On the 17th of July the Cork County Age Friendly programme hosted the Safe and Connected event in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow. This event was aimed at older people and carers of older people. It created the space and opportunity to engage with and talk to the emergency services in a non-emergency situation.
Deputy Mayor Cllr Ian Doyle welcomed everyone to the event and commended the services present for the work they were all doing with older people.
There were presentations from An Garda Siochana, the National Ambulance Service and the Cork County Fire service, as well as the Healthy Age Friendly Homes programme and the Allied Irish Bank.
The Gardai covered a wide range of information and spoke about the use of the Herbert Protocol, road safety and covered topics from driver safety and how to protect ourselves from different types of scams.
Station Officer Jonathan Madden from Cork County Fire Service gave a presentation on fire safety in the home highlighting small things that can be done that can make a big difference in the event of a fire.
Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Barry Hayes gave a presentation on the work of the Ambulance Service. He explained the different work done by the service from emergency response to alternative pathways of care. He also explained how a call is dealt with and the different resources and people available to answer a call to 999/112. All three emergency services said older people should not be afraid to call 999/112 if they need help.
After the coffee break Anthony Holmes from the Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme spoke to attendees explaining how the service works and that there are resources available to help people stay living in their own homes for longer.
Mary Tattan, Aillied Irish Bank branch manager in Mallow gave a presentation on financial safety. She reiterated the importance of never disclosing your PIN for your bank card and if you are in any doubt about a caller saying that they are from the bank to hang up and call the bank using the phone number at the back of your bank card.
