OPC Convention 2022

• Date: 12th and 13th May 2022
• Host: Meath County Council
• Venue: Kinghtsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co.Meath
• Theme: Health and Wellbeing – Live Well Be Well

Speakers Day 1

• Professor Rose Anne Kenny
• Deirdre Lang, Director of Nursing HSE
• Áine Brady CEO, 3rd Age Foundation, Summerhill, Co Meath

Panel Discussion Day 2

• Brian McIvor, Broadcaster and Writer
• Sgt Graham Kavanagh, Crime Prevention Officer
• Assistant Commissioner Paula Hillman
• Martin Curley, HSE

Workshops

Bee Wise Nature Trail & Bio-Diversity Walk & Talk Workshop, Kilmessan, Co.Meath	The Bee Wise Nature Trail comprises of five acres of young woodland planted with a variety of bee loving trees. There is a large variety of flowering and fruiting hedgerows planted to encourage a  diversity of wildlife interspersed with areas of wild flowers to attract bees, butterflies and insects.  A 1.5km path meanders through the 5-acre site with information points and fun facts to peruse as you stroll through our natural environment.
Third Age National Centre, Summerhill, Co.Meath	Third Age is a national voluntary organisation celebrating the third age in life when people may no longer be in paid employment, but can remain healthy, fulfilled and continue to contribute to society. The longer people are encouraged to remain in this life stage, the better for older people themselves, their families, communities and society as a whole. Third Age recognises and celebrates the fact that older people are a diverse group with different needs, abilities, backgrounds and experiences. Third Age has a deserved reputation for innovation, and through a variety of national programmes demonstrates the value of older people remaining engaged and contributing in their own community for as long as possible. Third Age offers choices and provides opportunities for lifelong learning, volunteering, community development, and social inclusion.
The 7 Eating Habits to Stay Healthy	Want to make sure you are making the right food choices to support your heart, brain and bone health and to keep you looking and feeling your best? This practical and informative talk covers our top 7 healthy eating tips, including what to eat and what to avoid. Be prepared for some surprises when we delve behind the labels of some every day foods! Learn about healthier swaps for your favourite foods and the one thing that will help you to make healthy changes and stick with them. Interactive workshop with demo.
Let’s Talk Climate Action	Explores the urgent need for climate action and why it is so important to wellbeing. The workshop introduces the science of climate change, its impacts and possible solutions. Participants will learn to identify climate actions in their own community and help to build climate action knowledge and capacity within community organisations such as Tidy Towns and Sustainable Energy Communities.
Sustainable Living	This workshop helps people find easy and enjoyable ways to move towards more sustainable living. It outlines some easy switches to make, key areas like avoiding chemicals. An interactive workshop with demos.
Healthy Age Friendly Homes	In 2021 an innovative, integrated service was launched, hosted in local government and funded by Sláintecare – the Healthy Age Friendly Homes (HAFHs) Programme supports older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence, for as long as possible. The programme’s ambition is to enable everyone to live longer healthier lives by keeping care close to home and expanding the range of health and social care services in the community. This workshop, delivered by Mark Harrington, National Manager for the HAFH’s Programme, will explain how an older person can be referred into this programme, who can refer them and what types of supports can be provided to enable the person to remain living in their home or a home more suitable to their requirements.  There will also be an opportunity to speak to some of the HAFH’s coordinators.