Are you working in a nursing home or other older person service?

Register now for the free Caru Regional Networking Event in the Bridgehouse Hotel, Tullamore on the May 9 at 9am.

Caru is a continuous learning programme developed by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) and the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) in collaboration with the HSE.

Launched in 2022, Caru is a free programme available to staff of all levels from public, private and voluntary nursing homes across Ireland. 

Our mission is to deliver a nationally recognised programme that supports and improves the delivery of compassionate, person-centred, palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care to residents and family members in nursing homes. 

The programme consists of five training and educational elements: 

• Network Events

• Quality Improvement Workshops

• Project Echo Networks

• National Virtual Networks and 

• Webinars

Each element is designed to give staff the tools they need to enhance their end-of-life care knowledge and present opportunities to learn from each other in a peer-to-peer environment. 

Each CHO (Community Health Organisation) is appointed a dedicated Regional Lead who will host a series of in-person Regional Networks annually. The purpose of these Networks is to provide ongoing support and education, providing a platform for staff to share learnings, offer peer support, and network and engage with specialists in the field of palliative and end-of-life care. 

The first Network of 2024 was held in Naas, Kildare last month, with sixty-nine attendees joining us at Lawlor’s Hotel. Participants experienced educational presentations on topics such as end-of-life resources, holistic therapy, bereavement support for families, as well as a fascinating presentation from Simi Chacko, Director of Nursing of Community Response Team CHO7, on her role supporting nursing homes in the face of infection disease outbreaks. 

Caru were also pleased to invite the Caru Leads from Baltinglass Hospital, Co Wicklow, to present on their progress with the Caru Programme. The team had previously completed the Caru QI Workshops in 2023 under the guidance of Caru Regional Lead, Ann-Marie Murphy, and were able to share their success in embedding the programme in their nursing home. 

“…now when you see that something needs to be changed you no longer just complain about it. Caru has given you the confidence, language, and tools to take on projects and make changes in a very structured way.”

To date, 189 nursing homes have participated in the Caru Programme. Here is some of their fantastic feedback… 

“The programme line-up was fabulous - the speakers and content were excellent - a great opportunity to Network.”

“It was incredible learning from other services and networking with both new and familiar colleagues. It was a super enlightening day.”

“There is so much I loved about this Caru regional network, the speakers were so different and interesting, and I feel so energised - thank you.”

Our next series of Networking events will take place on May 9 in Bridge House Hotel, Offaly, and May 15 in Woodlands Hotel, Waterford. Staff of all levels are welcome to attend any Network in the location of their choosing. 

If you are interested in registering your nursing home for Caru, you can do so on Caru.ie. You can also find contact information for the Regional Lead in your CHO area.