Latest news with #Alzheimer'sTeaDay
The Journal
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Brendan Gleeson and Johnny Sexton among those honoured with Lord Mayor's Awards
BRENDAN GLEESON AND Johnny Sexton are among those who have this evening been awarded with Lord Mayor's awards in Dublin. Seven awards were presented by Dublin's Lord Mayor Emma Blain this evening at the Mansion House. The awards have been presented annually since 1989. 'These awards are a chance for me to say thank you, on behalf of all the citizens of Dublin, to some people who have made a real difference to the social fabric of life in our city,' Blain said. 'Some of the award recipients will be well known to many of us, others not so. However, they are all very worthy of this award and I am delighted to be able to honour them in this way.' Gleeson was given an award in recognition of his 'outstanding achievements' in acting and social justice, while Sexton received his for his achievements in rugby. Athlete Rhasidat Adeleke received an award for her achievements in athletics and 'inspiring a new generation of female athletes'. Brendan Gleeson with the Lord Mayor, Emma Blain and his award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in acting and social justice. Leah Farrell / © Leah Farrell / © / © Identical twins Allen and Jay Bobinac were given an award for their voluntary service to the people of Dublin and their 'dedication to helping the homeless in our city'. Advertisement The brothers, originally from Croatian island Krk, began their time in Ireland sleeping rough and with the help of homeless charity Tiglin have gone on to graduate with masters' degrees in Social Care. A posthumous award was given to Isobel Henderson, who passed away earlier this month. She was previously the Vice President of the Girls' Brigade Ireland , which has been described as a 'international, interdenominational youth organisation which strives to help girls develop new skills, knowledge and confidence in a safe and fun environment'. She was given the award as a result of her 'outstanding service and unwavering dedication' to the organisation. Team Power of 1 were given an award in recognition of their achievement in the World's Toughest Row. The team rowed 5,000km across the Atlantic in memory of Saoirse O'Driscoll to raise funds and awareness for Heart Children Ireland and Children's Heart Centre. Saoirse passed away as a result of congenital heart disease at the age of 13 in April 2024. The team have continued on her legacy by raising awareness of the disease and stressing the importance of organ donation. Bryan Murray and Una Crawford O'Brien pictured at the launch of the 30th anniversary of Alzheimer's Tea Day in March 2024. Sasko Lazarov / © Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / © Photocall Ireland / © Photocall Ireland Actors Bryan Murray and Úna Crawford O'Brien are known for their roles in Fair City. They were given an award in recognition of their 'outstanding contribution to the arts, on stage and on screen and for raising awareness of dementia'. Bryan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease six years ago at the age of 69. His longtime partner Úna has been involved with Alzheimer Society of Ireland and has been behind several initiatives to raise awareness of the disease. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Dublin Live
02-05-2025
- Health
- Dublin Live
Dublin couple 'living our best life' despite husband's dementia diagnosis
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info At just 52, Wayne Baron was given the devastating news that he has just five to seven years left to live. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with early-onset Lewy's body dementia. Lewy bodies are abnormal clumps of protein that form in nerve cells in the brain and can cause problems with thinking, movement, behaviour and mood. It shares characteristics with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease and accounts for 10-25% of dementia cases in Ireland. Wayne's wife Siobhan Baron said the diagnosis was 'heartbreaking' for the couple and their four children, who live in Lucan, Dublin. But they want to make the most out of the time they have left with him and spread awareness for early-onset dementia. Speaking to the Irish Mirror ahead of Alzheimer's Tea Day, Siobhan said: 'We were supposed to retire together. We were supposed to live our best lives together. 'We did amazing for our kiddos and we were supposed to travel the world, visiting them or seeing them and seeing our grandkids. And we'll never see that well, I will hopefully, but Wayne won't and that's our reality. We won't grow old together. 'He won't walk his three daughters down the aisle, not unless they get moving in the next year or two. Wayne won't remember or see his grandchildren. But there are worse things happening in the world, and we're just one day at a time, and we're living our best life.' Wayne was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2018 after a year of tests. He initially went to his GP after experiencing auditory hallucinations and becoming unsteady on his feet. Doctors sent him for psychiatric care, believing these hallucinations might be caused by schizophrenia. Six months after this diagnosis, Wayne had to leave his beloved role as head chef at Bijou Restaurant in Dublin's Rathgar. Siobhan is now a full-time carer for her husband but also works part-time as a matron at The King's Hospital to keep their family afloat. She said she didn't have any choice but to just get on with things and added: 'I went through a few of the grieving stages because it is a grief. With dementia, there are two goodbyes, the goodbyes we're going through, and then the one that Wayne goes through, where we lose him twice. His cognitive is still very good. He can still hold a conversation, he walks with a stick and that's the only tell-tale sign, really. 'Wayne never got angry, he was very accepting. If it wasn't him, it was somebody else. There's no cure, he can't take the magic potion. What can we do? We have to still live. 'And that's what we decided, we had children, we couldn't fall apart.' While Siobhan, Wayne and their family try to remain positive, she admits it has been extremely difficult. Her saving grace has been The Alzheimer Society of Ireland's under 65's Carers Group, which helped her through the darkest of times. She said: 'I think I possibly would have been hospitalized myself only for the support group and I just made a phone call. 'I was probably a basket case, and I don't remember the first phone call…but they're walking angels.' Siobhan says she wishes more people had patience for those diagnosed with dementia, and for family and friends to keep them in their lives like they always have. She added: 'Just because they're sick doesn't mean they don't exist. 'We've seen it with friends who had cancer, people rally in a different way. With dementia, it frightens people. People talk to Wayne as if he has a hearing problem. 'He can hold a conversation, no problem, he may be a little slow but he'll do one one-on-one. People hear dementia and they presume the person isn't capable of having a conversation. Just don't treat them as if they're stupid.' Siobhan was speaking ahead of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's Tea Day. Those who would like to host their own Tea Day during the month of May can register at to receive a free organiser's toolkit. Funds raised support critical services like the Alzheimer's National Helpline, Daycare programmes, home care, family carer training, social clubs and Alzheimer's cafes. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin family makes the most of time as father battles early-onset dementia
At just 52 years old, talented chef and loving father Wayne Baron was given the devastating news that he has just five to seven years left to live. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with early-onset Lewy's body dementia. Lewy bodies are abnormal clumps of protein that form in nerve cells in the brain and can cause problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. It shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease and accounts for 10-25% of dementia cases in Ireland. Wayne's wife Siobhan Baron said the diagnosis was 'heartbreaking' for the couple and their four children, who live in Lucan, Dublin. But they want to make the most out of the time they have left with him and spread awareness for early-onset dementia. Speaking to the Irish Mirror ahead of Alzheimer's Tea Day, Siobhan said: 'We were supposed to retire together, we were supposed to live our best lives. We did amazing for our kiddos, and we were supposed to travel the world, visiting them or seeing them and seeing our grandkids. 'And we'll never see that well, I will hopefully, but Wayne won't and that's our reality. We won't grow old together. He won't walk his three daughters down the aisle, not unless they get moving in the next year or two, he won't remember or see his grandchildren. 'But there are worse things happening in the world, and we're just one day at a time, and we're living our best life.' Wayne was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2018 after a long year of tests. He initially went to his GP after experiencing auditory hallucinations and becoming unsteady on his feet. Doctors sent him for psychiatric care, believing these hallucinations might be caused by schizophrenia. But after ruling out several conditions, the family of six received the devastating news that he had early-onset dementia. Six months after this diagnosis, Wayne had to leave his beloved role as Head Chef at Bijou Restaurant in Dublin's Rathgar. Siobhan is now a full-time carer for her husband but also works part-time as a matron at The King's Hospital to keep their family afloat. The mother-of-four said she didn't have any choice but to just get on with things. She continued: 'I went through a few of the grieving stages because it is a grief. With dementia, there are two goodbyes, the goodbyes we're going through, and then the one that Wayne goes through, where we lose him twice. 'His cognitive is still very good. He can still hold a conversation, he walks with a stick, and that's the only telltale sign, really. Wayne never got angry, he was very accepting. If it wasn't him, it was somebody else. 'There's no cure, he can't take the magic potion. What can we do? We have to still live. And that's what we decided, we had children, we couldn't fall apart.' While Siobhan and her family try to remain positive, she admits it has been extremely difficult. Her saving grace has been The Alzheimer Society of Ireland's under 65's Carers Group, which helped her through the darkest of times. She said: 'I think I possibly would have been hospitalized myself only for the support group, and I just made a phone call. 'I was probably a basket case, and I don't remember the first phone call… but they're walking angels.' The carer says she wishes more people had patience for those diagnosed with dementia, and for family and friends to keep them in their lives like they always have. Siobhan continued: 'Just because they're sick doesn't mean they don't exist. We've seen it with friends who had cancer, people rally in a different way. With dementia, it frightens people. People talk to Wayne as if he has a hearing problem. 'He can hold a conversation, no problem, he may be a little slow but he'll do one one-on-one. People hear dementia and they presume they aren't capable of having a conversation. Just don't treat them as if they're stupid.' Siobhan was speaking ahead of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's Tea Day. Those who would like to host their own Tea Day in the month of May can register at to receive a free organiser's toolkit. Funds raised support critical services like the Alzheimer's National Helpline, Daycare programs, home care, family carer training, social clubs, and Alzheimer's cafes.
