Health Board: upcoming conferences, talks, campaigns and events

1) World MS Day 2018 is on Wednesday (May 30th). The awareness day highlights the need to support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) which is the most common debilitating neurological condition affecting young adults in Ireland. MS Ireland will host MS Research Explored, a public information event in Trinity Biomedical Sciences Building, Pearse St, Dublin 2 from 6pm-8pm on Wednesday, May 30th. See ms-society.ie for countrywide events.

2) Haemochromatosis, also known as iron overload, is an inherited condition which results in the body absorbing and storing too much iron in the body. Fatigue, depression and joint pain are common symptoms of haemochromatosis, all of which can be easily attributed to other conditions. If not diagnosed early and treated, the excess iron in the body can result in liver cirrhosis, arthritis and diabetes. The Irish Haemochromatosis Association is hosting a national awareness day on Thursday, June 7th.  See haemochromatosis-ir.com or call (01) 873 5911.

3) Advances in the treatment of blood cancers is the theme of a free public talk by researchers on Friday, June 8th in the Richard Carmichael Lecture Theatre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin at 4pm. Blood cancer is a term for cancers which affect the cells or the blood or organs where blood cells grow in the bone marrow and lymphatic system. Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are the three main types of blood cancer. The talk is organized by Irish Cancer Society's Blood Cancer Network Ireland, a national research collaboration that gives Irish blood cancer patients access to early phase clinical trials. Email BCNI@nuigalyway.ie or see bloodcancers.ie for more details.

4) Introductory courses in social and therapeutic horticulture will be run by Caitriona Kelly from GIY Ireland in the next few months. Kelly who has trained in therapeutic horticulture with the UK-based charity Thrive will give courses in the Cork Association for Autism on Saturday, June 16th, the GROW headquarters in Waterford City on July 14th-15th, August 18th-19th and November 10th-11th, and at the Drumnaph Community Nature Reserve, Maghera, Co Derry on September 29th-30th. Email info@giy.ie or call 051-584411 for more details.

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5) The centrepiece for Bloom each year is the show gardens, which have become an engaging, colourful platform for many organisations to highlight issues and communicate with the public on health, charity or public interest messages. This year's event includes the "Marie Keating Foundation SunSmart Garden", a yellow and orange garden created by Peter Cowell and Monty Richardson (aka the Hairy Gardeners, UK) to raise awareness of skin cancer being the fastest growing cancer in Ireland. Using trees and canopies for shade, along with umbrellas, hats and sunscreen, volunteers will be asking visitors to protect themselves in the sun (presuming it is also in attendance). There is also the "Moments in Times – Dementia: Understand Together Garden".

This is a collaboration between landscape gardeners Newtown Saunders Ltd, university research centre TrinityHaus and dementia training organisation Sonas apc. And there is "The Enable Ireland Beyond Boundaries Garden" by horticulturist and garden designer Linda McKeown. Bloom 2018 takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin from Thursday, May 31st to Monday, June 4th, from 9am-6pm each day. Tickets are €20-€25 (Students/OAPs: €16-€22). Free entry for under-16s. See bloominthepark.com

6) Three hundred students will present their final year projects at the Graduate Show, in the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT), Dún Laoghaire, Dublin from June 1st-6th. The exhibition includes "Interaction" by Michael Culligan, an app that allows young adults with mild autism to build their social interaction skills; Amanda Burns uses IoT to monitor people with ongoing medical conditions at home, so that they do not have to visit hospitals so frequently; Luke Maguire's projection mapping projects highlights the issue of homelessness in Ireland; and Susan O'Donovan looked at whether VR and meditation could provide safe treatment methods for chronic pain while avoiding the negative effects of drug therapies. See iadt.ie

7) Most people have experienced, either directly or indirectly, the worry that comes with long waiting times for tests in hospital. A new endoscopic ultrasound service is helping to increase the number of procedures and reduce waiting times for pancreatic and gastric cancer tests at the Mercy University Hospital, Cork. However, The Mercy Hospital Foundation needs to raise €100,000 annually to support this service and is looking for the support of the public. A form is being delivered to households throughout Munster. See mercyfundraising.ie.

- Note: The public talk on "Building Better Mental Health" in St John of God's Hospital, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin will not go ahead on Tuesday, May 29th as mentioned in Health Board last week. 

sthompson@irishtimes.com