HELEN’S LEGACY VOW
HELEN ROCHFORD BRENNAN IS CONFERRED WITH AN HONORARY DOCTORATE OF LAWS AT A CEREMONY AT NUI GALWAY
She has been described as a pioneering advocate for those with Alzheimer’s and Helen Rochford Brennan’s work has been recognised with the conferring of a honorary doctorate from NUIG.
And, the Tubbercurry native has vowed to fight for a dementia specific budget by the Government, saying she’d like this to be her legacy.
She was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Laws at NUI Galway last Wednesday.
Helen said she was honoured, delighted and privileged to receive the award.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in advocacy work for people with dementia since my diagnosis in 2012 and I hope that this award will inspire others to also take up voluntary work and give back to their community. I am also hopeful that this award will inspire the Irish State to increase supports for people with dementia and their family carers across Ireland.
“I have loved everything about advocating for people with dementia – especially being involved with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Alzheimer Europe and I am very passionate about research.
“My advocacy work has given me a great focus and sense of purpose and has shown that people, despite their dementia diagnosis, can still live an active and varied life. I can honestly say that with supports I am living my life to the full, I am advocating to the best of my ability and through this work, I have gone to a place that I could never have dreamed of.
“Despite all of this, I am immensely disappointed to see that the Government is still refusing to put in adequate supports for people with dementia and their families in Ireland.
“There was no mention of dementia in the Government’s Budget 2019.
“This was a huge blow to me as I know people are at breaking point. I would dearly love to see a dementia-specific budget so people with dementia and their family carers can have access to basic dementia services.
“I’m going to give everything in my power to make this a reality – I want a dementia-specific budget to be my legacy.”
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland CEO Pat McLoughlin says it is delighted that Helen was awarded an honorary doctorate.
“Helen has encouraged the medical profession and community to look beyond the solely medical model of care for people with dementia and to focus on the person ever since her diagnosis with dementia at the age of 62 in 2012.
“Since her diagnosis, Helen has campaigned to raise awareness of dementia through a rights-based approach, speaking at international conferences, giving media interviews, engaging with scientists, clinicians, educators and research projects.
“Helen has written very personally about living with the Alzheimer’s type of dementia and this year she has contributed to two books on human rights and she hopes her participation in research will one day help to find a cure and create a better quality of life for people living with dementia.
“Helen has been a human rights and social justice campaigner for people with dementia in Ireland, on the European stage and also internationally.
“Helen really has made an immeasurable difference to people’s lives and has been so open and honest about her own experiences of living with dementia since 2012.
“Helen has been a pioneer and has blazed a trail for dementia advocacy and has spoken at conferences where people with dementia have not been heard before such as her speaking engagement in Hungary last week. Helen has been hugely successful and influential – she has met queens, ministers, TDs, heads of state, diplomats to name but a few. Helen’s advocacy work just shows you what a difference one person can make in the world.
“Helen is an absolute inspiration to us all and has been a tireless campaigner for people with dementia over the years whether it’s at national or international speaking events, conferences, media engagements and much more. We are all so proud of Helen for getting this special recognition from NUIG. It is truly deserved.”
Helen is the current Chairperson of the European Working Group of People with Dementia and is the group’s nominee to the Board of Alzheimer Europe; she is former Chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group and continues to sit on the steering committee.
Helen is on the Monitoring Committee of Ireland’s first National Dementia Strategy, she is also an (Alzheimer type) Dementia Consultant and a Global Dementia Ambassador.
• The number of people with dementia in Ireland is expected to more than double over the next 20 years, from 55,000 today to 113,000 in 2036.
• Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of conditions which cause changes and damage to the brain.
• Dementia is progressive. There is currently no cure.
Dementia is not simply a health issue but a social issue that requires a community response.
• The majority of people with dementia (63%) live at home in the community. Over 180,000 people in Ireland are currently or have been carers for a family member or partner with dementia with many more providing support and care in other ways.
• Each year over 4,000 people develop dementia. That’s at least 11 people every day and anyone can get dementia - even people in their 30s/40s/50s.
• 1 in 10 people diagnosed with dementia in Ireland is under 65.
• The overall cost of dementia care in Ireland is just over €1.69 billion per annum; 48% of this is attributable to family care; 43% is accounted for by residential care; formal health and social care services contribute only 9% to the total cost