ARTHRITIC patients attending Tallaght Hospital have discoveredthe world is at their finger tips – after one lady was selected asrunner-up in the Art and Health Competition of the WorldConfederation of Physical Therapy.

Jo Killalee, a patient at the hospital’s Rheumatology Department,was invited to attend classes in the National Centre for Arts andHealth which is based in the local health facility.

The art classes are a joint initiative between the RheumatologyDepartment and the National Centre and provide patients with thechance to try art for the first time, find a new interest and explorethe benefits of art for people with arthritis.

The year-long programme saw patients studying the works offamous artists who also suffered from arthritis – such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Raoul Dufy and Paul Klee.

X-rays of the patients’ arthritic joints were also used asinspiration, with all pieces being hung in the Tallaght CommunityArts centre.

Jo’s winning painting, entitled The Claw, was inspired and basedon an X-ray of her arthritic hand and is a clear example of thecreative work that people suffering with this inflammatory diseasecan produce.

Dr David Kane, Consultant Rheumatologist at Tallaght Hospital,said: “The outlet to creativity has positively enhanced general wellbeing and a sense of worth in patients who believed their damagedjoints were not fit for purpose.”

He added that Jo, whose work was exhibited in the WorldCongress in Amsterdam last week, is absolutely delighted to haveachieved so much with her art and has gone on to attend further artclasses since joining the first group.

One patient attending the class, said: “When I realised that I couldmake art with my hands, I thought ‘what next?’”

For further information, call the centre on 4142076.

16 The Echo, Thursday, June 30, 2011

news www.echo.ie

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INN IT FOR THE KIDS: Generousstaff  and  customers  from  theBelgard  Inn  put  their  hands  intheir pockets once again for theNational  Children’s  Hospital  inTallaght. Ciara  O’Grady,  Director  of

Fundraising  at  the  Children’s

Hospital,  told  The Echo:“Everybody at the Belgard Inn isalways  so  generous  with  theirdonations  and  we  are  verygrateful to have their continuedsupport.” She added how the Belgard Inn

has  made  a  significant

contribution to the hospital, andto  the  lives  of  sick  children,  inrecent years. Ciara  (far  right)  is  pictured

recently  collecting  a  cheque for  €1,000  from  customers  andstaff outside the popular Tallaghtpub. 

Hospital goesonline for kids

Jo’s X-ray isa work of art

TALLAGHT Hospital launched a new, easyto navigate website this week which boaststhe country’s first dedicated children’shospital website – written in languagechildren can understand.

After months of consultation with staff,patients and GPs, the hospital’s new-looksite has finally gone live and offers userseasy access to visiting hours, consultants,departments and clinics, wards, routes tohospital, detailed campus maps, volunteerservices and much more.

It also has a programme which allowsGPs and other healthcare professionalsdirect access to their patients’ lab results[password protected] and Healthlink – aprogramme which transfers information ona patient’s discharge or medication, forexample, directly to the GP’s computer.

Laoise Ó Murchú, Communications andPublic Relations Manager at the hospital,said that the site’s new content managementsystem will allow each department toregularly update the website, makinginformation much more common andcurrent.

She said: “In today’s world, websites canbecome dated very quickly so when we gotsome money from the Meath Foundation,we decided to work on the website.

“It is designed along the lines of whatpeople look for on a hospital website andwe’ve made that information as easy as

possible to locate. “We want people’s first experience with

the hospital to be a positive one and with thiswebsite that’s what we’re striving for, apositive patient experience.”

Ms Ó Murchú added how the websitepossesses the country’s first dedicatedchildren’s hospital page – complete with aninnovative Kids TV section.

“We’re the first hospital in the country tohave a dedicated children’s site and the pageis designed in a children’s style and writtenin children’s language,” she said.

“We also have a Kids’ TV section which

shows various videos from inside thehospital.

“One of the videos follows a childentering the children’s hospital and it showskids what to expect and who they willmeet.”

The website also features a feedbacksection which the hospital is encouraging thecommunity to use.

A news and media section is also presentand all jobs within the hospital will beposted on line and can be applied forthrough the site.

To view the new site, visit www.amnch.ie.

STYLE: Data administrator Siobhan King (left) with Laoise Ó Murchu,Tallaght Hospital Communications Manager, surfing the new website

THE CLAW: Jo Killalee’s painting based on her X-ray

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New website for children’s facility aimed at young