What do you do when you get older and you do not have enough memory power to get you home after a walk? This is what happens to many older people who suffer from the disease called Alzheimer’s and it affects all kinds of people; we pass them on the streets everyday, not even knowing this, or knowing that they might be in trouble.
In September 2013 an older woman and her dog went for a walk, but sadly Peggy Mangan (65) from Terenure and Casper, a King Charles Spaniel and her best friend, never came back. Peggy was found dead and Casper died shortly after they found her body in a waste ground area near IKEA on the Northside of Dublin.
Rescue workers searched for her for 95 hours before they found her and Casper. It is moments like these that makes one wonder if there is more that can be done about people with Alzheimer’s or those who suffer from dementia.
Having a disease like this does not mean one does not love walking or leading an active lifestyle, but for the families out there who has a loved one with Alzheimer’s it is a scary thought. It would be comforting to know that there is someone out there looking out for their family member.
Peggy’s family set up the Peggy Mangan Foundation and decided to get a mobile outreach unit on the road that do just that. In November 2014 they gathered their first €50,000 in donations to start the Peggy Mangan Foundation Mobile Service. They have estimated that running a service like this will amount to €50,000 a year and therefore needed funding desperately to get the Mobile Unit on the road.
Today the Minister for Health and Older People, Helen McEntee T.D., announced the new Alzheimer Society of Ireland Mobile Information service, “Each year 4,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with dementia – that is eleven people every day. Currently there are approximately 48,000 people living with dementia in the Republic of Ireland.”
“Dementia prevalence is set to increase in line with our ageing population, underscoring the need for us as a nation to acknowledge and understand the condition and its impact on individuals and society as a whole. Better awareness facilitates enhanced involvement with and support from the community.”
She further said at today’s launch, “It gives carers, family members and friends an understanding and appreciation of the person affected by dementia and it reduces fear for all involved. Projects such as the Dementia Information Bus will go a long way towards bringing this information into the wider community.”
Providing a service like this is absolutely necessary to prevent incidents like the one that lead to the death of Peggy Mangan and to educate people in society of how to become more aware of the people who pass them on the streets; how to be of assistance to someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s could mean saving a life.
