Mallow Primary Health-care Centre (MPHC) is to become the site for the first satellite NEIL Memory Research Unit, joining forces with Trinity College Dublin to engage older adults in brain health research. Failing cognitive function prevents millions of older adults from living independently, and people aged 50+ have been invited to take part in a compre-hensive memory and attention study at the Memory Research Unit in Mallow, where they will be provided with a per-sonalised feedback report, containing information that can help them to ‘stay sharp’ as they get older.
The aim of the Neuro Enhancement for Indepen-dent Lives (NEIL) Pro-gramme is to enable indep-endent living and improve quality of life by con-ducting research and developing interventions aimed at dementia pre-vention. The official launch by Professor Sabina Brennan (TCD) took place on Tuesday at the MPHC, where she spoke about brain health and shared some of the innovative materials which have been developed within the NEIL Programme at TCD. She explained how research is showing that ‘modifiable’ lifestyle factors like phy-sical and mental exercise and social engagement can help to protect brain health and function.
Yvonne Finn Orde, General Manager, HSE North Cork, said, “It is hoped that through this innovative partnership with TCD, Mallow will be not only be a satellite site for NEIL, but also a test site for the educational resources being developed by NEIL, and help develop new and innovative services for the people of North Cork.”
The launch was kindly supported by the Crystal Project, which is a joint initiative between the HSE, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, The Carers Asso-ciation, UCC, families affected by dementia, local community groups and GPs.
Anyone interested in hearing more about taking part in the study should contact the Memory Research Unit, MPHC (086 4128797), or email mrumallow@gmail.com.