Kim Tully

🎉Engaging Dementia are both delighted and honoured to have been chosen as one of the four official GAA Charity Partners for 2026, alongside the Simon Community, Cancer Fund for Children, and the autism charity, As I Am. Kim Tully, Engaging Dementia CEO, states: “In the same way the GAA creates a space where everyone has a sense of belonging, Engaging Dementia, through its Irish Dementia Cafe Network, is committed to ensuring that every community is a place where people living with dementia, and their families, feel recognised, supported, and understood. We are truly excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the Community and Health Department at Croke Park and through this partnership, we look forward to expanding the Irish Dementia Cafe Network and working towards bringing Dementia Cafes to communities right across Ireland". 🎉

Danielle Holland, who recently presented at the International Dementia Conference, will appear on Virgin Media's 'Ireland a:m' this Wednesday at 8.15am to chat about this amazing resource that she created to help children and young adults better understand how to engage with family members living with dementia or Alzheimer’s . She will be joined by Kim Tully, our CEO. Danielle, a 15-year-old secondary school student, has been recognised for her remarkable contribution to dementia awareness, winning an Award at the Conference in Athlone in May. Motivated by her own experience of a relative living with dementia, Danielle saw firsthand the emotional challenges that come with trying to connect with a loved one who is changing in ways that are hard to understand — especially for young people. Frustrated by the lack of accessible resources tailored to children, she set out to change that. Her leaflet serves as a simple, child-friendly guide that parents can use to explain dementia to their children and help them maintain meaningful connections with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or others affected by the condition. There’s a lot of information out there for adults and caregivers but not much for children who can be confused about what’s happening to someone they love. Danielle presented her work to a room of 60 delegates during a dedicated session at the conference, where she shared both her personal story and the creative process behind developing the resource. Her thoughtful, age-appropriate approach struck a chord with attendees and highlighted a real gap in the current landscape of dementia education. "We were so impressed with Danielle's leaflet and her presentation at the conference”, says Kim. “Danielle’s ability to communicate such a sensitive and complex topic with clarity, empathy, and creativity is truly remarkable. She brought a fresh perspective and gave a powerful voice to young people navigating the experience of having a loved one with dementia. Her work has the potential to make a meaningful difference for families across the country". Danielle is eager to spread the word and reach as many children as possible who may be struggling to understand dementia in their families. So make sure to tune Virgin Media at 8.15am this Wednesday morning and hear all about it.