A new free guide book for senior citizens has been hailed by a HSE manager as a “valuable resource” for older people, their families, friends and carers.
Senior Citizen: The Essential Guidebook which was launched recently at City Hall by Mayor of Galway city Cllr Terry O’Flaherty, was produced by Home Instead Senior Care [which looks after older people in their own homes] with the support of Age Action and the HSE.
Speaking at the launch Catherine Cunningham, area manager of the HSE West’s primary, community and continuing care service in Galway and Roscommon, praised the 282 page publication.
“We in the HSE are delighted to assist in its distribution to older people and their families,” she said. “Our staff also find it most useful and informative in their daily roles in supporting people to live independently in their own homes. The strategic aim of the HSE’s services for older people is to support older people to remain at home in independence for as long as possible or, where this is not possible, in an alternative appropriate high quality residential care setting.
“A particular emphasis in future years will be the utilisation of new technologies to support older persons to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. I am pleased to welcome this newly launched format which provides a wide range of valuable and useful information for older people and their families, friends and carers. The senior citizen guidebook is a convenient user friendly reference guide that provides useful links to other information sources which may also be of interest to the wider population.”
Mayor Terry O’Flaherty complimented Home Instead Senior Care’s employees for the great work they do bringing “great care and comfort” to their clients.
“That smile they bring to older people makes a real difference to the lives of their clients. Guidebooks on various topics and subjects have been in use in many countries for a long time. They catered for different interests by containing information deemed to be of use to members of the public at particular times.
“Such books were generally well received and it is in that very light that I view Senior Citizen: The Essential Guidebook. Thankfully senior citizens in Ireland have come more to the fore in recent times and will certainly appreciate the quality of this product once they have glanced through it initially. It will lead to greater contacts between the different age groups and this can be very beneficial to all concerned. This guidebook might even become a prototype for other countries.”
Rita Coll, a member of Age Action West, Salthill said she wished she had this book, which has been described as a road map for successful ageing, 15 years ago.
“I needed it then as I was having a tough time when my husband had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Every family should have one to consult with when looking after a loved one”.
Colman Gately, the owner of Home Instead Senior Care stated that the challenges facing communities across the world are similar. He believed that Ireland should take the lead and make this country the best place for people to grow old by helping senior citizens to live happy, healthy and independent lives in their homes for longer than otherwise possible.
“We at Home Instead Senior Care in County Galway would like to see the Government become a thought leader in how our senior citizens are viewed and valued. Senior Citizen: The Essential Guidebook supports our goal to actively change the face of ageing by providing older people and their families within our community with quality information on a range of topics. This is the fifth year of our publication and each year we are adding new, relevant and up-to-date information which is useful and essential to older people and their families.”
The guidebook features advice and information on a wide range of issues including allowances and entitlements, medical, health and nutrition matters, the various care options for older people, home safety information, legal and financial information, new technology and bereavement. It also features a directory of older people’s organisations and other useful contacts.
To order a free copy of the book telephone 1890 989 755 or log on to www.homeinstead.ie to download a pdf.
