trained, representing local businesses, sports clubs and community groups. The group has witnessed a remarkable demonstration of awareness, drive and passion towards creating a supportive, empathetic and inclusive community for people living with dementia, which is truly inspiring.
The organisations that have participated include AIB, Mallow Men’s Shed, Le Chéile Family Resource Centre, Paddy Power, Four Star Pizza, Dano’s Centra, The Mousetrap Pub, The Bridge House Bar, Irish Rail, Bridhaven Nursing Home, Tesco, Food Capers, Philip’s Bookshop, Cork County Council, Mallow Chamber of Commerce, An Garda Síochána and councillors Liam Madden and Gearóid Murphy. The next training workshop will take place on Tuesday, 10th September.
In March, the students of Mallow Convent Primary School donned denim for the day and raised €450 as part of the ASI’s annual Denim Day. This enjoyable initiative plays a crucial role in supporting essential services every year.
Throughout the month of May, several events were hosted celebrating the 30th anniversary of Tea Day. Funds raised through the Alzheimer Tea Day support critical services like the organisation’s National Helpline, day-care programmes, home care, family carers training, social clubs, and Alzheimer Cafés. A sincere thank you to AIB Mallow and Bridhaven Nursing Home for their support. There was a great turnout from the local Mallow community, with €2,045 raised.
The National Alzheimer Memory Walk will take place on Sunday, 22nd September; families, friends, and neighbours will share old memories and make new ones as they walk in honour of families affected by the condition. Friends of ASI Mallow is inviting family and friends to join them to celebrate the memory of the ones they hold dear. It will take place on September 22nd at 11am at the entrance to Mallow Castle.
Certainly, it has been a busy period for Friends of ASI Mallow and they have more activities planned before the year end. This voluntary group has shown great dedication, creativity, and support for making Mallow a Dementia Inclusive Community If you would like to volunteer or participate in the training workshops, contact Laura Curtin on 087 373 6496.