SPECIAL FEATURE: €1.7m Carrigoran Day Centre officially opens

THE provision of a wide range of services in the Carrigoran House complex had been hailed as a best model for elderly care that should be replicated throughout the country.

That’s according to Health Minister James Reilly who has praised the development of different types of accommodation and services in Carrigoran for people living in South Clare.

Officially opening the new €1.7 million Carrigoran Day Centre, Minister Reilly said he was hugely impressed with what had been achieved by the local committee under the direction of Sr Christina.

“This is precisely what my vision of future care is. It is a tiered service.

“It is not just long-term care, home help or home care packages. It is a whole tiered graded system, which has been provided in Carrigoran.

“We do need sheltered housing and we need ­facilities where people from South Clare can come during the day because they are lonely and can go home again at night.

“While other people stay at home all day and come in and stay at night. This facility is all about keeping people at home for as long as possible.

“No matter how nice an institution is, it is always nicer to be able to have your own independence and stay in your own home.

“If you do need the facility of long term care here you have the comfort of knowing all the staff and availing of all the facilities,” he said.

The minister said Carrigoran provided a high quality person centred care to all its clients from the Mid-West and surrounding areas.

The fact Carrigoran looked after 113 residents illustrated it was one of the largest facilities of its kind in the region, he added.

“Choosing care for a loved one is a difficult decision. However, when you stand in this day centre you can be assured your loved one will be cared for with dignity and respect in a homely environment. That makes this decision a little bit easier.

“Carrigoran is not solely a home from home, it is also a community in its own right,” he said.
Funding for the Day Centre was provided mainly by a large donation from the JP McManus Foundation, a local donor who wishes to remain anonymous and local fund raising, which continues with a spring fair next Sunday.

Describing the new development as a “new beginning”, Sr Christina said the residents who come to the centre every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday provided a heartbeat for the building.

She said the establishment of the nursing home in 1974 was a significant move for the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and since then the ministry has grown and is constantly responding to the changing needs of the local community.

“Down through the years, committed visionary and dedicated sisters created the service of excellence at Carrigoran.

“That ethos continues to inspire all of us and we honour and treasure their legacy,” she said.