Keep running up that hill

Jack & Jill nurse urges support for foundation

There is an increasing social awareness of the importance medical support staff play in holding society together. All it took was a global pandemic for people to openly applaud our health care workers.

“Nurses are expected to roll up their sleeves and keep going,” Anne Reilly, the Jack & Jill specialist children’s liaison nurse for Cavan, says of people's expectations of the role.

A qualified registered nurse since the 1990s, Anne is in a good position to make such a call. To qualify the statement, she is talking about the level of support her current employer gives to the nurses they engage and how it differs from the general run of things.

The conversation started by focusing on how the Jack & Jill Foundation made a difference in the life of the family of Hannah Cassidy, as featured in last week's Celt. Hannah (2) lives in Shercock, with her twin brother Jake, older brother Killian (5), mum Mary and dad Jonathan.

“Mary was referred to us when Hannah was a very small baby. Her twin is a perfectly healthy twin but Hannah had issues when she was born and, as a result, we were trying to get them home,” Anne explains how the Jack & Jill Foundation started to support the family.

Hannah was born with the chromosome deletion Q14. As Hannah’s condition is so rare, little is known about her progress: “It was a busy home for a sick little child to come home to. Hannah needed tube feeding, a lot of medication and a lot of nursing. That was the situation when I first met them but, since then, Hannah has thrived. She is a fantastic little person,” Mary outlined.

The charity provides a vital service: “The support of the Jack & Jill foundation is about giving mum, Mary, reassurance, confidence and security; letting her know there will be nurses at home to help. As is the case with most Jack & Jill babies, grandparents, friends or childminders can't really look after them. They are medically fragile.”

The Cassidys are just one of many families Jack & Jill support. “Our care is always family centred. It's very much a collaboration between us as to how the hours are used. I liaised with public health nurses, local services and give mum support to take pressure off the family. In the situations where Jack & Jill work parents are just so tired, caring is so tiring, it's 24 hours a day.”

Anne's job is primarily focused on the family's initial interaction with the charity: “With the passage of time, things do settle. Hannah began to thrive. She still is a tiny little munchkin. Her feeding was a huge issue but that settled and very slowly she started to put on weight. I'll only see them once or twice a year now, but their nurses see them every week.

“That is how it works, I move on to other families. I have eight families in Cavan at present. I have 40 on my books from a total of five counties. That's my job I get things up and running. Most of my time is spent with children needing palliative care, children at the end of their life.”

She is very pragmatic about the emotional demands such work incurs. “We are very lucky in Jack & Jill. We get clinical supervision at least once a month, and more if we need it. I can go to my qualified psychotherapist who has loads of experience in dealing with the situations we are in. We get to offload and Jack & Jill takes care of that. We also have a huge supportive team. There are 15 nurses covering the counties. I can ring ring any of them on my way home and we can talk it out, or cry in some cases.”

Though speaking of such a difficult situation, Anne manages to make light of the personal impact.

“I cover Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal. Some times, I am two hours in my car. By the time I get home, you would have it kind of settled in your head. You have a chant and talk about if you feel there was something more you could have done or not. That support is huge. There is a great understanding from the management in Jack & Jill of just how tough it is. That's special.”

Approaching 17 years working with Jack & Jill, Anne speaks of the privilege of working with the organisation: “We treat our families kindly and we treat our staff kindly. I remember seeing Jonathan Irwin on the Late Late Show in 2002 telling the story of his son, Jack, and it always stayed in my head. When I applied for the job in 2004, I didn't have community experience at that stage. I had worked in Crumlin and in schools but I went for the interview and got it. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love my job.”

Since first established, the charity has touched many lives: “It reaches out into every local area now. I believe three and a half thousand families have been helped by Jack & Jill. In 1997, we were the only offering this service, but it's changing. There is never going to be enough care in the home for the children that need our service, but there is a greater awareness of the need for it.”

Fundraiser

The charity requires €3.5M to run each year. Public support is vital in coming up with this money. 'Up the Hill for Jack & Jill' is their annual fundraising drive and it will be very different this October compared with previous years. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, there are no big hill events being organised.

Instead, participants must keep their challenge small, safe and local. People can walk, skip, jog, cycle or climb their chosen hill. Some are even opting to climb the stairs and count their steps at work throughout the month – the most important thing is to observe public health advice at all times.

People can register today at www.jackandjill.ie for €16, which funds one hour of home nursing care and end-of-life care. No sponsorship card is required.