The Parkinsons Association of Ireland has informed Be Independent Home Care that to mark May Month of the Brain, they are holding a coffee morning in the Carmichael Centre, North Brunswick Street on Friday 24th May from 10.30am-12.30pm. They will be holding their Annual raffle at this cof...

John O' Mahony, Chairperson of the Dublin Branch of the Parkinsons Association of Ireland has informed Be Independent Home Care that a meeting on "Drama Therapy for people with Parkinson's" is being held at Naomh Mearnóg GAA Club premesis Portmarnock� on Tuesday next 14th May 2013. Anyone...

The Irish Examiner has reported that "Ireland’s rapidly ageing population is leading to a financial time bomb, with warnings that no plan is in place to cope with the dramatic rise in those aged over 65". Prof Barrett of the ESRI points out that “We are consumed with short term difficult...

I thought this article from yesterday’s New York Times made interesting reading. It explores how in the US where more and more people are living longer and the stigma of psychological counselling has diminished more older people are turning to counsellors to discuss issues they may have on ...

This article in the New York Times reports on the costs to care for Americans with dementia. A study has found that the financial burden is at least as high as that of heart disease or cancer, and is probably higher. The journalist reports “Behind the numbers is a sense that the country, facing ...

We must meet the needs of an ageing country This week the Regional Hospital in Limerick has appealed to people not to attend its emergency department because of overcrowding. Local INMO representative Mary Fogarty says the cutbacks in community nursing services and home help services are now having...

The Irish Times - Paul Cullen Up to 8,600 jobs could be created and €2 billion saved through reform of the home care sector, according to a new report. Private home care providers claim that the savings could generate an additional 18 million hours of home help within the existing budget, effe...

An interesting article from Mary Minihan of The Irish Times which includes an argument from the The Third Age organisation that there is a “funding bias towards expensive institutional care” in the section of the HSE budget earmarked for older people. Hard to argue really as we know here at Be I...

An interesting article from Mary Minihan of The Irish Times which includes an argument from the The Third Age organisation that there is a “funding bias towards expensive institutional care” in the section of the HSE budget earmarked for older people. Hard to argue really as we know here at Be I...

Many of our older clients at Be Independent Home Care complain of poor sleep patterns so I was interested to come across this research from the University of Berkely. By Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations | January 28, 2013 BERKELEY — The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brai...

This Primetime Report is well worth a watch. It provides super insight into the real benefits of home help/home care and what it really means to those that recieve this support. It is a super reflection of client and carers thoughts on this invaluable service and really relects our daily experiences...

102 year old gives up cigerettes! Clara Cowell first smoked in 1931 and has had three cigarettes a day since. Birthday girl Clara Cowell has shown it's never too late to change your lifestyle - after giving up smoking two weeks ago aged 102. And Mrs Cowell, who lives independently in Ains...

ALISON HEALY reports today in the Irish Times that "The abuse of older people is being ignored by society but horrific stories of elder abuse are regularly coming to light, according to Fr Tony Byrne, director of the suicide and bullying charity Awareness Education Services. "Everyone is talking ab...

  David Cameron has today (Tuesday 12 February) taken part in one of the first Dementia Friends sessions since the UK Alzheimer’s Society initiative went live this morning. Joined by Alzheimer’s Society celebrity Ambassadors Sally Lindsay and Lynda Bellingham the Prime Minister took part in ...

Our Nurse Managers have been busy delivering complimentary Winter Wellness presentations to interested groups throughout Dublin. These slides are now available on Slideshare. As a Nurse owned and managed provider of Home Care and Home Help services, Be Independent Home Care are passionate about keep...

Supplements of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the rate of hip fracture by almost 40%, says a new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Certainly food for thought for 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men in Ireland over 50 who experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis. Osteoporo...

A new US long-term prospective study has suggested individuals with the highest levels of cardiorespiratory fitness during middle age were significantly less likely to develop dementia in their senior years. Among nearly 20,000 participants in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, those in the highe...

Marie O’Gorman may not be able to fly because of a medical condition, but she still has the world at her fingertips. Crowned the ‘Most Dedicated IT Learner’ in 2009′s inaugural Silver Surfer awards, Marie, has no intention of stopping any time soon. With 5 children, 19 grandchildren, and eig...

This is an interesting piece on how the UK Health System is failing to adapt to the growing needs of older people in Britain. Hospitals to become 'warehouses of old people' as health service struggles to cope with ageing population, Labour warns. Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham warned...

Alice Lucey, Director of Care with Be Independent Home Care is reminding older people to take care in the current cold weather. Here are some of Alice's key tips for during this cold snap: Keep Your House Warm: Keep your main living room between 18-21C and the rest of the house at a minimum of...

As a Nurse Owned and Nurse Managed provider of Home Care Services, Be Independent Home Care are not at all surprised by this report on www.irishhealth.com. And we agree 100%! Why should Nurses work for peanuts in a health system that pushes them to the absolute limit? We hear people say “but it sh...

The Irish Times MARESE McDONAGH Elderly people attending day care, for those suffering acute mental health problems, want to be listened to and to be told the truth, a new study has shown. A non-judgmental attitude by staff and a pleasant “homely” atmosphere in day care centres were also deeme...

At the end of this busy and rewarding year for Be Independent Home Care, we are thinking of those clients who we were so fond of who passed away during the year. We miss them and are thinking of their families this Christmas. We are also thinking how incredibly grateful we are to our fantastic te...

This is great ! For those of you who are a little bit more mature and are thinking about studying to become a home care assistant, here's proof thats its never too late to complete those studies! Leslie Nevins who has just turned 84 has just graduated with a bachelor of science degree in nursing, c...

Is this for real! Lets face it no Nurse has choosen this career for the money but this salary is simply insulting ! Speaking as a Nurse who worked in Hospital Nursing and Home Care the UK and Australia I only have one word of advice .....GO! You will gain invaluable experience, be treated exception...

The Irish Times: This article makes sombre reading. Surely this government must see the false economy of these cuts. It is a fact that home care and home help support helps keep people in their home and out of hospital. These cuts will simply have one result and that is an increase in hospital admis...

A Highly Informative Workshop: As part of the Be Independent Home Care training and development policy we offer frequent in house training to our team of home carers. Our latest training was a Dementia Training Workshop and was delivered by Jennifer Peare of Care Matters. Care Matters is a train...

A study of 341,000 people by the National Academy of Sciences in America showed that overall enjoyment of life tended to decline slowly throughout early adulthood, rising again from around the late forties or early fifties to reach a maximum around the age of 85. Several factors apparently are ...

The Grand Hotel:, Malahide, 10.30am 06/11/2012: Be Independent HomeCare continue their series of complimentary Health & Wellness Presentations this time to the Carers Association on the 6th of November 2012 in The Grand Hotel. The Carers Association is Ireland's national voluntary organisat...

THE IRISH TIMES: IRELAND’S AGEING population presents a massive challenge for governments North and South, with an additional 45,000 older people requiring care over the next decade, according to a major new report. Every day over the next 10 years, an additional seven older people in the Republic...

The Be Independent Home Care complimentary presentation on Health and Wellbeing was presented to the Stillorgan Active Retirement Association on the 1st of October. The presentation which took place in St. Lawrences Parish Centre Kilmacud, Dublin was very well received by a large and enthusiastic gr...

Be Independent Home Care are delighted to continue their series of complimentary Health & Wellness Presentations, this time to members of The Carers Association. The Carers Association is Ireland's national voluntary organisation for and of family carers in the home. Family carers provide high...

The Irish Times: A pilot project is looking at new ways to support Alzheimer’s sufferers in Tipperary. The south Tipperary project is supported by the charity Genio, and is funded to the tune of €700,000 over the next three years. The Genio Trust was established in 2010 to support projects that ...

The Stillorgan Active Retirement Group have invited Be Independent Home Care to present a Wellness seminar to their members on the 1st of October 2012. The presentation which will cover a variety of Health & Wellness topics will be presented by the co-founder of Be Independent Home Care, Caitriona O...

Cut Home Care and Home Help Hours! Surely this must be the worst case of false economy ever ?   Be Independent Home Care have been providing home care and home help services in Dublin now for nearly 2 years and one thing that all clients have in common is that they would benefit from more hours ...

Anyone for Tennis? At Be Independent Home Care we like to support events that help keep communities healthy and active. So we are delighted to sponsor an Exhibition Match in Sutton Lawn Tennis Club on Friday the 24th August between James Cluskey (Davis Cup player, 10 ITF Future Titles) and Cono...

Be Independent Home Care is a trusted provider of Private Home Care and Home Help services throughout Dublin and its surrounds and to provide better access to our service we have a new location at 108 Baggot Street, Dublin 2. This office is used as required to meet with clients and their families an...

Need any more motivation to get off the couch? Japanese man qualifies to compete at London 2012 aged 71. Japanese dressage competitor Hiroshi Hoketsu will be the oldest athlete at the London Olympic Games. In Japan, the 71-year-old is called the ‘hope of old men.’ http://www.guardian.co...

NHS: Widespread media coverage tells us today of a new drug that ‘halts’ Alzheimer’s symptoms ‘for three years’. The news is based on a press release issued yesterday that highlighted positive early results of research into the use of intravenous immunoglobulin to treat Alzheimer’s disea...

The Journal.ie HEALTH MINISTER James Reilly has named 35 towns which will compete to secure the 20 new primary healthcare facilities being promised under today’s government stimulus package. The €2.25 billion package announced this includes €115 million for the provision of 20 new facilities ...

The Irish Times: Eilish O' Regan NURSING home residents face paying more for their care because the State is losing money under its "pay when you die" option. New figures, obtained by the Irish Independent, show how the State has so far recovered an average of just €9,000 from the estates of nu...

A new film called Ping Pong follows 9 players from around the world as they travel to Inner Mongolia to compete in the over-80s World Table Tennis Championships. The most astounding participant in the documentary is unquestionably Dorothy DeLowe, a 100-year-old Australian table tennis player, the ol...

The Irish Times: RIGHT NOW, there are about 700 patients lying in beds in acute hospitals nationwide who don’t need to be there. Though fit to move on, they’re not going anywhere – that’s because there is nowhere for them to go. Predominantly older people, with pre-existing conditions such a...

Age Action is urging communities across Ireland to wake up to the warning signs that vulnerable, older neighbours and friends may be being abused, in the wake of highest number of referrals to the HSE’s dedicated elder abuse service, since the service began. The appeal by the national charity for...

The Seanad report on the rights of older people recommends that homecare entitlements should be clarified and put on a statutory footing. This Irish Times article by Patricia Conboy director of Older and Bolder (an alliance of age-sector organisations) is a must read as it provides a clear and conci...

The 4th International Dementia Care Conference took place on the 30th May 2012 in the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney, Dublin. The conference which was attended by Alice Lucey, Director of Care, Be Independent Homecare introduced new insights, leading national and international speakers on Dem...

Whilst Message in a Bottle (MiaB) is not solely a Lions Club initiative, it is an initiative that very many Lions Clubs across Ireland have taken to and recognise as a means of fulfilling their motto “We Serve”. The Lions Message In a Bottle scheme is a simple idea designed to encourage people t...

If the rain continues tomorrow and you are looking for something indoors to do, Patrick Holford is in the Stillorgan Park Hotel to host his Healthy Ageing seminar. Patrick Holford is a British nutritionist, author, and the founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. He is Chief Execut...

The National Patient Conference for Parkinson's is to take place on June 17th in the Convention Centre in Dublin. A fantasitic list of special guest speakers has been announced and delegates will hear information and advice to help understand the condition. Further information and application forms...

A new report from Northern Ireland has found that women face a higher risk of care home admission due to their partners age and frailty. Mark McCann, author of the study, comments that "the higher admission risk for women in comparison to men appears to be due primarily to the differences in t...

Census results for 2011 published earlier this month show that Ireland is ageing and the number of older people living alone is on the increase. The greying of the population is a challenge facing Ireland and many European countries over the coming decades for health services, pensions and social ca...

The Alzheimer Café is a safe and relaxed place where people with dementia, their families and health and social care professionals come together for a unique blend of education and support. It is a forum where people can exchange experiences and talk about dementia. The Alzheimer Cafe is held on t...

The Irish Cancer Society's annual Daffodil Day is running today with the charity hoping to raise €3.5 million this year. More than 3,000 volunteers are out on the streets raising funds which will be used to provide cancer information and support services. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the ev...

The Irish Times report that Ruairí Quinn has told the Dáil that cutbacks in entitlements to the elderly were “not anywhere on the horizon, nor are they contemplated”. He said whatever future budgetary decisions were made would be communicated to the House in the normal way. “Having completed...

Here at Be Independent Home Care we heartily welcome the recent report published by the Law Reform Commission recommending that the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) should be given the power to set standards and regulate professional home care services. As one of the few independent, ...

It's National Brain Awareness Week and to mark the week Ann Kielthy who has undergone Deep Brain Stimulation to help treat her for Parkinson's Disease appeared on TV3 Ireland AM to provide a demostration of how the technology works! This is certainly worth watching. http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/18...

This years Parkinson’s Awareness Week will take place from the 9th to the 15th of April 2012. The Parkinson’s Association of Ireland hope to launch the week around the 2nd of April and the Association are asking all Branches to host at least one event during the awareness week. This is the...

Be Independent Home Care continue their series of complimentary Health & Wellness Presentations to The Carers Association on the 6th of March 2012 in The Grand Hotel. The Carers Association is Ireland's national voluntary organisation for and of family carers in the home. Family carers provide hig...

There is some really interesting news in the Centre for Aging Research and Development Ireland (CARDI) January/February 2012 Newsletter. Some of the highlights: · University of Ulster scientists involved in dementia research have discovered that drugs which mimic some of the actions of insulin...

A lady who became a great friend of ours at Be Independent Home Care, during a time when she allowed our team of carers help care for her friend during his last weeks at home, drew my attention to this letter tonight. The letter written by Jacqueline Cotter to The Irish Independent is a perfect refl...

Be Independent Home Care were delighted to present their Wellness Presentation to the ladies in the Phibsborough Active Retirement Group and the ladies in the Clontarf Active Retirement Group. Both presentations were very well recieved and we would like to thank the groups for their warm welcome. To...

Here at Be Independent Home Care we welcome the report published yesterday by the Law Reform Commission recommending that the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) should be given the power to set standards and regulate professional home care services. In the report the commission r...

Be Independent Home Care were delighted to present their Wellness Presentation to the ladies in the Blackrock Guild of the ICA ( Irish Countrywomes Association). http://www.ica.ie/. This latest presentation on the 19th of January 2012 was very well recieved and we would like to thank the ICA for th...

Here at Be Independent Home Care we are passionate believers in community based primary care, a system where health professionals work together in an integrated fashion to ensure those that require care in the community can remain at home by accessing top quality health services. To this end Be Ind...

Be Independent Home Care are delighted to continue their series of complimentary Winter Wellness Presentations this New Year. This latest presentation is to The Baldoyle Active Retirement Group at Baldoyle Community Centre on the 13th of January at 2pm.The presentation which will cover a variety of ...

Elderly people with higher levels of certain vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood score better on mental acuity tests than those who eat junk food, a new study has shown. The study published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also showed that eating better cou...

Here at Be Independent Home Care we are genuinely passionate about providing the highest standards of non-medical home care and home help through our carefully recruited and managed team of carers and so were appalled to read this article in The Irish Times regarding evidence of sub standa...

MORE than 2,000 elderly people were subjected to physical, financial and psychological abuse at the hands of their loved ones in Ireland last year — but at least 20,000 others could still be suffering in silence reports Fiachra Ó Cionnaith of The Irish Examiner. New figures revealed in the HSE...

GPs want more training in care of dying   (A report by irishhealth.com) The average GP practice cares for up to 20 dying patients every year and this figure is expected to double over the next two decades due to an ageing population, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has said. I...

Be Independent Home Care are delighted to continue their series of complimentary Winter Wellness Presentations at Malahide Library on the 28th of November at 11am. This latest presentation will be delivered to the The Malahide Active Retirement Group (MARA). The presentation will focus on practical ...

Women are “shockingly unaware” that they are most at risk of breast cancer in older age, a new study has revealed. According to the findings, those over 70 are most likely to contract the disease but are the least well informed about its dangers. The study, commissioned by charity Breast Cance...

7/11/2011: BRAIN CELLS that die off in Parkinson’s disease have been grown from stem cells and grafted into monkeys’ brains in a big step towards new treatment. US researchers say they have overcome previous difficulties in coaxing human embryonic stem cells to become the neurons killed by the d...

This year remember the 44,000 people with Alzheimer's disease by hanging special christmas tree memory ribbons in their honour. This new campaign offers wonderful ways to keep important memories alive. Firstly by remembering a loved one with Alzheimer's; and secondly by making a vital donation to...

Be Independent Home Care continue their series of Wellness presentations when they present to the Howth Bridging the Gap Group in St Columbanus Hall, Main Street Howth on the 14th of November 2011. Bridging the Gap are a group of fifteen voluntary workers, in the community of Howth and Sutton. ...

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a large-scale, nationally representative study of people aged 50 and over in Ireland. It is the most ambitious study of ageing ever carried out in Ireland and represents a step-change in terms of data, knowledge and understanding of ageing with w...

Be Independent Home Care continued their series of Wellness presentations when they presented to the Howth Active Retirement Association in St Columbanus Hall, Main Street Howth on the 24th of October at 11am. The presentation was really well received by the enthusiastic group and covered a v...

The Irish Times reports that according to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland waiting lists for dementia services have increased by 20 per cent in the last year. Demand for respite, day and home care services has risen as a result of changing demographics and more elderly people developing the illness...

Following a very well received presentation on Wellness to the Malahide Ladies Club members, Be Independent Home Care have now been invited to present to the Howth Active Retirement Assosciation. This presentation is due to take place in St Columbanus Hall, Main Street Howth on the 24th of October a...

With a severe winter predicted ahead Caitriona O’ Donovan co-founder of Be Independent Home Care is hosting seminars to help older people stay healthy, safe and fit, no matter what the weather's like. Cold weather can lead to�health problems such as pneumonia, strokes, heart attack and depression....

The Malahide Ladies Club�have invited Be Independent Home Care to present a Wellness seminar to their members on the 5th of October 2011. The presentation which will cover a variety of Health & Wellness topics will be presented by the co-founder of Be Independent Home Care, Caitriona O' Donovan. Cai...

Falls are by far the leading cause of unintentional home injury and death. The risk of falling increases with age. One in three older people fall every year and two-thirds of them fall again within six months. Older people are most likely to suffer serious injuries, disability, psychological conseq...

Be Independent Home Care were interviewed this week by the Malahide Gazette.  At Be Independent Home Care we are always delighted to get our message out to the communities that we work in. Being based in Malahide and having a large number of clients in Malahide, The Malahide Gazette is a per...

The Living Section of the Summer Edition of the Parkinson Association of Ireland Magazine features A Guide To Your Entitlements in Home Care. The article was compiled by Alice Lucey, Registered General Nurse, BA (Hons) in Social Care and Director of Care at Be Independent Home Care Ltd. While Priv...

Our objective at Be Independent Home Care is to provide support to our clients to ensure they stay as independent and healthy as possible. To this end we build relationships with our multidisciplinary colleagues in those communities in which we operate in order to ensure we can help our clients acce...

The Irish Times Health Supplement report on growing old in Florida. Caitriona O’ Donovan, of Be Independent Home Care says of the The Irish Times Health Supplement article “Our aim at Be Independent Home Care is to assist our clients to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible i...

A detailed report researched by Age Action Ireland which canvassed the views of older people on abuse found they would like to see inspectors carry out more "spot checks" on nursing homes and that they feel general enforcement of regulations is lax. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA...

Alice Lucey Director of Care with Be Independent Home Care was delighted to speak to The Malahide Active Retirement Association in Malahide Library regarding Home Care and Home Care entitlements. Be Independent have been invited to return later in the year to give a talk on Health and Wellbeing to t...

The Health Section of the Northside People have featured a piece about Be Independents new Trusted Approach to Home Care and Home Help. The edition is distributed to areas such as Coolock, Kilmore, Swords, Darndale, Priorswood, Santry, Donnycarney, Baldoyle, Sutton, Donaghmede, Artane, Whitehall, K...

Caitriona O’ Donovan, Director of Development with Be Independent Home Care says of the sponsorship “As Be Independent Home Care is a Malahide based provider of premium Home Care and Home Help services we were delighted to have this opportunity to support these local community newsletters. Clic...

Howth: Director of Care at Be Independent Home Care speaks to The Bridging the Gap Group in Howth about Home Care entitlements and Church of Assumption Newsletter, Howth feature piece about Be Independent Home Care. Alice Lucey, Director of Care at Be Independent Home Care is delighted to be involve...

In the absence of regulations in the Irish home care market with few home care companies owned or even operated by health professionals, a group of Irish Nurses have opened Be Independent Home Care in Church Road Malahide. They registered the company at the end of 2010 and have spent months develop...