ST JOSEPH’S AT RISK OF CLOSURE DUE TO FUNDING SHORTFALL
WITH ST JOSEPH’S IN CRINKEN AT RISK OF CLOSING DUE TO A FUNDING SHORTFALL, STAFF, FAMILIES AND DEMENTIA EXPERTS OUTLINE WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS TO SAVE THE FACILITY.
THE reason we are here is for the people who are living in St Joseph’s and those coming to day care, it’s their home,’ said volunteer and community coordinator Nicola Yau. ‘ So we just keep focussing on them because that’s who we’re here to care for.’
Two of those people are friends Chris Harding and Paul Lang from Greystones, who were friends prior to both being diagnosed with dementia.
Their daughters Elaine Harding and Fiona Lang are also friends, as are their mothers, and their 10-year-old daughters. It was a huge relief for them all when Chris and Paul got their places.
Both men will spend their first Christmas in Crinken, around two years after starting out in another nursing home.
‘ They sedated them, they put them to bed at 6 in the evening, they thought they were in the police station or a prison,’ said Elaine and Fiona. ‘ They tried to escape numerous times and succeeded twice. They opened a door that hadn’t been opened in 10 years, one had a can of Lynx in his hand, and another a pack of Maltesers.’ The duo managed to travel nearly half a mile, on foot, in winter, at night and with no coats.
‘Paul was very fit and would have liked to move around but wasn’t allowed - you had to sit on your chair. They both went rapidly downhill. Chris needed a walker and doesn’t need one now. It just wasn’t dementia specific and they didn’t have enough stimulation.’
Paul’s granddaughter Lauren (10) went as far as to write to Santa, asking him to make sure her grandad can stay at St Joseph’s.
Paul is sometimes too busy to see Lauren and the rest of the family when they visit now! His day is filled with activity and engagement specific to him and his needs. Paul is also a part of the Men’s Sheds club at Saint Joseph’s.
‘Dear Santa, my wish for Christmas is for my granddad to be able to stay in Saint Joseph’s because he is happy there,’ she wrote. ‘My family and I are happy that he’s happy. Before he went into Saint Joseph’s, he was in a different nursing home and he was sad there. He wanted to come home every day. That made my mum, me and my family very sad too. But since he went to Saint Joseph’s he’s always very busy. He plays tennis, sings in the choir, goes for rides on the bike and does dance classes as well as loads of other things. He is very happy to be there. Please help keep Saint Joseph’s open so my Pops can stay there and be happy.’
Many of Paul’s activities are made possible by a large number of volunteers who support the staff at St
Joseph’s.
Nicola Yau said that there is a team of around 100 people volunteering to help create a home away from home, up from around 30 when Nicola took on the position over a year ago. Roles include those doing administration, office and reception work, and others who come to spend time with the people attending day care.
‘ There are 120 places in day care, so around 20 to 24 volunteers come in each day,’ said Nicola. ‘It’s really important to have extra help for the staff in day care during that time because there is only so much time that staff can spend with each person. A team of volunteers can spend one-to-one time with people, chatting and encouraging them to get involved.
‘ There is a dance teacher who gets people up and moving, and plenty of musicians. Music is so important for people living with dementia. There may not be much communication, but when the music comes on, the lyrics come out and it can brighten up a person’s day.’
Others come in to go to the lodges and spend time helping people to connect again. They might look at the newspaper, have a chat or go for a walk.
Some take residents out on the ‘ triobike’ and help them to enjoy the experience of being out on the move for a cycle.
The Men’s Shed comes in from Dun Laoghaire and they think of different things that the men can do each week. ‘We’re trying to find more volunteers to buddy with the men who come to the shed,’ said Nicola. ‘We want to try to expand also into the schools and for example engage with transition year. We are building a team of school ambassadors who will go out and tell them what we do, and talk about how to communicate with and interact with someone with dementia.’
They had an art competition for primary schools and had volunteers helping with that. A group goes to tennis each Wednesday. ‘People who had played tennis in the past can do it again, or those who never played before get a great sense of enjoyment,’ said Nicola.
Anyone who wishes to help or has any ideas for activities would be en
IT’S FRUSTRATING THAT THERE IS DOUBT HANGING OVER YOU, BUT YOU KEEP GOING AND CREATE ALL THESE MOMENTS THAT MATTER
couraged to contact St Joseph’s.
‘We are trying to recreate the everyday,’ said Nicola. ‘We couldn’t do what we are doing if the amazing group of volunteers wasn’t involved.’
‘It would be nice to know that the future was secure and we could continue to do what we are doing and be an example for other places around the country,’ said Nicola. ‘We would like to encourage other people to use the butterfly model of care, focussing on feelings and having home from home settings.
‘It’s frustrating that there is doubt hanging over you, but you try to continue and keep going and try to be as innovative and creative as possible, creating all these moments that matter. There is a lot we are trying to do and a lot more we want to do.’
Visitors from the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre Matthew Gibbs, Cecilia Craig and Diana Burgi said that it is disappointing to learn of the difficulties being experienced at St Joseph’s. They had advised St Joseph’s on best practice around seven years ago and were returning for the first time.
‘ This building is just like home,’ said Cecilia Craig. What the staff here are doing is coming in to help people with dementia live, because they can’t live in their own homes because of their disabilities. People with dementia can have a lot of abilities still.