On Friday the 12th of March 2020, it was announced that Ireland was to be placed in partial lockdown after it was confirmed that the spread of the Coronavirus had found its way into Ireland. Having seen numbers of Coronavirus confirmed cases and deaths here in Ireland and around the world increase however, this partial lockdown was recently increased to a complete lockdown with permission given only to those providing ESSENTIAL SERVICES to those in need of assistance during these difficult times.
The outbreak has left people all over the world asking many questions, such as, what is the Coronavirus and how will it affect, not just our physical health, but our mental health as well? The Coronavirus is a virus that effects the respiratory system and airways. Although it is not clear how the virus started, the first case of it was confirmed in China back in December 2019. To many people out there, getting the Coronavirus may be just like getting any other virus and you may not experience any of the symptoms which include a cough of any kind, shortness of breath and a fever (high temperature or chills). Unfortunately to others, including the more vulnerable groups of people, the Coronavirus can be and has been fatal with deaths here in Ireland and many more around the world increasing by the hour.
Nevertheless, the physical effects of the Coronavirus aren’t people’s only concerns. Mental health and mental wellbeing have also become a prevalent issue due to the increasing levels of fear and isolation suffered by those directly and indirectly effected by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, both here in Ireland and around the world. These issues are particularly prevalent within the most vulnerable in our society, such as elderly people, people with an underlying condition and people with a disability. For these vulnerable groups of people, it is essential that they protect their physical health. However, it can be emotionally and mentally very frustrating having to isolate themselves from loved ones and friends, especially at times when they feel they need them around them the most.
I myself can relate to these feeling of isolation and fear because I am in the at-risk category of contracting the Coronavirus due to the fact that I have a disability. On top of this, I have been attending Beaumont Hospital for Haemodialysis treatment three days a week for over two years now. All these factors combined mean that I and others like me are more susceptible to picking up this virus. It is for this reason that, even though I may have days where I will be bored of the same routine or upset that I cannot meet with my family and friends in person, I must for now at least, stop and ask myself, “Would this be good for my health at this moment in time?”
Irish Kidney Association magazine version of same article file:///G:/Documents/media%20group/2018%20articles/IKA_SUPPORT_WINTER_2018_WEB.pdf
BY JENNY KERR
My name is Jenny Kerr. I am 32 years old and I live in County Meath. I was born with a physical disability known as Spina Bifida. Due to having this disability, I am a wheelchair user. I also have a condition called Hydrocephalus. Currently I am waiting for a kidney transplant and travelling up and down to Beaumont Hospital 3 days a week to receive dialysis. Let me tell you about my journey to this point.
In 2010, after being unwell for a few months I received the news that I had developed Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and would at some point in the future, need a kidney transplant.
Some people living with Spina Bifida can often have a lot of kidney problems and throughout my life I had many times where I developed a kidney infection or needed to have kidney stones removed through laser…
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By Jenny Kerr
In August 2016, I attended a summer camp, which was run by the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Ireland Association. While there, I met a young girl from Galway by the name of Isabel “Izzy” Keane. During one of the camp activities, I noticed the very colourful and incredibly designed spoke guards on the wheels of Isabel’s wheelchair. Having admired them from a distance, I decided to talk to her and find out where she had gotten these beautifully made spoke guards. She told me that all of the ones that she had brought with her to the camp that week were all designed and made by her sister Ailbhe Keane. These spoke guards are part of the web based business idea Ailbhe had created by the name of “Izzy Wheels”, named in honour of her sister Isabel.
Having received the contact details of the company from Isabel…
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By Jenny Kerr
An article published by the Irish Examiner, entitled ‘Our shameful asylums’, shows that in the early 19th century Ireland’s handling of issues surrounding a person’s mental and emotional state were dealt with in a very businesslike manner. Due to this, many people suffering from various forms of mental health issues were often placed into facilities such as mental institutions or ‘asylums’ as they were known in those days.
Conditions in these asylums were harrowing. Patients or ‘inmates’ as they were called back then, were placed in cells that had little or no ventilation and were chained to their beds while being subjected to bizarre experiments. These cells contained corpses, which lay on the floor for days without being removed. Due to overcrowding patients were exposed in the winter and were left vulnerable to ‘fevers’
This was how people coped with mental health issues…
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By Jenny Kerr The 24th of April 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising in Ireland; the day when our country finally broke away from Great Britain and became a Republic. Was it really worth it? I suppose in terms of the laws that Ireland were governed under during that time then […]
By Jenny Kerr The time has finally come; the time that some people may dread! I am officially the big 3-0! I’m sure some of you, who are old enough, will remember the so called Y2K or Millennium bug. This was the name given to the bug that people believed would cause computers or software […]
By Jenny Kerr
The decorations are up. The festive lights have been switched on and shoppers are packing shopping centres across the country in preparation for the big day. Yes, it’s that time of year again; Christmas time!
The time children all over the world write their letters to Santa; in the hope that they will wake up on Christmas morning to find their gifts sitting under the Christmas tree.
There are certain things about Christmas that I love which those of you who are able bodied may take for granted. Things like helping out in the kitchen with the making of the Christmas dinner, the cooking of the Christmas cake and puddings and our homemade secret recipe for punch. My favourite part of the festive season though, happens around the 8th of December.
This is when my family finally ventures into the attic to take down our Christmas…
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By Jenny Kerr
Choosing the best school for your child is one of the biggest decisions a parent/guardian has to make. Add to that the responsibility of finding a school that is willing to provide the necessary services and accessible facilities that child will need if they have a disability. These are the things parents/guardians of children with disabilities have to consider on a daily basis, alongside the factor of their child’s academic and social ability.
However, how much of a say in this decision do students with disabilities have if they are, in the eyes of the law, old enough to make their own decisions about important events in their lives including their education. Does the factor of their child having a disability, cloud a parent/guardians’ judgment when they are deciding whether their child should have a mainstream or special education?
In my own opinion, if a child is…
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By Jenny Kerr
Since 1937’s animated version of the classic fairy-tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney has been providing children all over the world with the necessary “life lessons” they need to help them to understand the world around them. From the heart-breaking realisation of what life is like for those whose parent(s) have died, which was portrayed in Disney classics like The Lion King and Bambi; to the lessons of accepting those around you for who they are and not how they look, portrayed in movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Movies such as these are great because they draw you in and allow you a couple of hours respite from the world around you and any problems you might be having. For me, these movies were about that but I could also relate to the characters and their…
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by Jenny Kerr
Captain Kerr, perhaps??
When you were a child what did you say when an adult asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. How many of you are actually in that profession now? I wanted to be an athlete or a computer genius but I knew as a person with a disability there would inevitably be barriers that I would face.
We all have those hopes and dreams for our future but when you have a disability, dreams don’t often come true and you are left with the heart breaking reality of having to give up on the idea of working in your dream job for one more suitable given your physical or intellectual difficulties.
This really frustrates me! Don’t get me wrong, I understand that people who are able bodied are experiencing major difficulties in finding employment, especially in these recessionary times. But…
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