The Open Door Centre – a great option for adults with disabilities
THE OPEN DOOR CENTRE OFFERS A GREAT OPTION FOR ADULTS WHO’D OTHERWISE BE CONFINED TO HOME. DAVID MEDCALF CALLED IN FOR A MORNING OF GOOD COMPANY
EVERY town should have one, yet Bray is one of the few towns that does actually have an Open Door or the equivalent. Suzanne Cox says there is no network of similar organisations around Ireland which compare with Open Door, where she works.
There may be one such centre in Dublin, possibly two, and she has heard tell of one other run along similar lines somewhere in Cork. After calling into the Open Door on the Vevay Road, it is easy to argue that this is a model which could (and probably should) be universally applied.
The concept is very simple: take a bunch of people whose career prospects and social life are curtailed by disability. Now offer them something positive to do with themselves, rather than leaving them at home to vegetate in front of day time television.
The State takes some responsibility for such citizens who are children or who fall into the category of elderly. However, for those adults stranded in their own living rooms not yet mature enough to draw the old age pension, provision is next to non-existent.
Open Door first stepped into this gap in 1984 when three far-sighted women seized the initiative – Mary Hackett, Padraigín Hughes and the late Olive Quinn. They noticed neighbours who were practically imprisoned at home through the ill-luck of poor health or reduced mobility.
The challenges faced by one young woman in her twenties who had been affected by a brain haemorrhage inspired them to take action.
Sixteen other potential clients were identified, all resident in the Greystones, Bray, Shankill area and all denied access to company or activity.
After an enterprising campaign to raise funds, Open Door was born, offering a club atmosphere where friends meet for recreation and education during daylight hours.
It began in humble surroundings and has grown to have its own substantial premises in the grounds of the Loreto School, with room to park its own fleet of buses outside.
The buses – paid for with backing from the National Lottery - are a key resource as all those who come here to read the newspapers, to chat about the events of the day and to learn new skills have problems otherwise getting around.
Development officer Suzanne Cox was aware of Open Door from the start as her mother Mary was one of the founders.
She recalls that they first set up shop 33 years ago at Fatima House with nine ‘members’ and quickly discovered that the place was too small.
They shifted to Boghall Road for a while before eventually coming to an arrangement with the Loreto which allowed them to establish a permanent headquarters.
Nowadays, attendance each day regularly tops the 30 mark, with people coming from as far away as Wicklow to the south and Cabinteely on the far side of the Dublin border.
Some are delivered by family or friends but most depend on the three buses which head out at nine o’clock each morning to fetch everyone else. Tea or coffee is available on arrival, with gossip exchanged and answers to crossword clues swapped.
A strenuous set of gym apparatus is well used, with members taking their exercise looking out over the school hockey pitch.
On the other side of the bright and airy common room is a bank of computers offering games and access to the world wide web. Suzanne reports that relaxation classes are popular: ‘they take over the library – they rush in but come out chilled.’
Staple activities are woodwork and ceramics, turning Open Door into a hot-bed of creativity, while framed paintings from Jenny Dann’s art classes adorn the corridors.
The development officer lists a few of the condi- tions borne by customers – brain injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. There is mention too of arthrogryposis, a malady which eats away at the joints.
No wonder the Open Door building is rigorously wheelchair friendly and keeping track of hospital appointments is part of the routine.
‘We had a waiting list up to six months ago but now we have some places to offer to new members thanks to the opening of an extension,’ says Suzanne Cox. A nominal charge of €7 a day is levied, great value as it includes a full dinner.
‘It is like a great big family,’ says the development officer of the Open Door atmosphere, pointing to the example of Betty Fennelly who retired from the staff earlier this year but still
comes in twice a week as a volunteer.
On the morning Suzanne welcomed the reporter from the ‘People’ the ceramics workshop run by Mark Meakin was bristling with creativity. Among those in his class is Frances O’Sullivan from Bray, working on an intricate floral plaque which will end up in pride of place back at her house in Seacrest. The address is only a few hundred metres away but without the Open Door bus service, the short trip would be beyond her capability.
‘If I was not here, then I would be stuck at home, having to be minded all the time,’ she reflects. ‘I have good friends here.’
They all encourage each other as they turn out an amazing variety of stuff to be finished off by the kiln in the corner, from cute cottages to Jimi Hendrix style guitars, the latter a speciality of Alan Nolan. One member who says that she has been coming here, on an off, for more than 20 years is Eleanor: ‘if not I would be sitting on my backside and picking my nose.’ That is the reality.
In another room nearby, Brendan Byrne supervises the carpentry workshop where the standard tools are adapted to permit ease of use with one hand or with limited strength. This allows the likes of Denis Salley to turn out garden furniture, flower boxes other pieces.
Cattle farmer Denis found his career in agriculture brought to an abrupt end by a stroke and the centre is vital for his morale: ‘If I was at home, I would be in bed.’ He speaks in a way that makes everyone in the room laugh but behind the smiles what he says is the unvarnished truth: ‘This place keeps morale up.’
In fairness to the health service, they recognised from the start that there was a gap in provision that an organisation such as Open Door could fill.
They put up a substantial sum in grant aid, but the first task facing the founders was to find the €120,000 still needed to start the ball rolling. The fund-raising goes on, notably the recent Reggie Corrigan team classic at Bray Golf Club and the annual mid-summer lunch which brings 100 paying customers to the Vevay Road.
THE first priority for Suzanne is running such events, along with the routine of taking in money through bag packs, flag days, table quizzes and the likes. The hands-on job of looking after the members is carried out under the direction of Rudi Montejo and his assistant Aisling Gall, with a total work-force of ten staff who can call on the services of at least as many volunteers.
Co-founder Mary Hackett recalls how the boredom of life faced by a young woman in her twenties who had suffered a brain haemorrhage was the spur which led to the devising of Open Door in the early 1980s. Mary and her friends took the initiative and went door to door tracking down other people who might benefit from what was to become Open Door.
A grant of €50,000 from the old Health Board gave the impetus to set up shop in the old clinic on Boghall Road, premises later taken over by the computer firm Dell. At one stage, health officials appeared keen to take over the new service with a view to taking in elderly clients but Open Door re- tained its independence and its original purpose.
Mary recalls with humour the early fundraising, highlight of which was a fashion show staged at her home in Greystones. At least 120 people turned up, so many that some of them had to sit on the stairs, while the models changed in a shed out in the garden. The event was part of a campaign which lasted for three years, from first having the idea to opening the first Open Door.
Over the three decades since, the organisation has improved facilities and increased the number of buses at its command, allowing the number of members to rise.
Mary Hackett remains an influence, sitting on the board which is chaired by Patricia Wojaner.
The age range catered for runs from mid-twenties up to pensioners, with members referred to Vevay Road by rehab units, GP’s, social workers, family members, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and so on.
‘This is on your doorstep and it is a fabulous service,’ says development officer Suzanne proudly. ‘It is not only the members who benefit but also the families and the carers too. Long may it continue.’
The door first opened 33 years back is well set to remain so.