Welcome

This is a wonderful initiative funded through the national “Keepwell” campaign and our Community Resilience Fund. This Age Friendly Fingal 2021 Guide is produced by our Age Friendly Fingal section. This magazine aims to inform, support, engage and entertain us over the coming months as we live under Covid 19 restrictions. This new resource is especially targeted at our older population to ensure that you have information at the turn of a page. A large number of support groups and organisations from around the county have contributed to this guide. Inside you will find a wonderful variety of entertaining activities, including short puzzles, recipes, quizzes, sport, art activities and contact information for a wide range of groups across the county. This guide also includes a wide range of information on the services, supports and activities provided by Fingal County Council including Libraries, Sports, Heritage, Local Enterprise Office, Parks and many more all of which aim to support our mental health and wellbeing over the coming year. This an excellent Age Friendly initiative that will help many of our older members of our county keep active and informed during these difficult times and I look forward the Council creating future editions in brighter times. I want to welcome you to our second edition of the Age Friendly Guide, this follows on from our very successful Cocooning Activities booklet last year. The past year has presented challenges to us all but particularly older people and those that are vulnerable to the effects of the Covid pandemic . We have all been separated from friends and family and special occasions, at times Covid has restricted our participation in activities that makes life more enjoyable. We hope that by using this Age Friendly Guide you will find contact phone numbers, information and initiatives to help support you and activities to plan your weeks ahead. This Age Friendly Guide is being brought to you through our “Keep Well Resilience Campaign, that is designed to show people how they can mind their physical and mental health and wellbeing during this coming year. You will also find a range of social supports that are available for your use. You all play a vital role in our community and I would encourage you to stay safe, while staying active at home by developing helpful habits and including them into your daily and weekly routine, this will help keep your mind and body active and healthy. Thank you to all our colleagues across the county that contributed to this Age Friendly 2021 Guide and I hope you enjoy.

Age Friendly Ireland |Meath County Council Jim Glennon and Libraries Ireland are delighted to invite you to attend a virtual Launch of the Chairperson, Age Friendly Fingal Alliance Chairperson, Fingal Older People’s Council AGE FRIENDLY FINGAL ALLIANCE The Alliance was founded in 2011 under Chairperson Nora Owen to develop and implement the county’s Age Friendly strategy. It is currently comprised of senior representatives of the county’s key public service providers, among them Alone, An Garda Siochana, Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board, County Councillors, County Council staff, Dublin City University, Fingal Older People’s Council, FlexiBus-LocalLink, Healthy Fingal, HSE & Technological University Dublin. Jim Glennon is the current Chairperson, having succeeded Nora Owen in 2018.

Age Friendly Libraries Digital Ambassador’s Programme by

Mary Butler, TD, Minister of State Department of Health

with responsibility for Mental Health & Older People

Wednesday, 20th January at 10am Join the event here

This magazine was printed on FSC Certified paper. FSC certification follows the wood from the forest to the final product, providing a guarantee to consumers that the timber or paperboard used came from responsibly managed forests. Please recycle after use.

Disclaimer: Any photos featuring groups of people not observing social distancing were taken prior to the setting of COVID-19 restrictions. All phone numbers and website addresses were relevant at the time of going to print and every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the guide - February 2021.

If your group, service or community organisation would like to be included in future Age Friendly publications in Fingal or to make a correction please email louise.edmonds@fingal.ie Bridie O’Reilly

On behalf of Fingal Older People’s Council, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the Age Friendly Guide. This is a follow up to the cocooning booklet that was produced as we struggled to come to terms with the Corona Virus and the first lockdown.

This guide will, hopefully, be a welcome interlude in these difficult days. We miss the cup of tea and chat, we miss meeting our family, friends, and groups. For now, we can’t even celebrate life events. We have had to sacrifice those things to protect ourselves and others. It is not natural for us to stay away from people, family, friends, and neighbours, but it is necessary if we are to slow down the spread of the virus. We are all in this together. The guide was produced with that in mind. It was designed to keep us all connected in Age Friendly Fingal. Included in this latest edition you will find brilliant crosswords, quizzes, articles and other interesting elements. Something for everyone.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous contribution that Age Friendly Fingal have made to the lives of older people, especially the Covid Response Unit. This was set up to respond to the urgent needs of older people in Fingal during Covid. It is still in operation and no older person should be in any doubt about seeking help if they need it. Thank you to all the staff in Age Friendly Fingal. We are in safe hands when we have people like that watching out for us.

Stay safe and enjoy the guide.