merrion street

The Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee T.D, today welcomed the launch of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland Mobile Information service. 

September marks the third anniversary of the disappearance of Peggy Mangan and her dog, Casper. Peggy had dementia and on the day she disappeared there were confirmed sightings of both her and her dog at various locations around the city of Dublin. The search for them lasted 95 hours but sadly Peggy was already deceased and Casper passed away shortly afterwards. After their sad loss Peggy’s family set up the Peggy Mangan Foundation with the goal of getting a mobile outreach unit on the road. This unit will offer advice and support to people living with dementia and their families.
The Minister said at the launch “Each year 4,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with dementia – that’s 11 people every day. Currently there are approximately 48,000 people living with dementia in the Republic of Ireland. Dementia prevalence is set to increase in line with our ageing population, underscoring the need for us as a nation to acknowledge and understand the condition and its impact on individuals and society as a whole.
Better awareness facilitates enhanced involvement with and support from the community. It gives carers, family members and friends an understanding and appreciation of the person affected by dementia and it reduces fear for all involved. Projects such as the Dementia Information Bus will go a long way towards bringing this information into the wider community.”
Ends