Smart solutions from Glenshane Care Centre

Background:

In 1991 a group of concerned carers of disabled people came together along with local businessmen to form the committee of Glenshane Care Association.  An apparent disproportionately high level of disability in the Dungiven area coupled with the fact that many people were travelling a circuitous route to other centres to access day-care (with the associated fatigue negating the benefits of the service) were key factors leading to the formation of the Association.

Aims and Objectives :

The main Centre objectives include the following :

• To provide a day-care centre for people with physical and/or learning disabilities offering activities covering a wide range of interests.
• To help people with disabilities gain a level of independence which will empower them to have more control over their lives.  This will be achieved through a programme of personal development, calling on the help of professionals as necessary.
• The centre is locally based, so that disabled people will be able to feel that they are participating in the life of their community, thus removing the stress of travelling outside their own area.
• To involve people with disabilities in decision making in relation to the centre so that they develop a sense of ownership of the project .
• To involve carers in the management structure so that development programmes are responsive to the needs of disabled people.

Service and activities

The Centre offers a range of activities covering a wide variety of interests in the context of individual programmes of care and personal development. The aim is to help disabled people gain a level of independence which will empower them to have more control over their lives.

The activities on offer to participants are occupational, therapeutic and / or recreational in nature.

Morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea are provided with the members contributing to the cost.

The Centre seeks to help those who are able to acquire new skills which may help them find employment.  For those unable to work, the aim is to improve quality of life through making the experience at the Centre as enjoyable and productive as possible.  Training is on offer to support the acquisition of new skills and to build confidence and a sense of well-being.  Classes are provided in Arts / Crafts, IT. Drama, Horticulture and Yoga and Relaxation with 12 people participating in each class.

The project is not simply focused on service delivery, rather it is a participative model which actively involves disabled people, carers and volunteers.  Disabled people are supported to take part in the planning, organisation and delivery of activities.

Kastle Krafts :

The centre also includes a small community business known as Kastle Krafts.  The business involves the creation and manufacturing of crafts by disabled people and also the sale of plants, shrubs and trees.  The business produces and sells handmade crafts and ‘sow and grow’ produce.  The crafts consist of various items such as chairs, stools, leatherwork, silk paintings and many other items.  The sow and grow project produces items such as hanging baskets, tubs, window boxes, patio containers and the propagation and sale of plants, shrubs and trees.

The business is based on a participative model in that people with disabilities are involved not only in the production and manufacture of the produce but are also on the management team.  The current Chair and Secretary of Kastle Krafts are both members with a disability.  Regular meetings are held with all members where ideas are exchanged and all aspects of the business discussed.

Coffee mornings and sales are held in the centre and the crafts and horticultural products are sold.  Members actively participate in these events, thus enabling them to take an active part in the social economy of their own community. 

Glenshane Care has a mixed income base with approx 60% core funding from the Western Health and Social Care Trust. A proportion of the remainder is earned income and a further proportion is fundraising income.

Good value                              

Glenshane Care Centre represents good value for money for a number of reasons:

• the high quality of service provision supported by a significant level of voluntary input;
• the avoidance of local users having to travel long distances to Centres elsewhere (which will inevitably contribute to greater levels of non-attendance and thus waste of statutory care resources);
• the establishment and successful operation of a social economy enterprise alongside the core business of the Centre, in order to promote its sustainability;
• contribution to local social capital and to the local social economy;
• the promotion of a community development approach to the provision of care, as advocated in most major policy drivers for health and social services organisations at the present time;
• the provision of a locally based service as also advocated by key policy influences;
• increased awareness of the issues facing disabled people by the wider community and as a result, an improved climate for the integration of disabled people into the community.
• the opportunity for cross-sectoral working for service delivery in the community – helping both Glenshane Care and the WHSCT respond to a key policy direction for support for the community and voluntary sector enshrined in the Department of Social Development document ‘Positive Steps’.

Peter's story

‘Peter’ is a 59 year old man who lives in a rurally isolated area outside Dungiven.  In 2007 Peter suffered a stroke which left him with left sided weakness and little function in his left hand.  Peter suffers considerable pain in his left arm and leg and takes a cocktail of medication for his condition.   Since his stroke Peter has had to have an operation on his throat and became very depressed as a result.

Previously Peter has had a home help who made him a hot meal but recently this service has been discontinued.   This means that Peter has been left to fend for himself and if it were not for his day care on Mondays there would not be any check on his condition.  Through a detailed care plan and programme of activities Glenshane Care is able to monitor Peter’s health and well being and to notify social services if any problems occur.   In this way we have become a frontline service, not only for Peter but for many other people with a disability.

”Small community/voluntary groups such as ours are the heart of the community and will become increasingly important as the impact of public expenditure cuts begin to be felt.  Many carers of people with disabilities will be forced to find work and day care will become a vital factor in enabling them to do so.  If this back-up for carers breaks down more people with disabilities will have to be hospitalised or institutionalised, which is a backward step and will cost much more money in the long run.”