A round-up of health related events around the country this week.
Enjoy the food at Waterford's festival
Visitors to the Waterford Festival of Food can hop on a Bus Bia in Dungarvan, Co Waterford on Saturday from 10.30am-1.30pm and visit local food producers. Meanwhile, nutritionist Patricia Quinn and chef Naoise O'Cathasaigh will join Luke Sweetman, author of What To Eat When You Can't Eat Anything – the complete allergy cookbook(Gill & Macmillan), in a nutrition workshop and cookery demonstration at 2pm on Saturday in the Dungarvan Shopping Centre. Booking on tel: 058-22000. See waterfordfestivaloffood.ie
Conference on spiritual care
Leading experts from medicine, psychology and pastoral care will present spiritual and contemplative approaches to care at an international conference on Spiritual Care in Killarney, Co Kerry on April 27th and 28th. The speakers include Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the Tibetan book of living and dying; Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, in the US; Dr Gian Borasio, professor of palliative medicine at the University of Munich in Germany; and Christine Longaker, international education director of the Rigpa’s Spiritual Care Education Programme. Full programme details on tel: 027-73403 or visit spiritualcareconference.com
Stop smoking course tonight
The next course in the six-week stop smoking course run by the Department of Preventative Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin starts tonight at 6.45pm. The course offers practical tips and the support of a group for those struggling to give up smoking. Tel: 01-2214958 or e-mail f.conlonsvuh.ie for more details.
Tackling the age old problems
Ageing Well, Ageing Positivelyis the title of a public meeting on Tuesday next at 6.30pm in the Royal College of Physicians, 6 Kildare St, Dublin 2. Psychiatrist Prof Brian Lawlor will speak about ways to promote good mental health as we age. Robin Webster from Age Action Ireland will look at ways of tackling vulnerabilities in old age while Dr Diarmuid O'Shea will discuss the medical conditions associated with ageing. Sports broadcaster, Mícheál O'Muircheartaigh will speak about his experience of growing old. Admission is free but advanced booking is required on tel: 01-8639700.