Free Dementia Workshops in Athlone

Two free workshops for people living with Dementia will be held in Athlone next week.

The workshops will take place during an International Dementia Conference in the Athlone Springs Hotel, on Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8.

These workshops provide a wonderful opportunity to engage, connect, and participate in meaningful activities in a supportive environment.

The International Dementia Conference, now in its 17th year, features an exciting line-up of speakers from Ireland and beyond, alongside engaging panel discussions and hands-on interactive workshops. The conference will be officially opened by Minister of State for Older People & Housing Kieran O’Donnell.

Over 40 speakers from Ireland and around the world will gather to present on topics such as Innovations in Dementia Care, Brain Health, Disease Modifying Therapies, The Creative Arts in Dementia Care and Wellbeing and much more.

Attendees will hear directly from those living with dementia, family carers and supporters, as well as industry-leading researchers, professors and healthcare professionals.

The workshops both take place on Thursday, May 8, for those living with dementia.

The first workshop is run by Lizzie Ward, Programme Manager for the multi-award-winning House of Memories, a flagship dementia awareness programme for National Museums Liverpool.

During the session, individuals will practice hosting a conversation around culture and memories using the power of objects to stimulate memories of the past and passions of today. The group will work together to create their own memory trees which are illustrative and representative of who they are and their own identities as a creative session to take away with them and use with a range of cultures and demographics.

The second workshop is run by Sundara O’Higgins, who is an art-educator and Curator of the Horizons Art and Health programme at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. In this workshop, will be doing a taster session of the Azure Dementia inclusive art programme. It is an interactive session where she uses specialised facilitation techniques to engage with the artworks in the moment, using the senses and what we see, to imagine the story of the artworks, in a relaxed conversational style.

Places are limited and while free, need to be booked in advance. Please email fgordon@engagingdementia.ie to request your place. Carers are welcome to accompany and to take part.

For more information on the Dementia Conference, please go to www.engagingdementia.ie