Saddle Up for Epilepsy raises €24,119
THE Saddle Up For Epilepsy cycle 2016, which took place in Castlebar last February, has raised a phenomenal €24,119.
Pride of place goes to Brian McCaffrey and his team, Lightspeed, who raised €7,493 of the total figure through sponsorship, which was generously matched by Google, where Brian works.
The substantial amount of money raised is being used to help develop and deliver a more comprehensive information and support service in Mayo to people with epilepsy, their family members and professionals who care for them.
Epilepsy Ireland is the charity responsible for delivering the information and support service in the county. A diagnosis of epilepsy can be a very traumatic experience for the person with epilepsy and their family members.
It is very important to get accurate information about the condition and its management at this time. Epilepsy Ireland’s community resource officer is available to go through all aspects of the condition and its management with adults and parents with a new diagnosis. Meetings can be arranged at the monthly outreach clinics that take place at the Family Centre, Castlebar.
In June, the outreach clinic will be held on Friday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional support is delivered through self-management programmes, with separate programmes available for parents and adults with a diagnosis.
Programmes will take place in Castlebar in September and provide additional information on managing the challenging issues that can present with epilepsy and the opportunity to meet others who are also affected by the condition.
The community resource worker is also providing public epilepsy awareness information sessions at different locations throughout the year. In June, a public session will be held at the Family Resource Centre in Westport. The session will focus on epilepsy, seizure types and first aid in the event of a seizure. If you require an individual appointment that day please phone the office at (091) 587640.
Epilepsy Ireland also provides support in the form of information sessions that are delivered by experienced practitioners in the field of epilepsy.
One such experienced practitioner is clinical epilepsy nurse specialist, Ms. Sinead Murphy. Sinead will deliver a talk on epilepsy and its management on Monday, May 30, at Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar. The talk will begin at 5.30 p.m. and will touch on a range of topics including managing your epilepsy, managing medications and lifestyle issues as well as epilepsy and pre-pregnancy care. Time will be given for attendees’ questions. The session will be of benefit to adults with epilepsy, their family members and professionals who care for a person with the condition.
People with epilepsy often complain of memory problems. As a result, Epilepsy Ireland will host a talk on maximising memory on Monday, June 27, at the Harlequin Hotel, Castlebar, beginning at 5.30 p.m.
A paediatric epilepsy nurse talk was held earlier last week in the TF Royal Hotel in Castlebar for parents and professionals who care for a child with epilepsy. The talk was held as part of National Epilepsy Week, which takes place in May of each year and is dedicated to highlighting the condition of epilepsy and towards improving the lives of everyone affected by it.
For more information on upcoming activities, contact the Galway Office at (091) 587640, log onto the www.epilepsy.ie or see facebook.com/epilepsy.ie. They would love to hear from you.