Free Dementia Care Workshops for Waterford Families during World Alzheimer’s Month

September marks the fourth global World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia.  

Home Instead Senior Care will run a series of free workshops for Waterford’s family carers to support them in taking care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

The two hour workshops take place from 7pm to 9pm in Dooley’s Hotel, The Quay, Waterford on Monday, September 21^st and in The Park Hotel, Dungarvan, on Tuesday, September 22^nd.

Family carers from the local community are invited to attend the workshops and learn practical caregiving techniques to support them in their role of family carer. Caregiving techniques will include:

· Suggested approaches when helping with personal care activities

· Understanding behavioural symptoms, and care approaches to help minimise actions

· Learning how to starting conversations for effective communication

· Recognising ways to prevent behavioural symptoms in the future

· Discovering ways to care for yourself so that you can remain a

  successful family carer

Danette Connolly, Director of Care at Home Instead Senior Care Waterford said, “These workshops are of huge benefit and comfort to anyone who is caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia.  It is very easy to become isolated and overwhelmed by the task of every day caregiving.  These workshops will help them feel less alone and learn about the supports that can make caregiving easier.”

Though research continues, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But until there is a cure, there is care. This workshop is specially designed for family carers and offers a personal approach to help families care for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease at home. 60-70% of people with dementia in Ireland currently live at home in the community and rely on family carers.

Danette added, “Until there is a cure, we offer an interim solution.  The purpose of the family carer workshops is to support caregivers when it comes to understanding dementias and providing care at home for a loved one.”

The family carer training workshops take place from 7pm to 9pm in Dooley’s Hotel, The Quay, Waterford on Monday, September 21^st and from 7pm to 9pm in The Park Hotel, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, on Tuesday, September 22^nd.

Places are free, though early booking is advised.  For further information call Waterford Home Instead Senior Care 051 333960 or 058 75298.  Alternatively email waterford@hiscwaterford.ie

Rapid Cabs new App - creating a high-tech taxi service

Waterford City’s Rapid Cabs  invests €200,000 this year on making its taxi service the most high tech outside Dublin.

Safety and security has always been paramount to Rapid Cabs, but now its new Rapid Cabs ‘Hotel Booker’ is the most modern, safest and smartest way to book a taxi in a hotel in Waterford.

Visitors to Waterford simply click to book a taxi, enter their name and telephone number and watch the taxi being dispatched and arriving at the hotel. The Rapid Cabs hotel taxi booker has six different languages to choose from including Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian.

For locals the service is just as impressive, the new Rapid Cabs App is the most secure way to book a taxi with just two clicks. The app will show an image of the driver along with their name of the driver, registration of the taxi, the car make and model and the even the colour of the car.

The app gives customers an estimated time of arrival and cost of the fare, as well as the capacity to track the taxi and pay securely via debit or credit card. Booking notifications and emailed receipts are also standard, if required.

Rapid Cabs CEO Eric O’Brien, explains the importance of these advances, “Rapid Cabs are dominant in the taxi market in Waterford already, but in our business a reputation for safety and security is so important. We cannot take anything for granted, we need to push ourselves to invest and increase the level of service to our customers in order to stay at the top of our game. These investments and advancements are also required and expected in the corporate world, an area which we hope to grow in the next year or two.”

Rapid Cabs is a family run business located in Waterford City. Established in 2000 with only five taxis, it now has the largest range of taxis in the south east of Ireland, including taxis, hackneys, people carriers, wheelchair taxis and a large range of coaches.

All drivers are fully vetted by Garda and fully insured and licensed. Open and accessible 24 hours a day 365 days a year, Rapid Cabs has a fully computerised booking dispatch system from its local taxi call centre and has installed in-car computers in all of its taxis to ensure as such efficiency as possible.

The new App is available free on Apple and Android.