RAP – Retired Active Persons. A monthly meeting of retired persons facilitated by Community Policing

Description

This is a monthly meeting of Retired Persons residing in Cabra. The meetings have been initiated and run by Garda Ciara McGrath of Cabra Community Policing. Each month, a different speaker is invited to give a presentation to the group. These presentations have been provided by a huge range of speakers and encompass everything from Crime Prevention and Legal or Financial Advice advice to Health, Fitness and wellbeing. Tea and Coffee is provided free of charge and the attendees are encouraged to socialise after the presentation.
Garda McGrath also runs a Christmas Dinner for the group in the same location. This is sponsored by local business in conjunction with Dublin City Council.
During COVID, the in person meetings and dinners had to pause, but Christmas Hampers were still created and delivered by Garda McGrath.
There are 80 to 90 active participants and a single meeting can accommodate upwards of 70 people at a time.

Aim of Initiative

The initiative is to give a space to retired people to gather, socialise and obtain useful information.
It is also a way for Gardaí to become more well known in the community, listen to issues and identify solutions to problems.

Who is it aimed at

The initiative is aimed at all retired persons.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Effective communication is essential for success of the R.A.P Group. They need clear and easy ways to communicate so that they understand what is happening and that their ideas are listened to and met so that they will stay interested and keep attending the group.
2. Organising a group such as The RAP Group brings people together that might not otherwise have a platform to make their voices heard. A lot of planning ahead is required to maintain the group at a high level. Sometimes the Older Community can be forgotten and left behind so it is important that they feel heard and included.
3. Making sure that they meet on a regular basis. Garda McGrath runs the meetings on a monthly basis, on the second Thursday of the month so that it is easy to remember. There are other outings such as Christmas dinner also set up.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. A persons mobility will naturally decline as they age, which makes normal daily tasks more difficult. A chosen venue and location with easy access for the group is essential. Often Older people can be hard of hearing or vison impaired so making sure that everyone can see and hear the Presentation given is important.
2. Patience, Compassion and empathy are required when dealing with the elderly so that they can be understood correctly. They need to be comfortable and engaged attending the meetings.
3. People are living longer but it is inevitable that some people will not be able to attend this Group due to ill health. It is important that word of mouth results in good feed back from the group to other people so that they will join and maintain the high number of attendees in the R.A.P. Group.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The elderly are the most vulnerable group that was also greatly affected by the pandemic. As a nation no-one had any idea that the pandemic would last as long as it did. Face to face interaction is essential for their wellbeing. Due to their involvement in the R.A.P. Group Garda McGrath was able to call directly to their homes, collect Medical prescriptions and groceries so they could be brought to them during that time.
2. Garda McGrath and Cabra Community police are personally known to each individual that attend the R.A.P. Group so this will not only provides a service that reassures them but will also portray the organisation as considerate and loyal towards the Older members of our society.
3. In addition to the R.A.P. Group personally knowing Gardai, it also results in them knowing each other. All the group live in the Dublin 7 Area and many would know each other on the street or in Mass. This Group has brought them together so that now they know each other due to the regular meeting so the previous ‘hello’ is replaced by coffee meetings and conversations.