Some days can feel like an uphill struggle for families of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, which is why the charity is urging Dubliners to climb or walk a local hill in solidarity with the 98 Dublin families currently under its care.
Since its establishment, the children’s foundation has provided support for 639 Dublin. In 2022, the charity set a record by providing support to 412 children, the highest number in its 25-year history.
Jack and Jill is asking people across Dublin to aid them in their continued support of local families in their community, by going ‘Up the Hill for Jack and Jill’. The charity relies heavily on public donations to mobilise over 500 nurses and carers at community level. Last year, they delivered almost 110,000 hours of in-home nursing care and respite support.
Commenting on the campaign, Jack and Jill Liaison Nurse Manager for Dublin, Caroline Thomas, said: “It’s a privilege to be a part of the lives of Jack and Jill families. These are ordinary parents facing the extraordinary care needs of a child with a complex medical condition; a child who may not be able to walk or talk, who may be tube-fed or oxygen-dependent, requiring intensive, around-the-clock care, at home.
“But everyone needs a break, and that’s where we come in, literally, into the home, to give them relief and we are very proud to walk this care journey with them.”
This October will be the eighth annual Up the Hill for Jack and Jill fundraising challenge. This year is especially significant for Jack and Jill, as it marks 25 years of funding and providing specialist in-home nursing care and respite support for children with severe to profound neuro-developmental delay, up to the age of six.
The service provides care for children who may have a brain injury, cerebral palsy, a genetic diagnosis or other undiagnosed condition, in addition to end-of-life care at home for all children up to the age of six who require it, irrespective of diagnosis.
The foundation requires no means test, no waiting list and no unnecessary red tape. The core nursing team tailors a home nursing care plan around the individual child and family’s needs, with the charity funding and providing up to 80 hours of support each month.
For more information on the fundraiser, visit www.jackandjill.ie or telephone Jack and Jill at 045 894538.
