COMMUNITY SUPPORT AWARD Jenny O’Reilly
JENNY O’REILLY is being honoured with the Community Support Award for for her vision in founding Wicklow Dementia Support in 2009.
Jenny is also the leader and trainer for Alz Pals – the befriending service for people with dementia. The successful service has been in operation since 2010 with volunteers visiting their companion on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Jenny matches volunteers with clients and coordinates and runs the training of new volunteers.
She oversees the Alz Clubs run by Wicklow Dementia Support in Wicklow, Bray and Greystones. Jenny also leads and facilitates the peer to peer carers support group that meets monthly in Newtownmountkennedy. She also recently led the new ‘Meet and Eat’ project whereby volunteers cook and share a weekly meal with a person with dementia.
Through her work with Wicklow Dementia Support, Jenny liaises with the likes of the HSE, the County Wicklow Partnership, Pobal, the Community Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society.