Carers’ Coffee Club

Coffee Morning Videos

In case you have missed any of our guest speakers, you can still watch their sessions from the Facebook Live series below.

• Dr Tony Foley, GP and Lecturer

  Our first guest was Dr Tony Foley, a GP and lecturer in the Department of General Practice in UCC, who gave an overview of Covid-19 and answered questions related to the virus from family carers.

   

• Bryan Nolan, Grief and Loss Specialist

  Our second guest was end of life, grief and loss specialist, Bryan Nolan who offered viewers advice on how to stay well and mind yourself while caring for those you love during the Covid-19 pandemic.

   

• Laura Dowling, aka the Fabulous Pharmacist

  Our third guest was Laura Dowling, aka the Fabulous Pharmacist, who gave an overview of the work of pharmacies during the Covid-19 pandemic and offered advice on medication management and self-care.

  
  

• Joanna Fortune, Psychotherapist

  Joanna Fortune, a psychotherapist specialising in the parent/child relationship, was our fourth guest and spoke about parenting in a pandemic when you have additional care needs to consider, her ’15-Minute Parenting’ model and how play is an ongoing and necessary part of the parent/child relationship (regardless of the age and developmental needs of the child).

  
  

• Jackie O’Toole, Dementia Nurse Specialist

  Dementia Nurse Specialist Jackie O’Toole was our fifth guest and offered expert advice and tips for those caring for a loved one with dementia during the Covid-19 crisis.

  
  

• Virge Connery, Behaviour Analyst

  Our sixth guest was Behaviour Analyst Virge Connery who gave tips and advice on dealing with challenging behaviour in children and young adults with special needs.

  
  

• Helen Hartnett, First Aid Responder Instructor

  First Aid Responder Instructor Helen Hartnett was our seventh guest and spoke about the signs and symptoms of stroke and heart attack, keeping calm when contacting the emergency services and how to deal with burns, nose bleeds and other common occurrences requiring first aid at home.

  
  

• Clare Duffy, FCI Policy and Public Affairs Manager

  Family Carers Ireland’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager Clare Duffy was our eighth guest and spoke about the rights and entitlements of family carers.

  
  

• Tony Moore, Professional Accredited Counsellor

  Professional Accredited Counsellor Tony Moore spoke out our emotional responses to being a family carer and what we can do to give ourselves some “me” time.

• Sarah Sutton, Counsellor and Psychotherapist

  Counsellor and Psychotherapist Sarah Sutton delivered a session on how anxiety and stress begin and how they manifest in our bodies and outlined some tools that can be helpful in stressful moments.

  
  

• Niamh McGettigan, Dietitian

  Dietitian Niamh McGettigan from Nutricia took us through some general healthy eating advice and tips for those caring for loved ones.

  
  

   

• Pauric Druhan, Trusts Solicitor

  Trusts Solicitor Pauric Druhan from Pearse Trust gave a presentation on setting up a discretionary trust for a person with special needs and took questions on the topic.

  
  

• Gina Delaney, Development Officer with Mental Health Ireland

  Gina Delaney, Development Officer with Mental Health Ireland, discussed the benefits of the five ways to mind your mental health – Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give – and ways that carers can put these into action for an improved sense of wellbeing in our lives.

• Muriel Pate, Medication Safety Pharmacist

  Medication Safety Pharmacist Muriel Pate from the HSE Quality Improvement Team Muriel offered tips on managing medicines safely and overcoming some of the communication challenges brought about by Covid-19.

  
  

• Mary McLoughlin, Registered Nurse

  Registered Nurse Mary McLoughlin gave a presentation on high risk factors of falls; anticipatory awareness with some conditions (Dementia, Parkinson’s, MS, Osteoporosis); environmental factors and the fear of falling.

  
  

• Jane Cassidy, Certified Instructor and Registered Nurse

  Certified Instructor and Registered Nurse Jane Cassidy gave advice to those who are caring for a loved one with a PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) tube and require feeding via a tube.

  
  

• Paul Kirwan, Development Officer & Physical Trainer with Siel Bleu Ireland

  Development Officer and Physical Trainer with Siel Bleu Ireland Paul Kirwan did an exercise session focusing on the key muscles and joints which may come under most strain during a family carer's day-to-day duties.

• Carmel Folan, Manual Handling & Patient Moving Instructor

  Carmel gave a presentation on using PPE properly and sanitising and maintenance of equipment to help prevent injury or illness to family carers and the cared for person.

• Kathy McLoughlin, FCI Head of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships

  Kathy gave an overview of Family Carers Ireland's new Emergency Scheme which aims to give peace of mind to family carers as well as ensuring that the person they care for remains safe if the carer is involved in an accident or emergency.

• Bryan Nolan, Grief and Loss Specialist

  We were delighted to welcome back Bryan Nolan to our Carers' Coffee Club for a second time.

  ''You Can't Pour from an Empty Cup'' is the tile of Bryan's session and includes timely advice on caring for ourselves while caring for others and exploring ways that may help us to refill that cup of ours.

• Mary McLoughlin, Registered Nurse

  Registered Nurse Mary McLoughlin of Healthcare Training Solutions sensitively delivered a presentation covering important end of life care topics including care planning, communication and symptom management.

• Michael Norton, National Mental Health Engagement & Recovery Lead, HSE

  Michael Norton, National Mental Health Engagement & Recovery Lead, HSE, gave a presentation on family recovery in mental health, national policy relating to families in recovery and the services now available for the family in mental health.

• Sharon McCarthy, Autism Specialist Consultant

  Autism Specialist Consultant Sharon McCarthy of Autism Journeys explained why establishing predictability is so important and detailed some easy-to-use strategies to lower anxieties felt by creating structure to support those with autism in our lives.

• Rebecca Lloyd, Public Engagement Officer, Irish Hospice Foundation

  Rebecca Lloyd, Public Engagement Officer with the Irish Hospice Foundation, chatted about the 'Think Ahead' form which aims to help members of the public talk about and record their preferences in the event of emergency, serious illness or death. Where do we start and how do we begin? Find out more about Think Ahead here.

• Finola Colgan, Development Officer, Mental Health Ireland

  Finola Colgan, Development Officer with Mental Health Ireland, led a discussion on how we can apply CHIME (Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning, Empowerment) in our daily lives to support our mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Finola is a member of the coproduction team on Mental Health Ireland's recent five week programme "Mental Health and Family Caring - Supporting the Supporters" in collaboration with Family Carers Ireland. The programme content is due to be published in a new booklet on the same theme.

• Michele Baker, Health Promotion Officer, HSE Midlands

  HSE Midlands Health Promotion Officer Michele Baker delivered a presentation on "The Power of Gratitude". Michele is a strong believer in the practice of gratitude and chats about how it can build on our emotional resilience and help us cope with life’s challenges.

• Avril Mullally, Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher, Roscommon Yoga & Therapies

  Avril Mullally from Roscommon Yoga & Therapies is a fully qualified Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher who believes self-care and self-kindness is a necessity to help with the struggles we are facing in these difficult times. In this video, she teaches breathing techniques and mindfulness which can be used to reduce anxiety and provide much needed moments of kindness into our day.

• Michael McCarthy, Physical Trainer, Siel Bleu Ireland

  Physical trainer Michael McCarthy from Siel Bleu Ireland delievered run an exercise session suitable for anyone focusing on mobility, strength and balance with seated and standing exercises shown. 

• Ronah Corcoran, Founder, Carers Network Ireland

  Carers Network Ireland Founder Ronah Corcoran delivered a talk titled 'Care for Carers: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind'. Ronah discussed the importance of exercise, nutrition, sleep and self-care and share some stress reduction tips and techniques including relaxation, breathwork, mindfulness, foods for stress and gentle movement.
  

• Hilary Collins, Psychotherapist (M.I.A.C.P.) / Trainer (Adult Education)

  Psychotherapist Hilary Collins delievered a talk on 'Mediation & Mindfulness'. The session included a short meditation – paying particular attention to the breath - followed by some gentle stretching exercises to help ease any tension.

• Bryan Nolan, Grief and Loss Specialist

  End of life, grief and loss specialist Bryan Nolan explored "Self-Care in Extraordinary Times" and chatted some of our new eLearning courses available here. The courses include a module on "Self-Care for Family Carers" developed by FCI in partnership with Bryan.

• Breffni Mc Guinness, National Bereavement Development Specialist, Irish Hospice Foundation

  This session with Breffni Mc Guinness from the Irish Hospice Foundation looks at being a family carer and coping with loss and grief especially during Covid-19. It focuses on helping you as a family carer to cope with the losses and griefs that are an inevitable part of caring for someone. The session is suitable for both family carers and also those who are supporting them.

• Janice Matthews, Registered General Nurse, Account Contract Manager NI, Essity

  Registered General Nurse Janice Matthews, Account Contract Manager NI with Essity, offered practical tips for good continence care. Janice has years of experience working with both children and adult continence care providing advice and support for products and education.

• Geraldine Lyons, Personal Development and Wellness Coach, Breaking Beyond

  Personal Development and Wellness Coach Geraldine Lyons (see www.breakingbeyond.ie) explored acceptance and what it might mean to you. It is not about rolling over and becoming complacent, it is about acceptance of what may be outside of our control in order to focus on what is within our control.

• Grainne Toher, Senior Yoga, Pilates, Mindfulness & Meditation Teacher/Coach, Yogapal

  Yogapal founder Grainne Toher discussed the benefits of mindfulness as an accessible daily practice to support mental health - offering tips, tricks and ideas that are easy to do and remember as the caring community go about their busy lives.

• Teena Gates & Tracy Carroll, Family Carers

  Family carers Teena Gates and Tracy Caroll joined FCI's Catherine Cox and host Samantha Kelly for a special Carers' Coffee Club on April 23rd to share their experiences of caring during the Covid-19 crisis and to chat about what must be done to better support Ireland's Family Carers during the pandemic and beyond.

• Pat Grogan, National Lead for Individual Carer Supports, Family Carers Ireland

  In this session, Pat gave an overview of Family Carers Ireland's Emergency Care Scheme in which we issue a free Emergency Card to scheme members, help you draft an Emergency Care Plan which is activated in the case of an emergency, ensuring support is provided to the person in need of support.