Health Board: Upcoming conferences, talks, campaigns and events

1) Tallaght University Hospital's schedule for its spring/summer series of community health talks "Let's Talk Health" – run in partnership with the Patient Community Advisory Council – consists of talks on a wide range of health issues from healthy eating to the chronic lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and information we should all know on how to spot the signs of a stroke.

- Tuesday, March 19th: The Fundamentals of Healthy Eating. Speaker: Dr Conor Kerley, dietitian. Location: Exercise for Wellness, Tallaght Leisure Centre at 3.30pm.
- Wednesday, March 20th: Managing Long-term Illness & Minding Your Mental Health. Speaker: Prof Brendan Kelly, consultant psychiatrist. Location: Conference Room, Tallaght Library at 6.15pm.
- Tuesday, March 26th: COPD – How to Manage this Chronic Lung Disease. Speaker: Dr John Cullen, consultant in general internal and respiratory medicine. Location: Killinarden Community Centre at 11am.
- Tuesday, April 2nd: Minding the Skin You Are In. Speaker: Carmel Blake, clinical nurse specialist in dermatology. Location: Lower Assembly Area, Old Bawn Community School at 7.30pm.
- Wednesday, April 10th: Arthritis, What Is It & What You Can Do About It. Speaker: Patricia O'Neill, clinical nurse manager, and Stephanie Naramore, candidate advanced nurse practitioner in rheumatology. Location: Durkan Suite – An Cosán at 11am.
- Thursday, April 25th: Stroke: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. Speaker: Prof Rónán Collins, director of stroke services. Location: Kilnamanagh Family Recreation Centre at 11am.
- Wednesday, May 15th: Men's Health Looking Under the Bonnet. Speaker: Mr Rob Flynn, consultant urologist. Location: Firhouse Community & Leisure Centre at 6.15pm.

2) The School of Psychotherapy, St Vincent's University Hospital, is holding an information briefing on its foundation course in group analytic psychotherapy weekend training programme on Thursday, March 21st. The meeting will be at the School of Psychotherapy, Elm Park, Dublin 4 from 6.30pm-8pm. Register your interest in attending by emailing Louise Hughes, school administrator, at info@tsop.ie.

3) The GAA and Trinity College Dublin have come together to highlight the secrets to successful ageing through a series of regional seminars. The "How to Age Well" event is based on evidence obtained from Trinity's Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Tilda) and other international research and will be delivered by Prof Rose Anne Kenny. The event is being co-ordinated by Limerick GAA's health and wellbeing committee and supported by Irish Life, and is open to the public. The free community event takes place at Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel and Spa, Adare, Co Limerick, on Wednesday, March 20th, from 7pm-9pm. And the next venue for the event will be in Letterkenny Institute of Technology in Co Donegal on Friday, March 22nd from 2pm-4pm. You can register for either event at eventbrite.ie or (01) 896 4120. Walk-ins on the day also welcome at both venues.

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4) Teenagers with cystic fibrosis are invited to take part in a new online art programme led by Helium Arts in collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Over six online sessions, participants (aged 13-16) will connect creatively with other teenagers living with cystic fibrosis, explore artworks from the Irish Museum of Modern Art and have the opportunity to share their work and ideas with a wider audience. The free programme (no art experience is necessary) is led by artist Rachel Tynan and begins on Saturday, March 23rd, 11am-noon. To register, contact Samantha Byrne in CFI: sbyrne@cfireland.ie or 01 496 2433.

5) The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) Human Milk Bank located at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen is asking more new mums to donate breast milk as stocks are low. "We are encouraging new mothers to help with the increase in demand for breast milk and to ensure we have an adequate supply for neonatal units across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," says Jacinta Boyle, co-ordinator of the Western Trust Milk Bank. If you would like find out more about the Milk Bank and becoming a donor, contact the Milk Bank on (028) 6862 8333 or email TMB.SWAH@westerntrust.hscni.net.

6) Lymphoedema Ireland has invited patients across the country to register for a national support day on Saturday, March 30th. The national support day will take place at the Aisling Hotel in Dublin and those interested can register at lymphireland.com. Some 15,000 people in Ireland live with the condition which involves painful swelling of fluid in the body's tissues.

7) Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is holding its annual conference in the Mount Wolseley Hotel, Carlow, on Saturday, March 30th. The event, 2009-2019: A Decade of Progress but Many Challenges Ahead, will be of particular interest to family members, friends and the wider CF community. Among the speakers will be Prof Barry Plant, Cork University Hospital, who will address new CF drug therapies in the pipeline, while Dr Michelle Murray, Mater hospital, will update on transplants and organ donor consent developments. Registration now open at cfireland.ie. The conference takes place ahead of CFI's annual fundraising flag day, 65 Roses Day, on Friday, April 12th, when people are urged to buy a purple rose for €2 or donate online at 65rosesday.ie.

8) Engage 2019 – the 11th International Dementia Conference – will be held in Croke Park, Dublin, April 1st and 2nd. Engaging Dementia (formerly Sonas apc) is a registered charity which provides training and resources for those who care for people with dementia in residential care, day centres, hospitals or the family home. Tickets – €150 (day 1), €125 (day 2), or €250 for both days – are available from engagingdementia.ie.

9) On Sunday, April 7th, a group of Irish music acts will come together in Dublin's Olympia Theatre for A Night for Aware, a concert in aid of mental health charity Aware. Taking to the stage on the night are Ryan Sheridan, An Emotional Fish, In Tua Nua, The Blizzards, Sack, The Henry Girls, Eibhin Eviston & Dave McGinley, State Lights, Martin Daws, plus special guests. Tickets from ticketmaster.ie or Ticketmaster outlets from €28. You can also phone 0818-719330.

10) An information seminar for women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and their families, will be held at the Clayton Hotel Leopardstown, Dublin, on Friday, April 5th, 9.30am-4pm. Experts will cover topics such as a patient's journey from screening to surgery; gynaecological surgical options for disease prevention; and strengthening self-care and resilience; and there will a panel discussion and an opportunity to ask questions. See mariekeating.ie

11) Breast Cancer Ireland's "Battle of the Stars", supported by the Joe Duffy Group, takes place at Dublin's Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, on Saturday, April 13th. Competing will be seven breast cancer survivors. Now in its sixth year, Battle of the Stars has become an annual event where performers dance and lip sync in front of an audience of 450 people. RTÉ's Eoghan McDermott will MC and a celebrity judging panel will assess the entertainment value. Tickets are €150 from breastcancerireland.com.

12) The Croke Park Stadium Tour has added an Easter twist for families from April 18th-22nd. As well as the usual behind-the-scenes access to the players' lounge, dressingrooms, warm-up area, media centre, etc and the GAA Museum, children follow clues around Europe's third-largest stadium to earn an Easter egg. Children: €11. Adult: €9 (discounts for families). See crokepark.ie/easter

13) Cork charity Ag Eisteacht is running a second Able brief intervention training course in Cork this May for practitioners working in health, social care and community settings. Able (Adopt a relational approach, Build, Listen and Empower) training provides a framework and builds skills to help practitioners to engage with, "listen to understand" and empower patients/clients by embedding a relational approach into their practice. The training is approved for CPD purposes by Social Care Ireland, NMBI, IASW, Irish College of General Practitioners, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI and the Department of Education. The three-day course takes place on May 14th, 28th and 29th at Northridge House Education Centre, Castle Road, Mahon, Cork. Tickets €250-€300, via Eventbrite or 021 453 6556.

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