Care is at the heart of what the St Louis Centre provides
THE St Louis Day Care Centre in Ramsgrange, which has been at the heart of the community for decades, is inviting elderly people living in the South West Wexford area to an open day on Wednesday, October 3, when the full range of services it provides will be outlined to potential clients.
The open day begins at 10 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. offering would be day care residents an opportunity to meet the centre’s friendly staff while learning about the many services provided at a day care centre which offers a home away from home for its clients. The Day Care Centre is serviced by a 16 seater mini-bus with adaption for three wheelchair users which picks up and drops home our clients.
Elderly residents of the parishes of Duncannon, Templetown, Ramsgrange, Horeswood and Tintern who feel they would benefit from the services we provide in the Day Care Centre and who may need assistance are invited to come along on October 3 to see for themselves what the dedicated staff at St Louis Day Care Centre and the wider healthcare team that links in with the centre provide for day residents. Professionals from various health specialities and local groups and organisations will be in attendance, along with the centre’s staff to outline all of the services.
St Louis Day Care Centre Manager Laura Rowe said: `We are hoping that new potential clients will come in to meet us so that we can show them first hand what services we provide and answer any questions they may have about the services we provide here. There will be a broad range of information stalls and details of services provided showcased.’
Refreshments and snacks will be served, while the centre’s services and services provided by local healthcare professionals, will be showcased. These include a physiotherapy clinic run twice a week by the HSE by appointment, while the Wexford branch of the MS group hold a physiotherapy clinic once a week. The centre also runs counselling services by appointment and there is a hairdressing service twice weekly and a chiropodist service twice monthly. Thanks to funding received from the HSE National Lottery Grant this year the Day Care Centre will be able to put in place a full portable body hoist which will enable us to assist clients with more complex mobility issues.
The bright, modern, state-ofthe-art centre makes for a welcoming space for the numerous people from the district that attend the day care centre from Monday to Friday. Here they enjoy meeting new people, numerous activities, refreshments and scones, along with a three course meal. Fresh homemade baking can also be purchased daily at the centre.
Over the years the St Louis Day Care Centre has become the home of numerous local groups and it is a relaxing, fun place to be at any time of the year. The local active retirement group avails of the centre, where the focus is always on providing excellent care and a friendly, stimulating environment for everyone.
Its bus service, which picks people up in the morning and drops them home in the afternoon, has proven very popular.
The fabulous food, cooked fresh every day, is also hugely popular and a Meals on Wheels service costing €8 for a three course meal, is available to people living within the locality.
A physiotherapy service on referral from a GP and counselling services are also available at the centre by arrangement. Meanwhile fully qualified and dedicated carers and an inhouse nurse provide a reassuring level of care for clients.
The St. Louis Day Care Centre operates a full kitchen and can cater for outside events to include communions, confirmations, birthdays, funerals. Coming up to the run to Christmas our kitchen will be very busy preparing for Christmas bakery to include cakes, puddings and mince pies. Orders can now be taken.
The St Louis Day Care Centre was one of the most significant projects opened by the Senior Citizens Concern Ltd. (SCCL), who are a non-profit making company that were established in 1973 to initially help people with laundry, fuel and house repairs. Just a few years later in 1985, in response to ever growing need, the company built ten houses for older people at Ban Aiteann in Ramsgrange and in 1995 urged on by the success of the project and with the aid of grants, donations and fundraising SSCL established the St. Louis Day Care Centre in what was formally the St. Louis Girls’ National School, which was kindly donated by the St. Louis Sisters. The establishment of this centre was due to the dedicated endeavours by the Board of Directors and the generosity of the St. Louis Sisters who still play a fundamental role in the Day Care Centre. Later, a transport system evolved along with other essential services and as requirements grew new facilities were added until the centre became the high quality, state-of-the-art community centre that it is today providing a social, recreational and educational outlet to older people in the area.
The centre is supported by the Department of Social Protection and Pobal through the Community Services Programme. Senior Citizens Concern Limited comply with the Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charity Sector in Ireland. Its directors are: Dr. Kevin Byrne, Dr. John Co, Ann O’Hanlon, Breda Jordan, Sarah McDonald, Monsignor Don Kenny and Andrew Doyle.
The St Louis Day Care Centre can be contacted at 051 389509, by email at stlouisdaycarecentre@gmail.com and at www. stlouisdaycare.ie., or by calling in to the centre.