Join Dáithí Ó Sé in support of this year’s Alzheimer’s Tea Day
RTÉ star Dáithí Ó Sé is calling on Sligo people to show solidarity with people with dementia and their family carers and virtually have tea with their friends and loved ones to mark Alzheimer’s Tea Day, which takes place across Ireland on Thursday, May 6. This is a fundraiser for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), which has a day care centre in Sligo and also offers a home care service.
It is estimated that there are over 1,000 people living with dementia in Sligo and for every one person with dementia three others are directly affected.
The number of people with the condition is expected to more than double in the next 25 years. The Sligo day care centre for dementia is located at Lakeview Business Park at Aughamore, Carraroe. It is closed at present because of Covid restrictions, but the society is offering a day care at home service. This offers an alternative model. The society is engaging with the HSE to reopen day care centres as soon as possible.
It needs to raise €3.5m every year to keep its services running.
The ASI is inviting people to “brew the most important and powerful cup of tea this year” and invite family and friends to join them online.
The ASI wants people to come together virtually to celebrate, remember and show solidarity with people with dementia, their carers and the 500,000 people who are impacted in Ireland. A spokesperson said: “This year, it is more important than ever that people put the kettle on, pick up the phone and reach out to a loved one or someone in their community to say hello and share a virtual cup of tea.”