WHEN Maria Molloy sent out an SOS for some help with the Lions Club ‘Message in a Bottle’ there was no need for The Police!
Karen Kelleher, Clare County Commissioner, stepped up and worked closely with 1st and 4th Clare Venturers(Ennis) to encourage a collaboration between them and the Ennis Lions Club project leader to prepare packages for the forthcoming Message in a Bottle Launch 2023.
In return the young adults will have earned a community badge. Maria was effusive in her thanks to the young adults who made up over 500 packs for Ennis Lions Club declaring “They were really super from start to finish of this project”.
Message in a Bottle is a simple idea promoted by Lions Club of Ireland. It encourages people to keep their basic personal and medical details in a common place, where, in cases of emergency, the attending service teams can easily access them. The information required is very basic but can be lifesaving.
Message in a Bottle is targeted at older people, people with known medical conditions or allergies and people living alone. A bottle (Plastic Container) complete with personal information form and self-adhesive green crosses is given to the user.
The completed form is placed in the bottle which is then placed in the door of the fridge. The stickers are placed on the fridge and on the door of the room where the user’s medications are kept.
In the event of an accident or incident within the home, which may involve a non-verbal or unconscious patient, the first responder/emergency services on the scene will be alerted to presence of the bottle by the label on the fridge door.
The time saved by having medical information immediately, or brought to hospital with the patient, may make the difference between life and death. Message in a Bottle could also be vital in the case of a car accident, if kept in the glove compartment with a green cross sticker on the outside.
Maria has been working behind the scenes for some months to get this project ready for launch next year. Apart from the practical help from the Venturers, she said, “It’s been gratifying to work with the Paramedics, Ennis Gardai, the Civil Defence and the staff at Ennis Fire Brigade Service in rolling out this project.
“In particular Fiona Staunton, of the Alzheimer’s Society, Clare, has been most helpful and supportive”. Details of how to access Message in a Bottle will be published at the Ennis Lions Club launch early in 2023. In the meantime, expressions of interest from individuals, groups or clubs can be emailed to info@ennislionsclub.ie.