Thanks to the money monies raised by Charlie Bird with his phenomenal Climb with Charlie fundraiser, which saw over €1.7 million raised for those living with Motor Neurone Disease, the IMNDA has started the recruitment process to hire an additional Clinical Nurse Specialist.
The new nurse position will cover the counties of Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford and Kildare as part of the outreach nursing service provided by IMNDA currently consists of five regional nurses, who help over 410 people with MND living across the 26 counties.
This is the first of many projects that the IMNDA are delighted to unveil.
Thanks to Charlie and Claire Bird, and everyone who climbed and donated towards Climb with Charlie back in April, the IMNDA established the “Charlie Bird Development Fund”.
This fund was created after a national consultation process with the MND community. The overarching objective of the fund is to provide the necessary supports to help those with MND live as independent a life as possible in their own home and within their own community.
This dedicated MND nurse will look after approx. 75 people living within the Midlands. Having access to an MND Nurse can sometimes be the difference between coping and not coping at all.
“For so long, our nursing team has struggled with large caseloads as well as having to travel long distances to support our clients” said Lillian McGovern, CEO, IMNDA.
“Thanks to Charlie and Claire, we now have the opportunity to provide a Clinical Nurse Specialist in every region and ensure that our clients receive the highest standard of support they need in their own home.
“We are also delighted to contribute funding towards a clinical research project into improved treatments for MND and overseen by Professor Orla Hardiman of Trinity College, Dublin.
These are the first of the initiatives that we can now offer, because of Charlie and we are so grateful to him for his great efforts in helping families living with MND.“
The Charlie Bird Development Fund will also provide:
- Funding for those living with MND who wish to avail of a voice banking service
- A respite ‘recharge’ grant for a hotel stay away from home for families in taking a well-deserved break in a comfortable and convenient location.
- A transport grant to enable clients make their MND clinic appointments in comfort
- A care giver respite grant to alleviate the burden of care felt by many
None of these projects would have been possible if it weren’t for Charlie Bird and his incredible bravery. Not only will the IMNDA be able to fund these initiatives in the short-term, but the Charlie Bird Development Fund will enable us to ensure these essential services will be ring fenced for the next 5 years.
