 music. It's all part of the music if I'm involved in it and I think it might even get worse for the weekends because we're moving on to more sophisticated equipment and that means more sophisticated mistakes people all about sure about a trend and you never know. I'm delighted to welcome Charlie McGinley to the programme and as I said to you just prior to that I'd break Charlie as the community engagement officer with the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland and it's an interesting project that we'd love you to have a listen to about. Charlie first of all you're very welcome. Thank you very much Paul and thank you to me as well so excited to be here. It's lovely to have you open thanks for coming up. You've went from sort of two different extremes. You were the deputy news editor of the Donegal News for a long time. I was. I was the deputy editor of the Donegal News. I spent almost over 30 years with the Donegal News and I decided to step away from that position and I suppose I was going for a new challenge and a new direction and fortunately this position arose with the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. I think Alzheimer's is something that people can identify with. There's over 64,000 people in Ireland living with dementia and I was contacted by the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland and asked would it be interested and a work as part of a team. There's three of us in the team and the community engagement team. There are a large number of staff right across Ireland but there's three in the community engagement team. It's led by our national community engagement manager Catherine O'Leary and we also have another member there, Azul Kinsley and she's based in Cardo. Catherine's based in Wexford. So three of us there and we promote and raise awareness around the activities that the ASI has across the country. OK Charlie, 64,000 people. It's a lot of people. It is indeed. And once it's got the link then it's a lot of families here. Yeah just to give you some figures. I didn't suppose before I joined the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland I wasn't aware of these figures. There are 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland and it's estimated that by in the next 25 years that will be over 150,000 people living with dementia. To give you a figure as well there are 11,000 new cases of dementia in Ireland diagnosed each year. So that equates to 11 every day in this country. It's a progressive illness. There's no cure. So to say really what we can do is do our best as an organisation and do our best as a society to support and help those people that are living with dementia. Yeah Charlie the figures you said there are 64,000 and then increasing to 125,000 without going into too much detail on the back bones of that. But why do you think that is? I'm curious genuinely here now just why do you predict an increase like that? Is there something happening here that is out of control or something? It's not out of control as such Paul. It's just the actual progression of the illness and I suppose diagnosis is now early diagnosis is going better as well. It really was essentially what it is. It's basically it's harmful protein in your brain. Dementia is a broad term for you know a brain injury. It can affect your memory. It can affect your language, your speech. And I suppose the diagnosis has gotten much better. People's awareness around it has become much better. And I suppose that's where the figures and we have a research and policy committee who look at this and that's the figures that they projected now going forward. Obviously the illness was about years ago but we sort of just dignitise people as saying they're not there. Am I right in thinking that? You're absolutely right Paul. You know and in fact I would have heard that term myself used you know. I use the term now people living with dementia is the term that I use. But it would have been used in my own home as somebody elderly. It was not. Unfortunately now I suppose you know as awareness and supports a rollout across the country. The ASI for instance Paul and Jimmy has we have 40 daycare centres across Ireland. They provide therapeutic supports to people living with dementia. There's trained staff there to help them. And there was obviously then as well we have day care at home. We have home care as well. Like the ASI is the largest dementia pacific healthcare provider in the country. So we provide about 68% of the supports in the community across the country. We are registered charity but we're also a healthcare provider you know. So that's to give you some idea about what the ASI does. I know and that's great work Charlie. And like Charlie why is what way does what way you know? I suppose the given charity Paul we rely on a lot of funding from local communities. And thankfully they do support the Alzheimer's Society very very very very well. There's government funding as well for the supports that we provide in the daycare centres and home care and home care at home. But we again rely on donations as well and fundraising. And that's done by a group volunteers and friends of ASI across the country. Do you see this multimedia content that you're involved with? Tell us a bit about that. Yeah well this is one of the projects that the community engagement team has been working on for some time. Basically what it is, the virtual dementia hub is a free online resource for people living with dementia. It's a hub whereby it's a digital space in all the words which provides resources like music, poems, art, reading, games, lifestyle, activity packs. And I suppose for me I thought of Highland and I thought of people involved in Highland because you're very close to musicians and you promote musicians in a great way here. And you have done so for many many many years. And I thought was an opportunity just to maybe put up a call out there to musicians who may be interested in giving us or submitting some of their material. Fortunately, many artists across the country have already done so. The hub has won a national award. It won the Vigitru national award tech for good community award. Just back in November there's a national award. When does this particular project start? Well, the actual virtual dementia hub is really up and going since about July or August. So it's really a synthesis I suppose in many ways. But it's certainly made an impact. And talking to families and talking to people who have used the resource. It is a fantastic resource. That's where you that's where you get your feedback, isn't it really? That's exactly the families and that. Do you know, before we just go into that details, I see sometimes you watch documentaries and you see people that, you know, maybe for one reason or another, because of dementia, they know they could have played the piano next thing they can, they can play it or they can sing along and stuff, you know, and music has has a therapy in different ways, but it seems to work well with people dementia. It seems to bring them back into somewhere where they remember fondly or whatever. Yeah, it triggers the memory, Paul. Yeah. And I suppose, you know, people then who are living with dementia, you know, a song that they maybe, you know, from their youth or song that they liked, it can engage them, you know, and it brings them into that space again. And it can help them remember as well. It helps, it helps the cognitive therapy as well. It's lovely to watch. It's fantastic to watch it, you know. Without sounding patronising or condescending, as I say, and it's done through very, and I do, you know, I think, I don't think there's anybody who doesn't know somebody with dementia, you know what I mean? And you see that you see the smile in their faces open and it just stops in your tracks and makes you grateful for what you have yourself, you know. How can our listeners get involved or artists or whatever, cherry? Well, the number of ways you can do that. You can have a look at the dementia hub. It's www.virtualdementiahub.ie. And if any artist is out there who would like to submit any material, they can contact us at the community engagement at alzheimer.ie. Catherine O'Leary is our national manager and Catherine looks after the content. And really what we need is content in MP3 or MP4 format, because it's easier to upload to our system. And for that reason, that's what we ask, you know. Well, it's not a lot of these musicians now, you know, like some people send us, a lot of people send us music. And sometimes I say, you wouldn't send MP3. And I think there doesn't MP3. I couldn't send you an MP3. I wouldn't know what you're talking about. I do know what you're talking about. I don't know how to do it. But these people are really up to date with stuff they got. So any musicians or artists or poetry, poets or whatever, just we're always on the lookout for fresh content, songs, music, poems, reading, arts, word puzzles, whether you know, anything that that would help people, you know, to engage people living with dementia and also their families. This is obviously a resource that families as well can get some respite with as well. In terms of, you know, they can allow the person who's living with dementia to just engage in this activity for a period of time in a safe environment. And as I say, the figures are that there's over 180,000 people in Ireland who are currently or have been a carer for a family member living with dementia. So you can imagine, Paul, you know, in terms of, you know, the sort of benefits of resource like this to families. And I've spoken to a number of families who use this. And they speak very, very highly of the word and recommend it very highly as well. Well, listen, well, don't use, but they so they online digital space. What way does that work then? Is this this whole part of this is all part of this process that you're talking about here? Yeah, well, the the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland got together with the charity partner Visitu. It's a national partner. And we developed this hub. Again, it's again, it's a free bespoke digital space. In other words, it's basically a website that you tap into. And you can see it there. But if you're providing content, you have to go behind that and allow us to contact the community engagement team so that we can upload the content that you want to provide. That that's essentially what it is. And as I say, from our point of view, it's a very effective resource. And it's one that we're keen to promote. And I know that Highlands has done that for many, many years. And I'm sure, like Donegal, an array across the country, there's a vast array of talent, and it doesn't have to be a famous musician. It doesn't have to be a famous poll. It can be an up and coming artist. I just listened to one come up the road there, young fellow Matthew Wellard, you know, and we just want a variety of content that will help people to help themselves. Well, if we can help in an or small way, we will mention this and if anybody's listening and thinks they can contribute to this, we greatly appreciate it. You can contact them once again on virtualdementiahub.ie. And you'll get all the information there you want. Charlie, it's a it's a very interesting subject. It's a very common subject. And I'm sort of taking it back for the figures that you give us there. Unbelievable. But yeah, just in Donegal alone, Paul, I didn't mention that. Actually, in Donegal alone, the ASI here, there's 2,500 people. There's actually 2,451 people currently living with dementia in Donegal. And the ASI here, we have an office in Balboffet. We have two daycare centres and a home care centre as well. We have our daycare centres in Glendys and Guidore. And we have a daycare centre and daycare at home facility in Klahan. And we have also got dementia advisors in the community as well, John Thompson and Meena McGill, who are there to help families, you know, if somebody, you know, just to help with that early diagnosis, help provide support and health to families who have a loved one who's living with dementia. Well, we wish you well, as I say, anything we can do here at all. And do you know this, if there's any artists listening, and you know, you could do you could do a lot of good. You know, you'd be probably surprised at what you can achieve by doing this. And once again, virtualdementiahub.ie. And I'd love to hear from you. Do you acknowledge the people then that... Absolutely. We credit all the musicians, artists, poets who submit material. We credit them all. And so far, you know, just this week, I can't actually give a name, but a very, very high profile, renowned international singer has agreed to give us her work as well. And today as well, there was another local one as well, who I can't just give his name, but he's well known here in Hell Radio, and he's kind of agreed as well to give his material as well to us as well. Well done. So that's very hard. And you know, again, it's not all about the international renowned. This is, again, an appeal to just up and coming musicians or current musicians that are there that would like, or maybe have a friend or a family member who's living with Alzheimer's or not, who just feel that they would like to help a charity organisation. And this is a good way to do it. And it's a very effective way to do it. And I'm sure they will get a great benefit from it. It's a great idea, Charlie, and we wish you well with it. And you know, when this progress, as it progresses through time, feel free to come back to us or recommend somewhere to send you stuff. And because we're more than delighted to highlight it here and bring them up or whatever. You know, if they want a platform here as well, the door is open. So any artist, music song and poetry or whatever, just get in touch with virtualdimensionhub.ie. And you know this, like, you probably don't realise how much benefit people will get from your actual work, you know, so. Yeah, no, I just want to, on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society of Earned, I'd like to thank yourself, Paul, and Jimmy and everybody here in Highland for giving us the opportunity just to promote this resource. And just to wish all your listeners and your staff and management and all the diaspora around Ireland and abroad who tune in to Highland regularly almost on a daily basis, a very happy new year. And just to say if you're someone who's willing to help a charity, then just maybe think about the Alzheimer's Society of Earned as well. Absolutely. And as I say, Charlie McGinley here, the Community Engagement Officer with Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. Are you on Facebook, Charlie? I think if people just want to just drop by. Yeah, the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland have a range of social media channels. We're on, I think we're on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, are the main ones that we use. Sorry, Twitter as well, actually is one of our key platforms as well. But we're on all the social media channels. We have a dedicated communications team in Dublin who look after all that material for us. That's good. You have to be on top of them. I always say to any artist coming up here, Charlie, you know, don't be, you know, no, I'm not on this. I'm not. Chickers is there for us free, you know, take full advantage of it. And it's grown every day. There's a new one coming out every day, Paul, you know, and that's just the way that the whole technology game has gone, I suppose. As it was, just from my background, as it was, I can remember the days when I actually came in with a manual typewriter. A manual typewriter now, Paul, is a thing of the past, you know. I think Tom Hanks is the only one with his MB, he used to collect them. And I suppose that's not that long, go all together. No, I know that. And you can just see how technology, and even I can see here in Highland, how, you know, the whole technology, the technology set up here in Highland as well, has progressed as well over the years as well. Yeah, you'd be left alone, Charlie, if you don't move with it, you know. Exactly. Well, you have to embrace it, you know, as part of society now. Less stressed with this job, Charlie, or is it? I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying it, Paul. I'm enjoying it, you know. It's a new role for me, I suppose, in the early days. There was that bit of anxiety around it, in the sense that I didn't know a lot about the organisation, but fortunately, I have a very, a very good team. I have an excellent manager in Catherine O'Leary, who's very, very helpful, and is a counsellor as well in our team. And they have helped me to settle in, and they've helped me to relax in the role. And I'm really enjoying it. And as I say, we have a number of different projects that work on. We're also, we also have a dementia inclusive generation programme, which is actually working in schools. That's a national programme as well. So that's educating young people. Young people, which is very important. Get them young. Very, very important. Get them young, Paul, yeah. So we have now over 50 schools across the country now, who are working that programme. And we're now in the stages as well of rolling out a sporting memories programme as well, which is a reminiscence programme as well with sports organisations. It's great to work here, Charlie, and we wish you well and continue success with it. And you know what, keep in touch with us here because we'd love to see how you progress and say, if there's anything we can do, the doors open here to Monday night session. But once again, Charlie McGinley, the community engagement officer with the Alzheimer's Society, very much. It's been a pleasure. Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure. It's been a pleasure, Paul. Thank you, Charlie.