Tallaght Hospital organises free public talk to mark World Alzheimer’s Day

Ongoing programme of community engagement will also see Tallaght Hospital offer advice on Diabetes at Community Health Fair 

September 6th 2017
In the latest instalment of its Public Health Education Series, Tallaght Hospital in partnership with the Patient Community Advisory Council is organising a free public talk on the topic of Alzheimer’s for World Alzheimer’s Day 2017. The talk, entitled “Alzheimer’s – What you need to know and why” will be given by Dr. Sean Kennelly, Consultant Physician in Geriatric and Stroke Medicine at Tallaght Hospital, and media commentator on the topic of healthcare for older people. 

This latest public health education event will focus on providing useful health information and tips, as well as answering questions from members of the public. Attendance is free of charge and all members of the public are welcome to the event which will be held on 21st September, in the Trustus Day Centre, New Seskin Court, Whitestown Way, Tallaght from 6pm to 8pm. 

Alzheimer’s and Dementia are common illnesses, particularly among older people. Many people may know someone who is struggling with the illness. The aim of this talk is to provide the necessary information to help friends and family members cope with and care for those who are suffering.

Catherine Heaney, Chairperson of the PCAC and Fettercairn Community Health Project Co-Ordinator, welcomed the announcement, saying; “I am delighted to see this talk take place on what is a very important subject matter, and I wish to thank the members of the Patient and Community Advisory Council and Tallaght Hospital for their work in organising this series of talks this year. The most recent Census has shown that the local population in Tallaght is aging, this means our local Hospital is catering to an older patient demographic all the time. Therefore, it is crucial that people have the information necessary to care for loved ones as they age. Alzheimer’s is becoming more prevalent in our community, the diagnosis of a loved one with this illness can be very difficult to deal with if you do not have the appropriate knowledge to hand. I hope that this public talk can help to give people the information they need.”

Dr. Catherine Wall, Clinical Lead at Tallaght Hospital, said: "It is wonderful to see the Public Health Education Series continue from strength to strength. This public talk is just the latest in a series of informative, free seminars organised in our community this year. At every event we offer those attending to provide feedback and the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Such encouraging feedback is welcome and we are hopeful of building on the success of the series next year, working again with the PCAC.”

In addition to the Public Health Education Series, Tallaght Hospital will also participate in the Tallaght Community Health Fair, on Tuesday 19th September at 10.30am. Consultant Endocrinologist Dr Matt Widdowson from Tallaght Hospital will give a free public talk entitled “Diabetes – what you need to know and why”. Entry is free for all who wish to attend. The Tallaght Community Health Fair takes place in Tallaght Stadium. Ends

About Tallaght Hospital
Tallaght Hospital is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, providing child-health, adult, psychiatric and age-related healthcare on one site. The hospital has 495 adult beds and 67 paediatric bed with 2,600 people on staff. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialities. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and a regional orthopaedic trauma centre.

Tallaght Hospital is one of the two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin - specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, health and social care professionals, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. Tallaght Hospital is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group which serves a population of over 1.2 million across seven counties.

A new satellite centre is to be built at Tallaght Hospital as part of the National Children’s Hospital project as a key element of an integrated clinical network for paediatric services nationally.

The Hospital’s Emergency Departments catered for 49,512 Adult Attendances and 33,717 Paediatric Attendances in 2016. A further 252,418 patients were treated through the Hospital’s adult and paediatric outpatient clinics in 2016. The Hospital’s operations are supported by 200 general practitioners in surrounding communities.