TD's warned of serious challenges in the health system due to sharp rise in over 75's.

At a presentation in Leinster House organised by Fianna Fail TD John Lahart, and attended by TD's from Dublin South West and South Central, Doctor Ronan Collins of Tallaght Hospital gave a stark warning to those present as to the challenges the country, and in particular the Dublin-Mid Leinster catchment area faces due to people living a lot older than before. In 1950, the percentage of the population over 75 in Ireland was 1.2% This is expected to increase to 11.8% by 2050. In 2011, 8,525 people in Tallaght were aged over 75, and this will rise substantially to 30,600 by 2031, just 15 years away. Dr Collins remarked "All our policies, be they in health or public transport should take particular notice of the needs of our aging population."

While he welcomed the opening of extra nursing home beds in the area, he was concerned that these facilities were under no stipulation as to the patient mix they take in. Therefore such facilities can admit persons from outside their area who are of a low dependency, and don't require major care, while elderly patients who are of high dependency are often left in limbo, often stuck in a hospital ward.

Ireland is 6th in the OECD, per head of population for fractures, and many of these people spend weeks if not months lying in beds in hospital wards because there is nowhere else for them to go during the recuperation process. Many of these are not elderly patients, but young people who've suffered a fracture playing sport etc, but you rarely hear that mentioned in the media.
He then spoke about St Brigids Nursing home in Crooksling, describing the vital services the facility provides, and at 23 acres, a good area of it, could and should be extended with more bed capacity added. Councillor Deirdre o' Donovan praised the staff at Crooksling for the care they gave her late grandmother which she said was "second to none", but opined that "the reality is we don't cherish our elderly".

Presentation organiser, John Lahart TD said "new nursing home construction being added into the county development plan, is always warmly received by councillors". He also remarked how "people do not see Nursing homes as places were elderly people are nursed, but rather as a place where they are being minded."

Joan Collins TD spoke of the work the future health committee she in on was undertaking, and how it related to what Doctor Collins had spoke about in his presentation, and Paul Murphy TD got agreement from the other TD's present that they would seek to have the issue debated in The Dail next week. Seán Crowe TD spoke of his concerns at the amount of paperwork nurses and doctors have to fill out, and nursing homes sending patients to A+E for very minor illnesses such as colds, and clogging up the system even further.

Clondalkin campaigns calls on FF TD to support Anti-evictions bill

A group of local activists protested outside the constituency clinic of Fianna Fail TD John Curran to demand he support an anti-evictions bill, tabled by the Anti Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit Party in the Dail.
The campaigners who are part of the newly formed “Clondalkin and Lucan Housing Group”, setup to highlight the homeless crisis in the area, and demand the construction of more social housing by South Dublin County Council to address this problem.

Two councillors where in attendance at the protest, Ruth Nolan of Independents4Change, and Madeline Johansson of AAA-PBP.

 Councillor Nolan said -
“We are here today to protest in support of the anti-evictions bill due to be voted on in The Dail on January 17^th. And to pressure John Curran T.D. to support the bill.
We should stop these vulture funds from evicting people at the rate they are”

 Madeleine Johansen then spoke -  
“We are here saying to the local TD’s that the AAA-PBP bill that’s before the Dail should be supported by them.
Anti-eviction laws are in place in many European countries, and stops landlords evicting people for spurious reasons, so we should do the same here”

Campaign organiser Seán Phelan condemned the decision by a majority of councillors to vote in favour of allowing the council to sell off a specially adapted house  in Clondalkin.
He added “The council should be providing extra social housing, not selling off existing stock.  There are many families with a disabled child or parent who badly need specially adapted accommodation.
The campaign calls on the council to reverse the decision to sell the house, and accommodate a family that needs it immediately”

The group plans to join the protest outside the Dail on January 17, as the AAA-PBP motion is being debated, and will hold a public meeting in Lucan in the coming weeks.

TURNING ANGER INTO ACTION

Two Clondalkin resident’s concerns about the housing crisis lead them to forming “Clondalkin and Lucan Housing Action Network”

  

Seán Phelan from Ashfield and Darren Corrigan from Dunawley, were so angered by the increasing numbers of people sleeping homeless in their area, they decided to do something about it.
Both have been active in the “Clondalkin Helping Homeless Campaign”, which seeks to provide hot food and essentials such as sleeping bags to those living rough in the area.
While both commended the actions of the homeless campaign, they told me it is akin to “sticking a plaster on a leaking pipe”, and a short term cure.
Both felt something needed to be done to tackle the causes of homelessness, and prevent it happening to others in the future.
 

Photo (c) Seán Heffernan

Seán Phelan explained the catalyst for setting up the campaign -  “After hearing of the tragic death of Jonathan Corrie just yards from the Dail, and the horrific tragedy at the halting site in Carrickmines, we felt enough was enough, and sought about doing what we could on the issue of homelessness, direct provision and traveller accommodation”.

The interview took place shortly after the first action of the campaign, a protest they co-organised outside the Council offices in Clondalkin Village.
Both were delighted at the turnout, and view it as a great springboard that they hope will lead to the campaign gaining in numbers and strength in the  future.

I asked Darren Corrigan as to how we felt the protest went.
“I was delighted with the turnout, especially seeing so many ordinary non- political people present.
While we welcome and thank Eoin o’ Brien TD, and Councillors Ruth Nolan, Madeline Johansson and Francis Timmons for supporting us, we wish for the Housing Action Campaign to be a grassroots led initiative, the people of Clondalkin and Lucan fighting for the homeless in Clondalkin and Lucan”.

Photo (c) Seán Heffernan

They also raised concerns as to how the people in the Direct Provision Centre in Clondalkin where being treated, which to their minds was “akin to a prison camp.”

As for where they go from here Mr Phelan replied:
“We will be having a discussion with others who have joined the campaign as to what we will do in the future, but at the very least I can see us holding information stalls at various shopping centres, and getting leaflets into peoples doors on the issue of the housing crisis in the Dublin Mid-West area.”

Last but not least Mr Corrigan expressed “a strong hope that people from elsewhere will see what is happening in Clondalkin, and as a result similar campaigns might spring up all over the place be it Coolock, Clonmel or Crossmalina”.

What has Dark Chocolate ever done to you?

Image from: Recipies Wika

I love dark chocolate, I mean LOVE it.
Watching Googlebox Ireland just isn't the same without a bar of the Dark stuff to accompany your viewing.
The higher the Coca content the better as far as I'm concerned.
Be it Aine's chocolate from Cavan,Godiva from Belgium, or a box of Borders Dark Chocolate Gingers from Scotland; if my football team loses heavily, or Trump goes on another insane twitter rant, I console myself with the bark of the Dark Stuff.

Yet what I can't seem to properly get my head around, is the hatred many people have of this confection par Excellence.
When I offer a square to some people they look at me like I've offered them a Donald Trump badge to affix to their jacket.
They will then proceeed to go on a rant about how they HATE dark chocolate, ask me in bewildered tones as to how on earth I could like the stuff, and other unprintable statements.

Image from: Behance.net

As far as I'm concerned, it is very much their loss.
As well as tasting great, dark chocolate also has genuine health benefits.particularly for lowering blood pressure and helping to improve ones blood flow (That that utterly useless coconut water!)

Image from: Chocolcates.ie

So will you majority of ye milk chocolate munchers, too chicken to embrace the dark side, please give us who love a bit of 72% Cocoa on our tongues, a break?

Bring back Glenroe.

Image from Dailyedge.ie (C) RTE Archives

Recently I was watching "Reelling in The Years" on RTE 1, and it played the opening scenes from the very first episode of Glenroe every broadcast.
Talk about getting a hit of nostalgia!
Every Sunday night in our house it was compulsory viewing; right after the excellent Where in the World presented by Theresa Lowe.

Image from RTE (GlenroeFarm.ie)

The writers of the very popular Sunday night drama set in north Wicklow were not afraid to push the boundries, be it stories about infidelity, or the Travelling community.
It made household names of the people that starred in it.
I can still remember how excited my Nanna had been after the actor Joe Lynch - who played Dinny in the show - visited her active age group in Dundrum.
Whenever I mention Glenroe to people it elicits a very warm response from people, who remember it fondly.
One can only imagine the chatter in the hairdressers the morning Miley and Fidelma rolled in the hay!

This week we are hearing a lot about the financial woes in R.T.E., and how they are going to have to implement severe cutbacks to cut costs.
Well one simple idea I have that would save sojme money is this -
Lets cancel the drama 'Doctors' which people can also easily see on BBC 1 anyways, and replace it by repeating Glenroe in it's time slot instead.

Image From: RTE (Dailyage.ie)

I can see many more people tuning into the stattion than tune do presently for 'Doctors', and this would enable RTE to pitch for higher advertising rates during that time slot, as well as saving on not having to pay the BBC for the rights to show the programme.



I remember UTV showing Glenroe in the early 90's, after it had finished on R.T.E. so the tapes are presumably still around, and it could be repeated if the powers that be in montrose consented to that happening.

Image from: RTE (Evokie.ie)

And they could also scrap some of that brain numbing U.S. Childrens TV content too, by replacing it with the brilliant Bosco, while they are at it!


I would put money on it, that had R.T.E. released a box set of Glenroe on DVD this Christmas, it would be high up in the sales charts for sure,l and inn fact it could very well have got to Number 1.

Thus I hope some day to turn on my T.V. and utter those immortal words "Well holy god" as the theme music rachets up, and the bus passes as the cement mixer whilrls upon the Glenroe title appearing on the screen.

Image from: RTE

PAIN SPECIALIST GIVES EVIDENCE IN CASE AGAINST HOSPITAL AND HSE

 

Image from Archiseek

Seán Heffernan HNDJ1

The case of alleged medical negligence taken by Thomas Hill against Tullamore Hospital and the HSE, continued today in the Four Courts.
Evidence was given by Doctor Camillus Kevin Power, a specialist in Anaesthesia and pain management at Tallaght Hospital, whom Mr. Hill attended from 2001 to 2003.
Doctor Power gave evidence as to the areas of the body where Mr Hill’s pain was most acute; that being from around the ribs down as far as the left groin area.
On questioning from the defence, the specialist said it was incorrect to label chronic and acute pain as one and the same, in fact they were two very different things.
The court also heard that Mr. Hill only gets about 2 hours of sleep a night due to the severe pain he suffers, and had visited psychiatrist Jennifer Power in relation to this.

The case continues in the High Court.