Some of the decorations created by the children
Excited children surprise dementia care unit with Christmas decorations
Ballyfermot children surprised the local dementia care unit in Cherry Orchard Hospital with Christmas decorations to spread the holiday season cheer.
14 kids and their families created the ornaments as part of a workshop held at Ballyfermot library on Thursday and made gingerbread men and baubles with Christmas messages, among other things.
The finished gifts were then transported to the hospital on the same day to decorate the place ahead of this year’s festivities.
Library Assistant at Ballyfermot Library and event organiser Mary Sheehan noted that the hospital were excited to receive the gifts from the children, and that the children were just as excited to send them over.
Sheehan said: “They were so excited. We met with one of the nurses there and she said she was going to hang them up, so it’ll be nice to spread some holiday cheer over to a community that needs it as well.
“It was really nice to see how excited some of the younger kids were when I told them that the ornaments would be going to a good place.”
The decorations were created using typical arts and crafts materials such as coloured paper, styrofoam and felt.
Children showed great creativity to make a range of gingerbread men and some unique baubles fit with ribbons and string to adorn the Christmas tree in the unit.
Cards were also handed out to the patients in the care unit when the ornaments are transported over, wishing them well this holiday season.
Sheehan has had personal experience with someone living with dementia and wanted to help those in the local community living with the same illness.
“It’s pretty special to me. Personally, my grandmother passed away from dementia this year and it’s a great way to honour the community here, especially people who are more vulnerable this holiday season.”
