Ageing with Confidence Programme now available in Galway

Back: Helen Power, AWC Trainer; Fiona Blaney, Laurie Walsh, Mary Seale, Brid Gavin O’Connell, Mary McDermott, AWC Trainer; Eleanor Hough, Aine Ní Leime, Sandra Hannon, Emma Donovan. Front: Seamus Gallagher, Eilish Redmond, AWC Trainer; Patricia De Lappe, Breda Lymer. 

Fourteen new Ageing with Confidence facilitators graduated today from a training programme to deliver the Ageing with Confidence Programme. The Galway-based facilitators took part in the training course which was organised by Age & Opportunity through the Galway City Partnership, Galway Rural Development and the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology at NUI Galway.

Speaking at the presentation of Certificates Áine Brady TD, Minister for Older People said, ‘Age & Opportunity is a wonderful example of how the valuable partnership among the public, private and voluntary sectors, continues to make a vital difference to supporting older people’s lives.”
 
“There was huge interest in this training which was very encouraging and the level of experience of each successful candidate was very high. I hope this will lead to greater collaboration and strategic partnerships in the region,” said Ciarán McKinney, Director of Operations at Age & Opportunity.
 
Speaking on behalf of the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Áine Ní Léime said that “Ageing with Confidence is a unique psycho-educational programme designed for older people in the community. We now have a group of highly-skilled and motivated facilitators specifically trained to deliver the programme in Galway”.
 
“The training was delivered in a highly professional manner and certainly challenged my thinking about and ways of working with older people. It was interesting and informative but, more than this, it was practical and applicable.  For these reasons it will be a real help to me in my work with older people in the West of Ireland.” said Breda Lymer, West Training & Development Ltd.
 
Proving that it’s never too late to gain new skills and insights, older people who have taken part in Ageing with Confidence have found it brings real benefits. ‘When you get older you think you’re finished. But that’s not the case. I’m much more active now. I’m more open and more inclined to help other people,’ said one participant in Longford.
 
Ageing with Confidence has been running successfully since 2001. Now available in nine counties, it is a holistic approach to health promotion for older people. It builds self confidence by providing information on physical, psychological and social aspects of growing older and also challenges the myths and stereotypes that lead to ageism.
 
Age & Opportunity looks forward to the roll-out of the Ageing with Confidence programme all over county Galway. Courses will be available locally through:

• The Galway City Partnership, contact Maeve Murray, 091 773 466, maeve@gcp.ie
• Galway Rural Development, contact Fiona Stewart, 091 844335, fstewart@grd.ie

or by contacting Fiona Holohan at Age & Opportunity, 01 805 7709, Fiona.holohan@ageandopportunity.ie