Every county in the country will be dusted with a sprinkle of Christmas magic this year as the annual Carepack initiative is set to deliver over 50,000 gifts, cards, letters and artwork to nursing home residents across Ireland.
Set up by Mayo woman Geraldine Monaghan, Carepack started out during the pandemic, when the graphic designer felt compelled to do something to help those living in nursing homes during lockdown.
Watching nursing home residents speaking with their loved ones through the window prompted Geraldine to issue a call-out on social media to her friends asking them to send parcels to residents of two nursing homes in north Galway.
What followed was an avalanche of support from all over the country.
“It’s unbelievable how big this has grown over the past five years, with those who send packages getting as much joy from it as those who receive gifts,” Geraldine tells Irish Country Living.
“The basic premise of the initiative is we link the public with nursing homes, via the carepack.ie website, and the donor can select the nursing home they would like to send a package to. With free delivery provided by An Post, it is a win-win situation.”
Christmas can be a very lonely time for people of all ages, but particularly the elderly community with some residents in nursing homes having no one to visit them at any stage of the year.
Social connections
A study conducted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre last year found that Ireland had the highest prevalence of loneliness of all European countries. This followed a World Health Organisation commission being set up to foster social connections in response to the ‘pressing health threat’ loneliness poses.
Geraldine says that what started out as a response to the pandemic, has grown into a multi-generational social enterprise, with school children now getting involved and sending cards, letters and pictures to nursing homes in a bid to brighten the festive season for residents.
“Nursing home staff tell us that the excitement and joy that Carepack has brought to their residents is immense, with everyone watching out to see what the postman is bringing,” she says.
Geraldine Monaghan, Carepack Ireland.
“It’s a huge topic of conversation, with parties organised in some places around it, We have had huge encouragement from staff and the families of those living in nursing homes. We even have family members whose loved ones have passed away wanting to give a gift to someone else, in what has become for many, their new favourite Christmas tradition.”
Carepack has grown from 13,000 parcels distributed in 2020 to over 27,000 care packs and a further 24,000 letters, pictures and cards being sent to nursing home residents in time for Christmas this year.
“People say it’s like trying to get Oasis tickets on Ticketmaster, registering for your chosen nursing home on the Carepack website,” says Geraldine, laughing.
“This year all the slots were gone in 10 days and we have ensured that every nursing home registered will receive something for their residents.
“It’s a very big operation and we’re grateful to have An Post on board, which in the past number of years has offered free postage to nursing homes year-round.
“We are also very thankful to Galway Rural Development for the support of our website, which manages all the requests and links people to the nursing homes. It really does restore your faith in the world to know there is so much good out there.”
Meanwhile, people throughout rural Ireland are being asked to check on their elderly neighbours, especially those living alone in the coming weeks.
Visit your elderly neighbour
Paddy O’Brien, a senior citizens advocate from Cork believes the epidemic of loneliness that has engulfed Ireland in recent years is going to bite even harder for those older people facing Christmas on their own.
“Pop in to that elderly neighbour for a visit, don’t leave it to someone else,” he urges.
“Give them an hour of your time which will mean the world to people who often go from one end of the week to the next without anyone to talk to.
“Older people were young once and they would have had the same excitement and anticipation for Christmas that children have today. But now many of them detest this time of year as it’s a sad and lonely time. They just want it to be over.”
Paddy (87) is a widower who lives alone in Mayfield. He has a very active life, advocating for the elderly and visiting nursing homes around the Cork region. Having founded an over 60s talent competition in the 1970s to help combat social isolation among seniors, he often brings former winners along with him to entertain the residents.
“We sing songs and chat to the residents, many of whom don’t get visits from anyone else. They’re forgotten about, as are the great many elderly people living alone all over the country. It used to be more common in rural areas but there is as much loneliness in cities as it is in remote parts of the country and we need to do more to tackle it.”
Paddy O’Brien is a senior citizens advocate in Co Cork.
A number of charities do offer visitation services including St Vincent de Paul which has 11,000 volunteers calling to people across the country on a weekly basis, mainly to help with financial or family issues. Age Action offers a care and repair service, where volunteers carry out small DIY jobs for those unable to do it themselves, but neither service is specifically designed for the volunteers to visit regularly and form a friendship.
Paddy is calling for wider society, led by Government, to act and address loneliness, and says an initiative similar to that introduced by former President Mary McAleese during her term in office should be developed.
“President McAleese and her husband set up an initiative with the GAA to involve older members of society in their clubs and it was a huge success. We need more of this, we need organisations like Macra, Muintir na Tíre and the ICA to get more involved in communities to ensure older people, particularly those living alone, aren’t being forgotten about.”
Paddy agrees that the health of lonely people is suffering greatly and says the only cure is human connection.
“A person can’t go to their GP and ask for medication to treat loneliness; they can’t buy something over the counter in the chemist. The only thing that works to combat it is human contact and the extent of loneliness among elderly people in particular is heartbreaking,” he adds.
“I am appealing to people to use the next few weeks to get to know their neighbours. Knock on that door and if you are in a position to share your Christmas with an elderly neighbour or relative, do that.
“Don’t wait until Christmas morning to say it to them either, invite them now so they have the joy of anticipation to lift their spirits.
“The benefits of having several generations around the table on that one day will be a bonus for all the family and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your one small act of kindness has made a person’s heart full.”
In November 2023, the WHO launched a new commission to foster social connections as it declared loneliness a “pressing health threat”. Since the publication of the European research, 19 months ago, there have been calls on the Government to appoint a senior Minister for the Elderly, but Paddy argues that while this is a good idea, more needs to be done to educate younger generations on caring in their community.
“I know several schools have wonderful initiatives particularly for their Transition Year students who visit the elderly in nursing homes, but this needs to be thrown wider in that care in the community should be part of the school curriculum,” he believes.
Children from Bruff Pre School in Co Limerick on their way to post their cards to nursing home residents as part of the Carepack initiative.
“None of us escape old age. I’m lucky to be as active as I am and to still live independently. I have my family around me, my sons and my grandchildren but too many people my age and younger are not so fortunate.
“They are too embarrassed to admit they feel lonely so they often die of a broken heart.”
Every county in the country will be dusted with a sprinkle of Christmas magic this year as the annual Carepack initiative is set to deliver over 50,000 gifts, cards, letters and artwork to nursing home residents across Ireland.
Set up by Mayo woman Geraldine Monaghan, Carepack started out during the pandemic, when the graphic designer felt compelled to do something to help those living in nursing homes during lockdown.
Watching nursing home residents speaking with their loved ones through the window prompted Geraldine to issue a call-out on social media to her friends asking them to send parcels to residents of two nursing homes in north Galway.
What followed was an avalanche of support from all over the country.
“It’s unbelievable how big this has grown over the past five years, with those who send packages getting as much joy from it as those who receive gifts,” Geraldine tells Irish Country Living.
“The basic premise of the initiative is we link the public with nursing homes, via the carepack.ie website, and the donor can select the nursing home they would like to send a package to. With free delivery provided by An Post, it is a win-win situation.”
Christmas can be a very lonely time for people of all ages, but particularly the elderly community with some residents in nursing homes having no one to visit them at any stage of the year.
Social connections
A study conducted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre last year found that Ireland had the highest prevalence of loneliness of all European countries. This followed a World Health Organisation commission being set up to foster social connections in response to the ‘pressing health threat’ loneliness poses.
Geraldine says that what started out as a response to the pandemic, has grown into a multi-generational social enterprise, with school children now getting involved and sending cards, letters and pictures to nursing homes in a bid to brighten the festive season for residents.
“Nursing home staff tell us that the excitement and joy that Carepack has brought to their residents is immense, with everyone watching out to see what the postman is bringing,” she says.
Geraldine Monaghan, Carepack Ireland.
“It’s a huge topic of conversation, with parties organised in some places around it, We have had huge encouragement from staff and the families of those living in nursing homes. We even have family members whose loved ones have passed away wanting to give a gift to someone else, in what has become for many, their new favourite Christmas tradition.”
Carepack has grown from 13,000 parcels distributed in 2020 to over 27,000 care packs and a further 24,000 letters, pictures and cards being sent to nursing home residents in time for Christmas this year.
“People say it’s like trying to get Oasis tickets on Ticketmaster, registering for your chosen nursing home on the Carepack website,” says Geraldine, laughing.
“This year all the slots were gone in 10 days and we have ensured that every nursing home registered will receive something for their residents.
“It’s a very big operation and we’re grateful to have An Post on board, which in the past number of years has offered free postage to nursing homes year-round.
“We are also very thankful to Galway Rural Development for the support of our website, which manages all the requests and links people to the nursing homes. It really does restore your faith in the world to know there is so much good out there.”
Meanwhile, people throughout rural Ireland are being asked to check on their elderly neighbours, especially those living alone in the coming weeks.
Visit your elderly neighbour
Paddy O’Brien, a senior citizens advocate from Cork believes the epidemic of loneliness that has engulfed Ireland in recent years is going to bite even harder for those older people facing Christmas on their own.
“Pop in to that elderly neighbour for a visit, don’t leave it to someone else,” he urges.
“Give them an hour of your time which will mean the world to people who often go from one end of the week to the next without anyone to talk to.
“Older people were young once and they would have had the same excitement and anticipation for Christmas that children have today. But now many of them detest this time of year as it’s a sad and lonely time. They just want it to be over.”
Paddy (87) is a widower who lives alone in Mayfield. He has a very active life, advocating for the elderly and visiting nursing homes around the Cork region. Having founded an over 60s talent competition in the 1970s to help combat social isolation among seniors, he often brings former winners along with him to entertain the residents.
“We sing songs and chat to the residents, many of whom don’t get visits from anyone else. They’re forgotten about, as are the great many elderly people living alone all over the country. It used to be more common in rural areas but there is as much loneliness in cities as it is in remote parts of the country and we need to do more to tackle it.”
Paddy O’Brien is a senior citizens advocate in Co Cork.
A number of charities do offer visitation services including St Vincent de Paul which has 11,000 volunteers calling to people across the country on a weekly basis, mainly to help with financial or family issues. Age Action offers a care and repair service, where volunteers carry out small DIY jobs for those unable to do it themselves, but neither service is specifically designed for the volunteers to visit regularly and form a friendship.
Paddy is calling for wider society, led by Government, to act and address loneliness, and says an initiative similar to that introduced by former President Mary McAleese during her term in office should be developed.
“President McAleese and her husband set up an initiative with the GAA to involve older members of society in their clubs and it was a huge success. We need more of this, we need organisations like Macra, Muintir na Tíre and the ICA to get more involved in communities to ensure older people, particularly those living alone, aren’t being forgotten about.”
Paddy agrees that the health of lonely people is suffering greatly and says the only cure is human connection.
“A person can’t go to their GP and ask for medication to treat loneliness; they can’t buy something over the counter in the chemist. The only thing that works to combat it is human contact and the extent of loneliness among elderly people in particular is heartbreaking,” he adds.
“I am appealing to people to use the next few weeks to get to know their neighbours. Knock on that door and if you are in a position to share your Christmas with an elderly neighbour or relative, do that.
“Don’t wait until Christmas morning to say it to them either, invite them now so they have the joy of anticipation to lift their spirits.
“The benefits of having several generations around the table on that one day will be a bonus for all the family and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your one small act of kindness has made a person’s heart full.”
In November 2023, the WHO launched a new commission to foster social connections as it declared loneliness a “pressing health threat”. Since the publication of the European research, 19 months ago, there have been calls on the Government to appoint a senior Minister for the Elderly, but Paddy argues that while this is a good idea, more needs to be done to educate younger generations on caring in their community.
“I know several schools have wonderful initiatives particularly for their Transition Year students who visit the elderly in nursing homes, but this needs to be thrown wider in that care in the community should be part of the school curriculum,” he believes.
Children from Bruff Pre School in Co Limerick on their way to post their cards to nursing home residents as part of the Carepack initiative.
“None of us escape old age. I’m lucky to be as active as I am and to still live independently. I have my family around me, my sons and my grandchildren but too many people my age and younger are not so fortunate.
“They are too embarrassed to admit they feel lonely so they often die of a broken heart.”
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