Our many years of caring for the Birmingham Irish diaspora in the city have taught us many things. One being how crucial it is to have a family support team with a truly wholesome, understanding and patient nature. It's safe to say that few people we know embody this more than our Children's Support Worker, Paulene McDermott.

It's no secret that cases of dementia are on a steady rise in the UK, which is truly heartbreaking for those individuals, and their loved ones. The raw, emotional pain they feel is relentless, and can be incredibly confusing and upsetting for children as, out of the blue, the behaviour of dear aunt, uncle, grandparent or family member has changed.

Children often do not want to or have the opportunity to speak about it, and this can lead them to blame themselves. This very reason is why we are so relieved and delighted that Paulene's wonderful primary school dementia outreach workshops are able to begin again.

Funded by Children in Need and the Irish Youth Foundation, the sessions incorporate fun, engaging and informative activities with opportunities for children to ask questions, enabling a higher level of understanding and empathy in an incredibly effective way. Paulene's seamless delivery allows her wonderful nature to shine through, which builds trust with all children involved, and naturally allows a safe space to form where honest discussions form organically and children can voice their concerns. 

Paulene, we want to thank you for all the extraordinary work you are delivering for us, as so many families that are experiencing heartache have never needed a lifeline from us more than they do presently. Through guiding their children and providing discussions that could be very difficult in the family setting, you are actively lightening their load and bringing more wholesome moments to their lives, which we all know, are so very crucial and precious.

Our next edition of our newsletter will feature another fantastic staff member from our organisation, so make sure to stay tuned!

Welcome to another Birmingham Irish Association news update

We publish news and project updates keeping you up to date with details regarding our services and events, as well as other local developments and other news that will be of interest to our clients as well as other visitors.