Photo: Sean Crudden
The Autumn Interim Meeting of IMPERO took place in the meeting room of Our Lady of The Wayside Church, Jenkinstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland, starting at 14:00 on Saturday 28 October 2017.
Present: Edward S. Crudden, treasurer; Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD, chairperson; Sean Crudden, secretary
Apologies: Mrs. Anne M. Muldowney, vice-chairperson; Francis McCormack, mentor; Kevin McGeough, founder member; Leonard Hatrick, president
Sean read out the minutes of the previous interim meeting held on 25 February 2017 from his mobile phone.
Sean said that Lina Ciuksiene, Olga Kalina, Peter Lehmann, all of them members of ENUSP, had been invited to present at the recent Congress of WPA (World Psychiatric Association) held in Berlin. Mary Maddock of Mind Freedom Ireland had also made a presentation at the congress. Thanks are due to Maths Jesperson of ENUSP for his reports on the congress published on Facebook. Sean read some of the correspondence between himself and Olga Kalina, chairperson of ENUSP, which arose when she was consulting members of ENUSP in the preparatory stages for the congress. There is considerable kudos involved and genuine interest. But the view was expressed at our meeting that, perhaps, we are flogging a dead horse.
The subject of money was discussed in some detail. Arrangements were made to withdraw sufficient cash from IMPERO’s account in Jenkinstown Post Office to discharge all our debts. When that is done there will be very little left. Teddy and the Archbishop undertook to make enquiries with a view of sourcing sufficient funds to keep the wheels turning.
The subject of suicide was discussed. IMPERO has no expertise in this area and we have no answers to the problem. Perhaps somehow help for distressed people could be made available free of the stigma of mental health care?
The meeting noted that the 18th annual winter workshop organised by Cooley Environmental and Health Group; which takes place on 27 January 2018 in The Strand, Omeath; will engage with the theme, “Mental Health Care in Louth 1918 – 2018 and Beyond.” There was a short discussion of where people who died in Ardee Workhouse were buried. Also, where patients who died in Ardee Mental Hospital were buried.
The meeting wished Leonard Hatrick a speedy recovery from recent surgery.
Archbishop Hynes leaving the church after the interim meeting had finished
Photo: Seán Crudden
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