Care Alliance Ireland - The Podcast

*Please note, this episode was recorded in December 2025, the Re-emerge 2 Project supports are available until September 2026. 

Join Zoe as she speaks with Project Worker for the Care Alliance Ireland’s Re-emerge 2 Project, Jacqueline. Learn about the origins of the project, the services and activities we provide. 

Episode Notes: 

Project Team:
Amy Lavelle - https://www.carealliance.ie/staffing_amy
Jacqueline Moore - https://www.carealliance.ie/staffing_jacqueline
Anne Marie Gillooley - https://www.carealliance.ie/staffing_anne_marie

• Reemerge 2:  https://www.carealliance.ie/Reemerge
• Family Carer Support Project: https://www.carealliance.ie/OnlineFamilyCarerSupportGroup
• Care Alliance Ireland Podcast Season 2 Episode 3 – In conversation with Tara O’Conor: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2XvJNBayPoOkKij5DII1Li?si=JEowwqeURkO88xZZFV_hQw.
• Kaleidoscope: https://www.carealliance.ie/Kaleidoscope
• Dormant Accounts Funding: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/policy-information/dormant-accounts-fund/
• Return Ready: https://www.carealliance.ie/Return-Ready
• The Caring Workplace Initiative: https://www.abiireland.ie/our-services/what-we-do/the-caring-workplace-initiative-recognise-support-retain/
• Acquired Brain Injury Ireland – On With Life Training & Development for Family Carers: https://www.abiireland.ie/our-services/what-we-do/on-with-life/training-employment-programme-for-carers/

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

Join Zoe as she speaks with Project Manager for the Care Alliance Ireland Online Family Carer Support Group, Tara. Learn about the origins of the group, the services and activities we provide, how we're funded and plans for the future. 

Episode Notes: 

• Project Team:
  • Tara O’Connor - https://www.carealliance.ie/staffing_tara
  • Niamh Hahessy - https://www.carealliance.ie/staffing_niamh

• Family Carer Support Group - https://www.carealliance.ie/OnlineFamilyCarerSupportGroup
• Dr. Rosemary Dayes-Kearney publications relating to the Online Family Carer Support Group  https://carealliance.ie/userfiles/images/Published_Research_Papers_Dr_Rosemary_Daynes_Kearney.pdf
• We are funded by the HSE Dementia Office - https://www.hse.ie/eng/dementia-pathways/about/the-national-dementia-office/
• Community Foundation of Ireland - https://www.communityfoundation.ie/
• National Lottery Grant Scheme - https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/lottery-grants/national-lottery-grants/
• Researching Online Carer Communities with Dr. Rosemary Daynes-Kearney (Podcast): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-4-researching-online-carer-communities-with-dr-rosemary-daynes-kearney--62703252
• Online Family Carer Support Group direct ink to Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/FamilyCarerOnlineSupportGroupIreland

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

Come join our host Zoe as she speaks to Care Alliance Ireland CEO Liam O'Sullivan about our latest Strategic Plan 2025- 2030. 

Topics include:

How we developed our latest Strategic Plan
The CAI Theory of Change
How we can measure our progress 

Show Notes: 

• Care Alliance Ireland: https://www.carealliance.ie/
• Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030: https://www.carealliance.ie/strategicplan
• Care Alliance Ireland Members List: https://www.carealliance.ie/List-of-members
• Care Alliance Ireland Board of Directors: https://www.carealliance.ie/organisation
• Theory of Change: https://www.theoryofchange.org/what-is-theory-of-change/
• Online Family Carer Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199599214713822
• Good Governance Awards: https://goodgovernanceawards.ie/
• Care Alliance Ireland Annual Reports: https://www.carealliance.ie/publications_annualreports Daynes-Kearney, R., & Gallagher, S. (2024). Social Identity and Online Support Groups: A Qualitative Study with Family Caregivers. International journal of behavioral medicine, 31(3), 479–490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-023-10203-z
• Researching Online Carer Communities with Dr. Rosemary Daynes-Kearney (Podcast): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-4-researching-online-carer-communities-with-dr-rosemary-daynes-kearney--62703252
• Family Carers Talking Research (Podcast): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-2-family-carers-talking-research--60654119
• Reemerge - The Next Chapter is For You (CAI Employment Project):  https://www.carealliance.ie/Reemerge
• National Carers Week: https://carersweek.ie/; https://www.facebook.com/nationalcarersweek. Supporting Ukrainian Family Carers in Ireland: A Guide for Volunteers and Staff: https://www.carealliance.ie/userfiles/files/Research/Current_Projects/Ukraine/SupportingUkrainianFamilyCarersInIreland.pdf
• National Alliance of Caregivers Research Collaborative (US): https://www.caregiving.org/national-alliance-for-caregiving-research-collaborative-nac-rc/
• Care Alliance Ireland Family Carer Research Group: https://www.carealliance.ie/Family-Carer-Research-Group
• Indecon International Economic and Strategic Consultants (Indecon): https://www.indecon.ie/ Analysis of Home Care Supports Funded by the HSE 2008–2016: http://bit.ly/4gZcK66
• Public Provision of Home Care in Ireland – Update: http://bit.ly/4746vJO
• Care Alliance Ireland Discussion Paper Series: https://www.carealliance.ie/discussionpapers
• Social Policy Network: https://www.carealliance.ie/SocialPolicyNetwork
• National Patient and Service User Forum: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/national-services/partnering-with-patients/national-patient-forum/    
• Eurocarers: https://eurocarers.org/
• International Alliance of Caregiving Organisations (IACO): https://internationalcarers.org/

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

Episode 4 of the Caring Researchers Podcast from Care Alliance Ireland sees host Zoe Hughes speaking with Dr. Rosemary Daynes-Kearney from the University of Limerick and The Carer Advocate who, at the time of recording (November 2024), has just completed her PhD on the topic of online supports for family carers. Learn more about Rosemary, her journey to research, and the results of her fascinating study and what it means for online supports for family carers - not just in Ireland, but globally. 

Show Notes

Irish Research Council: https://research.ie

The Care Advocate: https://thecareadvocate.ie

Online Family Carer Support Group Ireland: https://carealliance.ie/OnlineFamilyCarerSupportGroup

Published Papers from the study: 

1. Daynes-Kearney, R., & Gallagher, S. (2023). Online Support Groups for Family Caregivers: Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e46858.
2. Daynes-Kearney, R., & Gallagher, S. (2024). Social identity and online support groups: a qualitative study with family caregivers. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(3), 479-490.
3. Daynes-Kearney, R., & Gallagher, S. (2024). Online support groups for family caregivers: A qualitative exploration of social support and engagement. British Journal of Health Psychology, 00, 1–18.

Social Support Theory: https://homebase.org/understanding-the-different-types-of-social-support/

Szinay D, Perski O, Jones A, Chadborn T, Brown J, Naughton F (2021). Perceptions of Factors Influencing Engagement With Health and Well-being Apps in the United Kingdom: Qualitative Interview Study. MIR Mhealth Uhealth 2021;9(12).  

SlainteCare: https://about.hse.ie/our-work/slaintecare-our-strategy-for-improving-irelands-healthcare-system  'Digital for Care 2030 – Driving Government’s Digital Strategy for Ireland’s Health Service to 2030.'

Family Carer Research Group (Care Alliance Ireland): https://carealliance.ie/Family-Carer-Research-Group    

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

In Episode 3 of the Caring Researchers Podcast from Care Alliance Ireland, host Zoe Hughes talks with Dr. Attracta Lafferty, from the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. In a wide-ranging conversation, hear about Attracta's journey to research, how she became interested in family carer research, her most recent (2024) project CareWell (on the topic of working carers) and the possibilities of smart home technology for family carers. 

Show Notes:  

UCD School of Nursing Midwifery & Health Systems - https://www.ucd.ie/nmhs/

Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID) (Formerly the National Institute for Intellectual Disability, TCD) - https://www.tcd.ie/tcpid/about/

TILDA\IDS TILDA- https://idstilda.tcd.ie/

Family Carers of Older People – Results of a National Survey of Stress, Conflict and Coping. Attracta Lafferty, Gerard Fealy, Carmel Downes, Jonathan Drennan (NCPOP/UCD) - https://www.carealliance.ie/userfiles/file/NCPOP_Family%20Carers%20of%20Older%20People%2092pg%20A4%20FINAL%20PREVIEW_4th%20June%202014.pdf

ENCARE - https://www.carealliance.ie/EnCaRe

Family Carers’ Experiences of Caring for a Person with Intellectual Disability Final Report. UCD/FCI/University of Ulster (2016)- https://familycarers.ie/media/1419/lafferty-et-al-family-carers-experiences-of-caring-for-a-person-with-intellectual-disability.pdf

Profiling Family Carers Of People With Dementia: Results From A National Survey (2016) Attracta Lafferty, Gerard Fealy, Áine Teahan, Eilish Mcauliffe, Amanda Phelan, Liam O'Sullivan, Diarmuid O'Shea., Age And Ageing, Volume 45, Issue Suppl_2, September 2016, Pages Ii13–Ii56, Https://Doi.Org/10.1093/Ageing/Afw159.151

CareWell Project - https://carewellproject.com/

"The Wheel Always Turns in Circles"- Report of the 'A Story to Tell' Lifestories project. - https://www.academia.edu/419662/_The_Wheel_Always_Turns_in_Circles_Report_of_the_A_Story_to_Tell_Lifestories_project

Health Research Board (HRB) - https://www.hrb.ie/

Caring Researchers, Episode 2: Family Carers Talking Research - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-2-family-carers-talking-research--60654119

Introduction to PPI Research - Dr. Jon Salsberg (University of Limerick) https://youtu.be/SqnvZ6f51Bc

PPI Ignite - https://ppinetwork.ie/

National Carers Strategy - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a1e44e-national-carers-strategy/

What Is Compassion Fatigue? - https://www.joyce.edu/blog/what-is-compassion-fatigue/

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

On this episode our host Zoe Hughes talks to three family carers, all of whom are volunteers with the Care Alliance Ireland Online Family Carer Support Group, discussing key issues that they believe need to be researched. Topics include mapping of services, service gaps across age, disability and other sectors, and the impact of the menopause on caring. 

Guests – Lynn Ronan, Sinead Aylward, Tasha Quinn

Visit our website: www.carealliance.ie

Join the Online Family Carer Support Group

Reports and topics mentioned in the show

Intersectionality in informal care research: a scoping review
 
State of Caring 2024 (Family Carers Ireland)

Queer Caring


Domiciliary Care Allowance 

Disability Allowance 

Irish Menopause Group (Facebook) 

Oestrogens for urinary incontinence in women (2012)

Oestrogen therapy for urinary incontinence in post‐menopausal women (2012)

Local oestrogen: Underutilised and misunderstood (2020)

 
Menopause & caring: ‘Menopause symptoms worsen with caregiver burden’ (2023)

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.

For our first episode in the Caring Researchers podcast, listen to Senior Policy and Research Officer Zoe and our CEO Liam speaking about some of the history of Care Alliance Ireland, some of our favourite research projects over the years, and our hopes of where future family care research may take us. 

Show notes: 

Vist our website: www.carealliance.ie.

Join our Online Family Carer Support Group (Ireland) 

Research & reports mentioned in the show:

Health and Well-being of Family Carers in Ireland: Results of a survey of recipients of the Carer’s Allowance (2008)

The Caring Reality of Family Carers: An exploration of the health status of Family Carers of people with Parkinson’s disease (2010)

Towards Resilience in Family Caregiving for People with Dementia (2019)

A Review of the National Carers’ Strategy (2012): How relevant are the actions in 2021 and for the future? (2021)
 
PPI Ignite Network Website (Patient & Public Invovlement in Research)

Participatory Health Research (PHR) Unit, School of Medicine, University of Limerick (PPI in UL)

Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregivers (US)

EuroCarers (EU)

European Care Strategy (2022)

National Carers Strategy (Ireland) 2012

Commission on Care for Older People (2024) 

Census 2022

Defining Family Carers (Updated) (2022)

Public Provision of Home Care in Ireland (Updated) 2018

The Discussion Paper Series (general link) 

Romancing the Carer - Intimate Relationships and Family Caring (2017)

Intellectual Disability, Caring and Role Reversal (2015)

Difficult Relationships and Family Caring (2018)

Rural Carers in Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities (2018) 

Disability and Family Carer Policy - Challenges and Responses (2017) 

Family carers and being a ‘hero’ (2022)

Online Support for Family Carers: Options & Experiences (2016)

Foley, R., Hughes, Z. 2022. The value of data visualisation: tracking geographies of informal care in Ireland, 2002-16. International Journal of Care and Caring. 

Social Work In An Online World - A Guide to Digital Practice (2023)

Online Support Groups for Family Carers: A Qualitative Study of Care Alliance Ireland Online
Support Group (Presentation 2022)

Daynes Kearney, Rosemary & Gallagher, Stephen. (2023). Social Identity and Online Support Groups: A Qualitative Study with Family Caregivers. International journal of behavioral medicine. 31.

Digital for Care: A Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030

Note: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. The opinions contained within this podcast should be taken as those of the individual speakers, and not of Care Alliance Ireland as a whole. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of Care Alliance Ireland. Care Alliance Ireland assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein.