Seanad debates

Tuesday, 15 April 2003

Government Policy and the Provision of Services for the Elderly: Statements.

 

Without ignoring another health board, I have great ties with the Midland Health Board. While I have to support my own in the north-west, I never forget where I came from. I was delighted to hear the Minister of State talk about innovative measures and ideas taken on by health boards. When I went home at the weekend, I had received a copy of Senior Times in the post, which I am sure all my colleagues also received. I was delighted to read an article about the Midland Health Board and Music Network, which operates out of Dublin Castle, which have come together to plan for the future in what they see as an innovative way to provide not just health care but also social care for elderly clients. They do this through music, dance and art. When I spoke to somebody there today, they said theirs was a pilot scheme but they had now incorporated it into the day-to-day running of the service. This is the third phase of the scheme. We talked about elderly people suffering from dementia. Apparently, when they hear a piece of music, whether it be set dancing or traditional ballroom dancing, the men and women involved immediately get up, are activated and encouraged. The music brings them back. They may not have spoken or been active, yet something like a piece of music can trigger whatever it is in their minds that brings them back to where they might have been ten, 20, 30 years ago. There is nothing as emotional as to see an elderly person who may be confined to a chair wanting to get up and move. It gives them great dignity if they can enjoy something they enjoyed many years ago and which can now come back into their lives. While it enhances their lives, the right environment has to be created. I heard a lovely story, also about the Midland Health Board, in which Hugh Tinney came to Mullingar with a piano that cost €75,000 and entertained, free of charge, elderly clients.

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