The project that is the 2023 Wexford Directory of Services for Older People featured at an event this week co-hosted by WEXICOP (Wexford Integrated Care of Older Persons) and St John’s Community Hospital in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.
Co-funded by the HSE/South East Community Healthcare’s Health and Wellbeing service, its WEXICOP (Wexford Integrated Care of Older Persons) and Wexford County Council and developed through Wexford Dementia Alliance, the Directory was officially launched by the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler T.D.
This Directory provides information on many of the essential services and supports available for older adults and their families in Co. Wexford. It includes contact phone numbers for HSE and other public services, community and voluntary organisations and some community based older adult social groups across the county as well as guidance around falls prevention and dementia-specific services.
The need for this Directory was identified in the 2022 Wexford Age Friendly Alliance County Strategy and Action Plan and further supported by the HSE’s Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons strategy.
Emer Finn, Wexford HSE’s Memory Technology and Resource Room Occupational Therapist, chaired the Wexford Dementia Alliance which led out on its development. The Directory is facilitated by HSE Healthy Ireland, Wexford County Council, Wexford Older People’s Council, the HSE’s National Clinical Programme for Older People and a range of other Wexford age friendly stakeholders. The information contained in this Directory came from various health and social care services, organisations and individuals.
Speaking about the Directory, Derval Howley (Head of Service/Health and Wellbeing, HSE/South East Community Healthcare) said:
“We were delighted to co-fund this initiative with Wexford County Council. It is great to see a health and wellbeing project focused on the elderly and resulting from collaborative and integrated partnership across statutory and voluntary organisations being officially launched by the Minister of State with responsibility for Older People Mary Butler TD. The HSE and all of our partners in Co. Wexford are very pleased to welcome the Minister to Enniscorthy for such an occasion.”
“Titled an “Information Guide to Services for Older People in Co. Wexford”, it is already available on the HSE website (see https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/lho/wexford/older-people/wexford-directory-of-services-2023.pdf) and on the Wexford County Council website (see https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/sites/default/files/content/Community/Wexford-Directory-of-Services-2023.pdf). WEXICOP (Wexford Integrated Care of Older Persons) , Wexford County Council, An Garda Siochana and Alone commenced distribution of physical copies recently to HSE healthcare sites in Co. Wexford (Hospitals, Community Nursing Units, Primary care Centre, Health Centres, Day Centres etc.) as well as pharmacies, post offices, credit unions, churches, libraries, the County Council Offices, Garda stations, Family Resource Centres and through voluntary organisations such as Alone, Alzheimer’s Society and so on. The feedback has been very good and rewards the efforts put in to its composition.”
Speaking at the launch in Enniscorthy, Tanya Gorey (Operational Lead for the Wexford Integrated Care for Older Persons and the Wexford Memory Assessment and Support Services for HSE/South East Community Healthcare) said:
“We are hoping to review the Directory as part of the work of the Wexford Dementia Alliance periodically and work to update the digital copy on a yearly basis. The opportunities for further collaboration and integration across the county are endless and the development of the Directory has helped us form new partnerships with our community members, care partners and civic supporters. The Directory will benefit so many people in Wexford by raising awareness of health and social supports right across the county ”
“We are delighted to work closely with the Wexford Age Friendly Alliance and the Wexford Dementia Alliance to incorporate services and supports for Older People across Wexford . As with each Local Authority area, such alliances involve senior decision-makers from public (HSE, County Council, An Garda Síochána etc.), and voluntary organisations (Alone, Alzheimer’s Society, Family Carers Ireland, Sage etc). The Wexford Older Person’s Council ensures Older People exercise a strong, guiding influence on Age-Friendly local development. Many thousands of practical steps have been taken at local level under the guidance of these Alliances and the Older Persons Council and this Directory of Services for Older People in Co. Wexford is one such positive result of this ongoing collaboration.”
