Two’s Company, Tea’s a Party! Will You Be a Host This Alzheimer’s Tea Day?

Tea Day is a national day of celebration and fundraising that honours people affected by Alzheimer's and Dementia. National broadcaster Pat Kenny, and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), are calling on people all over Ireland to help celebrate the 20^th Annual Alzheimer’s Tea Day being held on Thursday 1^st May 2014. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is seeking to recruit over 2,000 Tea Day hosts nationwide and aims to have Tea Day parties taking place in every county on May 1^st. Reaching this target will enable The Alzheimer Society of Ireland to continue its vital services for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. All money raised locally will stay locally, therefore all donations made at each local Tea Day event will go towards maintaining services in that local community. Since the very first Alzheimer’s Tea Day in 1994 over €6.6M has been raised and gone back into supporting local communities. This vital fundraising has maintained services such as day care, home care, support groups, social clubs, respite care and the Alzheimer National Helpline. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is the leading dementia specific service provider in Ireland but is struggling to cope with an increasing demand for its services. There are almost *48,000 people in Ireland living with some form of dementia and every year there are 4000 new cases of dementia diagnosed. The number of people with dementia in Ireland is set to treble by 2041 due to an ageing population. According to Gerry Martin, Chief Executive with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, “our services are in demand more than ever, without the fundraising efforts of people all around Ireland, these services would not be possible to maintain”. “Being a carer is a 24/7 job, services provided by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland are also vital in enabling carers to take some time look after themselves so that people with dementia can stay at home for as long as possible” said broadcaster and Tea Day supporter Pat Kenny at the launch of Alzheimer’s Tea Day 2014. Kenny, whose late mother Connie lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 14 years, has been a strong supporter of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and has been the patron of Alzheimer’s Tea Day for six years. He knows the difference the Alzheimer Society’s services can make to families, carers and people living with dementia. Help make the 20^th Birthday of Alzheimer’s Tea Day bigger and better than ever before by registering  to host your own Tea Day, simply phone 1800 719 820 or visit www.alzheimer.ie To find out more about Alzheimer’s services in your community in confidence contact the Alzheimer National Helpline on 1800 341 341 There’s never been a better reason to put the kettle on.