Latest news with #Geraldine
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Health
- Sunday World
Grateful family raise funds for IPATS for help saving baby girl's life
"She went downhill so fast. You nearly wouldn't believe it. She was only 13-months-old at the time,' said Geraldine O'Shea. Geraldine and Brendan O'Shea with their little girl Nell (16 months). The couple are fundraising for the Irish Paediatric Acute Transport Service (IPATS) who helped save their daughter's life. Nell O'Shea is now 16-months-old, a happy little girl who is the light of her parents life, so it's hard to believe that just three months ago her life hung in the balance after contracting sepsis. The nightmare for Kerry couple Brendan and Geraldine O'Shea began on February 21 when their daughter was rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) and was taken to theatre to be ventilated. Just a day previously she had a temperature but her mother was told to give her Calpol as she had a virus – 24 hours later she was battling for her life. "She went downhill so fast. You nearly wouldn't believe it. She was only 13-months-old at the time,' said Geraldine who is an SNA at Scoil Dar Earca in Valentia. Ultimately, it turned out Nell was in critical condition and had to be transferred to Crumlin Children's Hospital. Geraldine and Brendan O'Shea with Nell. "We didn't think she would make it to Dublin. Her life hung in the balance,' explained Geraldine. The Irish Paediatric Acute Transport Service (IPATS) was called and tasked with transferring Nell from Cork to Crumlin. Unfortunately, neither Brendan nor Geraldine could travel with their daughter despite the danger she faced. "We had to put her in the ambulance and put our trust in them. They were so professional and reassuring,' recalls Geraldine. IPATS supports the transfer of critically ill infants and children to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin or Temple Street Children's University Hospital and their role in helping Nell was vital. Nell O'Shea from Cahersiveen. At the time it was a service Geraldine had never heard of but it was to play a key role in Nell's care over the coming days as she was later transferred to Kings College Hospital in London as she was into liver failure and a transplant could only be undertaken in the UK. Geraldine and Brendan found themselves in a living nightmare as their daughter battled for life. "It was like out-of-body experience...I don't think we have processed it yet, you just go into auto-pilot.' Fortunately, it was a happy ending as after three weeks in hospital Nell recovered. She ultimately didn't need a transplant and has bounced back from her ordeal. Geraldine and Brendan O'Shea with their little girl Nell (16 months). The couple are fundraising for the Irish Paediatric Acute Transport Service (IPATS) who helped save their daughter's life. News in 90 Seconds - May 29th During that time the community in Cahersiveen also rallied around the O'Shea family with special Masses held locally to pray for her recovery and hundreds of messages of support. This kindness will never be forgotten by Geraldine or Brendan and nor will the role IPATS played in saving their daughter's life. For this reason they are hosting a fundraising walk this Sunday, June 1, at the Fair Field in Cahersiveen to raise funds to buy equipment for the service. It is not a registered charity, so instead of handing over the funds raised Geraldine will buy the equipment they need. The community in Cahersiveen held a special mass for Nell O'Shea who was in a critical condition after contracting Sepsis. Now she is healthy and well her family want to say thank you. "Nell is amazing. She went down so fast but it is amazing how fast she recovered too. She is doing great,' said Geraldine. 'Now we want to say thanks for helping save our daughter. We are eternally grateful to IPATS, they saved Nell. We owe them our baby's life,' she said. "If we didn't have them I don't know what would have happened.' Geraldine also thanked all the medical professionals in CUH and in Crumlin and Kings in London who rallied to help their daughter. And she is so thankful to the people of Cahersiveen for their kindness. She is now urging everyone to support their fundraising walk and GoFundMe page to help IPATS. "It has been in my head to give back. When you go through something like this you are praying and asking for help but you forget to say thanks,' she said. Though the nightmare for the O'Sheas is still very raw, Nell is thriving and they hope to ensure others have a good outcome like they did. The walk will take place at 11am this Sunday and more information can be found on the GoFundMe Page. To date over €6,000 has been raised on the GoFundMe which Geraldine says she is 'blown away' by and she is now hoping more will be raised for such a vital service.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
'Left in her chair covered in faeces' - widespread failures at resthome
The resthome says it has worked to address the issues raised in the report. File photo Photo: There were widespread failures at a Geraldine resthome which did not properly care for three women, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) has found. The HDC report followed three separate complaints about the standard of care the women received from McKenzie Healthcare Limited between 2020 and 2022. The resthome said it had worked to address the issues and improve quality and consistency. Known in the report as Mrs A, Mrs E and Mrs F, the report found the resthome left one of them covered in faeces and another in a soiled bed in Covid isolation. She later died while still in isolation. The commissioner found McKenzie Healthcare in breach of Rights and the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights for all three women. The HDC found that between 2021 and 2022 there was a significant turnover of multiple staff at a frontline and management level, including five general managers. The current general manager stepped into the role despite having no previous knowledge of New Zealand's aged-care systems, and did not receive a formal orientation for the job. Aged Care Commissioner Carolyn Cooper said after carefully reviewing all the information she considered that "McKenzie Healthcare did not provide a reasonable standard of care for the three consumers". "I consider that the care provided in each case demonstrated a system-level failure. There was a consistent pattern of poor care for multiple consumers, and inadequate organisational systems to support staff in providing effective care. "In my opinion, this resulted from a lack of robust leadership, a lack of strategic direction, and poor clinical oversight. This had a cascading effect on healthcare delivery and resulted in a failure to provide appropriate care and assistance to McKenzie Healthcare staff and residents," said Cooper. Current clinical general manager Jo Fenton told RNZ in a statement the report had been taken on board. "We acknowledge and accept the findings of the Health and Disability Commissioner's report. Since then, we have been working diligently to address the issues raised and to improve the quality and consistency of our service delivery," she said. Mrs A was a 67-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities, including type two diabetes which required insulin, a stomach hernia, and a previous stroke. She was legally blind and had two stomas, and was also prone to recurrent urinary tract infections. Although a long-term care plan (LTCP) identified that Mrs A needed full assistance with hygiene and toileting, with her stoma bags to be checked and changed at least twice a week - she had several "blow outs" and was "left in her chair or bed covered in faeces". This led to her stoma becoming infected, and she was banned from using the shared toileting facilities - leaving her in "total isolation". The report also stated that Mrs A was left in her soiled clothes for extended periods, and the lack of help from staff led her to discharge herself from McKenzie Healthcare. The investigation found no evidence of a short-term care plan when Mrs A suffered gastroenteritis and was put in isolation, and no formal training for staff around infection control. It stated that "she was unable to be showered even after being soiled with faeces due to blow-out of the colostomy bag. She was made to wait until staff were available to shower her and clean up afterwards. This furthered her feelings of social isolation and emotional distress," the report said. The daughter of Mrs E complained about her care during a Covid-19 outbreak in 2022, and says she passed away after a long period of isolation when she received little attention and assistance. The 98-year-old was admitted to McKenzie Healthcare in 2020 for hospital-level care, and had a history of glaucoma, dementia with marked short-term memory loss, visual impairment, frailty, gluten intolerance, malignant melanoma, osteoarthritis, and hearing impairment. When she tested positive for Covid-19 in 2022, Mrs E was placed in isolation for 16 days and was still isolated when she died. The investigation found no reason for her extended isolation. "No rationale for this extended isolation was documented, and there is no evidence that an assessment was completed at the 7- or 10-day point to assess whether continuing isolation was necessary," said the commissioner. The resthome told the HDC that other than a low grade fever, Mrs E did not have any other Covid-19 symptoms. When her granddaughters visited her, they found Mrs E "lying curled up in a soiled bed with matted hair, and dry and scaly skin, and it appeared that she had not been moved for some time". The family said her dentures had not been fitted so she could not eat, there was no straw for her to drink fluids with, and she had been complaining of hunger. "When Mrs E's family challenged staff about their lack of attention to Mrs E, staff responded that it was difficult to continually don their PPE and therefore, frequent visits and checks had been avoided," the report stated. McKenzie Healthcare reviewed their care of Mrs E, and found trends of poor communication and documentation, no records of staff training on fluid and food recordings, no activities for Mrs E in isolation, no liaison with GPs and no end of life management was implemented. The third complaint was made by the daughter of Mrs F, who was concerned that staff at the resthome took too long to answer the call bell because of "poor staffing and a bad work culture". Mrs F was a 79-year-old woman who was transferred from McKenzie Village to McKenzie Healthcare for hospital-level care because of a decline in her health and ability to manage the activities of daily living. She had poor mobility and required full assistance with all personal care - including toileting and incontinence as she needed to urinate four to five times overnight. She also had chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure and lethargy. Staff told HDC that Mrs F had a fluctuating mood, and she became tearful and screamed when left alone for more than 10 minutes. They said she became verbally aggressive towards healthcare assistants, and frequently complained about elder abuse. This made them anxious about attending Mrs F alone, which potentially delayed their response to the call-bell. Mrs F's daughter told the HDC that it took one to 1.5 hours for the call-bell to be answered, leading to "her dignity being taken away". The call-bell system is run remotely by a third party, and rest home residents are given a pager for the caregiver assigned to that room. After a family meeting about the delay, a registered nurse pager was given to Mrs F to use when call-bells were not answered. "No minutes were provided for this meeting, and there is no evidence of the corrective action plans or investigations undertaken into the complaint," the report said. McKenzie Healthcare acknowledged that extended call-bell response times may have been due to staff attending to other residents. It apologised for this and stated that there was no excuse for not checking on Mrs F. The investigation also found problems with the care of Mrs F's incontinence. "It appears from the documentation that information was recorded inconsistently on the forms. Some days recorded only one episode of urine being passed, while on other days there were no entries," the report said. The commissioner recognised the resthome had made significant changes since 2022, and made a number of recommendations to McKenzie Healthcare. The recommendations include: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Susan Boyle returns to the recording studio for first time in six years as she gears up for music comeback after stroke left her struggling to sing
Susan Boyle has returned to the recording studio for the first time in six years as she gears up for a musical comeback. The singer, 64, took to Instagram on Tuesday and revealed she is making new music after suffering a series of health issues. The Britain's Got Talent star shared a snap of herself in the middle of a recording session, calling it her 'happy place'. She wrote: 'Today was wonderful, emotional, and everything in between. 'I made my return to the recording studio for the first time in six years, something I was told I might never achieve again. But here we are, in my happy place!' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'I want to thank my manager, Geraldine, for being my rock through everything and for helping me get back to where I belong. A million thanks.' Susan, from Blackburn in West Lothian, suffered a stroke in 2022 which left her struggling to speak or sing. Having suffered one stroke, it meant she was vulnerable to another, so her management team had to carefully manage the pace of her return to public life. Susan also has diabetes and was warned by doctors during the pandemic she had a high chance of catching coronavirus. At the time, she said: 'I've not been able to do too much. But that will change later, I'm always an optimist. 'I have diabetes so I have tried to stay indoors as much as possible. Catching Covid would not have been a good outcome.' Susan's fans were thrilled with the news she is returning to music and wrote on her post: 'Oh darling we your fans are thrilled and overjoyed.' 'Wonderful news, dear Susan, you are happy, we are happy. ❤️'... 'About time!! My withdrawals were getting too much!! Can't wait!!' Susan's fans were thrilled with the news she is returning to music and wrote on her post: 'Oh darling we your fans are thrilled and overjoyed' 'Happy day indeed, for all of us who love and find comfort in your voice.' It's been 16 years since she was catapulted to world stardom by the TV show Britain's Got Talent. The album named after her breakthrough song I Dreamed a Dream became the world's best-seller of 2009. Susan also made UK music history by having three successive albums debut at No 1 in less than two years. To date, she has sold 25 million records. She went on to achieve personal highlights such as singing for Pope Francis during the Vatican's Christmas concert in 2019. It took her three minutes and 40 seconds to get a standing ovation from the astonished judges, a moment captured on a YouTube video which has 100 million hits. Yet she only came second on the leading talent show. Recalling the period, she said: 'It was overnight because one minute I was watching it with my brother, and the next, there were these screaming kids at the door. 'I opened the door, and they were asking for my autograph. It was a bit of a whirlwind because you never think you're going to get anywhere, and then all of a sudden, bang!'
The Journal
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Fianna Fáil TD says learner drivers should be allowed drive a car unaccompanied
A FIANNA FÁIL TD has said he believes learner drivers should be allowed to drive without being accompanied in the car by a licenced driver. Since 2018, it has been an offence for an unlicensed person to drive a vehicle unaccompanied. Under the law, gardaí can seize a vehicle if a learner driver is discovered to be driving without a qualified driver present. If caught driving unaccompanied, a learner driver faces an initial €160 fine and two penalty points. If you allow a learner driver to drive your car unaccompanied, you could be fined up to €1,000. The change in the law seven years ago was dubbed the 'Clancy Amendment' in recognition of Noel Clancy, who campaigned to have the law changed after his wife Geraldine and daughter Louise were killed in 2015 when their car was struck by a learner driver who was driving unaccompanied. The Transport Minister at the time, Shane Ross said : 'Once and for all we need to stamp out the entirely false notion that once someone has a learner permit they are free to drive as they wish. A learner permit is not a driving licence.' Advertisement The Journal / YouTube Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon during a debate on the long wait times for learners to get a driving test, Fianna Fáil's Cathal Crowe said: 'I believe learner drivers should be allowed to drive without someone accompanying them in the car. I live in a rural county and west of Ennis there is no Luas line, no DART and no public transport of any significance.' He went on to state students can't afford on-campus student accommodation meaning parents have to buy a car for their son or daughter so they can drive to and from college every day. Crowe said young people sometimes bring other students who live in the catchment area to the college campus with them. 'Criminalising young people' 'We are criminalising all of these young people with the requirement that they must have an accompanying driver in the car with them. It is unacceptable. There is no public transport network and this criterion is unacceptable. 'It is criminalising a lot of young people who just cannot have that college experience on campus. They are living at home and using their car to get in and out,' he said. The Fianna Fáil TD said there must be a 'smarter' or more 'sensible way' to deal with the matter, stating that instead insurance companies should have to require learner drivers to not exceed a certain speed. 'Surely that is the way to have controls on how they drive rather than this punitive rule requiring them to always have an accompanying driver in the car with them, which is not realistic,' he said. 'If we were to really apply the spirit of that law in a rural area, the mom or dad would have to take time off work to drive their child to college and sit in the car while they attend eight hours of lectures before driving home. It just does not work in practice. The reality is that we are criminalising many young people every day with this,' he said. 'No excuse' At odds with Crowe, Fine Gael TD Emer Currie said there is no excuse for unaccompanied learner drivers being on the road. Related Reads Road safety crisis: Readers share their stories of worsening driver behaviour on Irish roads A number of TDs spoke today about the lengthy wait time for driving test appointments, which they said are preventing people from taking up employment in some cases. Speaking during a Dáil debate on the issue, Minister of State Sean Canney said the average waiting time for driving tests is now 27 weeks, a figure he said has risen significantly in part due to a 'backlog of tests'. He said the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has now told him that it plans to reduce waiting times to 10 weeks by September, and that in order to reach this target he will seek a regular update every two weeks over the coming months. The RSA has committed to reduce the wait time to 22 weeks by end May and to 18 weeks at end June. He also said the RSA has been sanctioned to recruit up to 200 more driving test examiners, a figure he said is double that of two years ago. Canney said the provision of a timely and efficient driver testing service is a key priority for him. 'The experience of learner drivers seeking a driver test over the last number of years has been unacceptable and the service being offered needs to be greatly improved as soon as possible,' he said. 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
Perth Now
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Geraldine Viswanathan agreed to star in Thunderbolts* without reading a script
Geraldine Viswanathan accepted her role in 'Thunderbolts*' without reading a script. The 29-year-old actress has recalled how she agreed to play the role of Mel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie even though she had not seen any of the screenplay for the flick. Speaking to Collider, Geraldine said: "I think the biggest thing here was you don't read the script before you sign on. Jake (Schreier, director) was trying to explain to me the script and the character. I was like, 'Uh huh. I don't know what you're saying, but I think it sounds good.' "You're jumping in blind, but you're just like, obviously, I want to be in this company and be a part of the Marvel Universe, and Jake is such a brilliant filmmaker. "It just felt like a very charmed way to enter the world. But I feel really lucky. I didn't have to go through the gauntlet of auditions. They were just like, 'You wanna do it?'" Geraldine decided to star in the film after receiving the blessing of her friend Ayo Edebiri, who had been due to feature in the movie before dropping out of the cast due to scheduling issues last year. The 'Miracle Workers' star recalled: "I was like, 'Hey, girl. So, they gave me a call about this. 'What do you think?' And she was like, 'Absolutely, 100 per cent, you need to do this. You're going to be hanging out with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.' "She was also like, 'She goes bad, and that's cool.' She was like, 'It's an awesome chance to play somebody a little villainous.'" Mel, the assistant to CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Louis-Dreyfus), is one of the few characters in 'Thunderbolts*' who doesn't possess any special powers but Geraldine explained that her alter ego still has a pivotal part to play in the film. The Australian actress said: "It felt very clear what to track, and it was really just about that internal struggle, but also what makes her pop is you don't really know where her head's at because you're not really following her, but then she ends up driving a lot of the plot. "She is also kind of instigating big things. She brings them to the Avengers Tower – even just saying that now, it's like, that's so cool!" Geraldine, who is of South Asian descent, follows Kumail Nanjiani and Iman Vellani in joining the MCU and feels that Hollywood is making progress when it comes to representation. She told Draw Your Box: "I feel really fortunate to be in the industry at this time. I think it's our time, and we're here, and it's nice that it feels like a kind of clear road. "Anything is possible, we're in the Marvel Universe! And it's exciting that there's endless possibilities for us as well. So, it's really not lost on me how exciting it is, and I feel really honoured." Geraldine added: "The night is young. We've got more to do."
