WIN October 2019

Section News 23

Focus on: National Care of the Older Person Section annual conference

The INMO National Care of the Older Person Section annual conference was held at the Richmond Education and Event Centre for the first time on September 10. More than 80 colleagues attended. The entire day – from registration at 8.30am to close of conference and distribution of spot prizes at 4.30pm – ran like clockwork. Having commenced with an uplifting address from INMO president Martina Har- kin-Kelly, the conference heard from speakers on a variety of topics from pain recognition in dementia to the management of patients with challenging behaviours. Topics were selected by the section officers in conjunction with INMO section develop- ment officer Jean Carroll. Consideration was given to the feedback received from attendees of last year’s confer- ence which, along with current trends and developments in the care of the older person field, greatly influenced the final choice for topics. Prof Laserina O’Connor, pro- fessor of clinical nursing at the Health Sciences Centre, UCD, presented on pain recogni- tion in dementia. HIQA social services inspector Liz Foley covered the most recent HIQA guidelines on the use of restric- tive practice. ‘Management of Behaviours that Challenge’ was presented

Pictured at the conferencewere (l-r): BrianMcDonald,speaker;Noreenwatts,secretary;CarolineGourley,chair;EileenO’Keeffe,education officer; MartinaHarkin-Kelly, president; MargotLydon,vice chair; DeirdreLang, speaker; NiamhHulm, speaker; andMaurice Healy,speaker

with dementia to retain their independence. There were plenty of ques- tions and lively discussions, and many presenters remained for the entire conference, making themselves available to discuss specific work-related issues. Attendees received a certificate and earned Category 1 approval of 6.5 NMBI CEUs. As always, the trade exhibi- tion stands gave colleagues the opportunity to discuss specific products used primarily in our area of nursing practice. The facilities at the Rich- mond and the dedication of its staff ensured the day flowed smoothly. The written evalu- ation feedback received from attendees was valuable and will inform future conferences. S e c t i on c ha i r Ca r o l i ne Gourley, vice chair Margot Lydon, education officer Eileen O’Keefe and secretary Noreen Watts would like to thank all members who attended.

Pictured with Mylo, the companion robot designed to help people with dementia to retain their independence, were (l-r): Kerry Mullan, relationship manager; Jean Carroll, section development officer; Candace Lafleur, Mylo managing director; and Xiaofei Liu, Mylo project lead

ageing population. The topic of complementary therapies in older people’s ser- vices was covered by Niamh Hulm, CNS in complementary therapies. The conference also featured a presentation on artificial intelligence in older people’s services by Candace Lafleur, founder of Mylo, a companion robot designed to help people be welcoming her to address the OHN Section. Other interesting topics to be covered at the confer- ence include sleep disorders, empowering neurodiversity, medication and risk. Seepage64 for further details or log on to: www.inmoprofessional.ie

by positive behaviour support manager Brian McDonald and ANP Maurice Healy. The ‘ LGBT Champ i on s ’ programme was covered by Colette O’Regan, training and information co-ordinator with LGBT Ireland. Deirdre Lang, DoN and national lead of older persons services and integrated programmes at the HSE, spoke on nursing’s response to an is a stellar lineup of speakers including Dame Carol Black, principal of Newham Univer- sity in Cambridge, UK. Dame Black has spoken around the world on topics specific to the improvement of health outcomes in the work- place and we are delighted to

– NoreenWatts, section secretary

All Ireland Midwifery Conference

Upcoming conferences

The All Ireland Midwifery Co n f e r e n c e t a ke s p l a c e later this month on Thurs- day, October 17 in Armagh. To book your place visit www.inmoprofessional.ie See page 54 for further details.

OHN Section conference The OHN Section conference will take place on November 21, 2019 at the Richmond Edu- cation and Event Centre. There

Powered by