Dungarvan Community Hospital has been shortlisted as a finalist in the All Ireland Community and Council Awards 2018.
The hospital has been nominated in the 'Best Disability Access and Inclusion' category for its 'On the Move' programme. Over 100 projects nationwide from 23 counties were shortlisted across the 20 categories.
The gala awards ceremony will take place at Croke Park later this evening.
Paula French is Director of Nursing at Dungarvan Community Hospital: "We were delighted to hear that our ‘On the Move’ programme has seen us nominated for these Awards. Dungarvan Community Hospital, inclusive of Dunabbey House, has an excellent reputation as a care facility. The welfare of residents/patients in the hospital is a priority for staff and management and we are deeply appreciative of the support we receive from families and the wider community in West Waterford. We have an excellent, working relationship with the local authority and various other agencies and entities in the community in and around Dungarvan. The support of the Friends of Dungarvan Community Hospital group is a case in point. It’s always encouraging for our residents, their families, the community we serve and of course for our own hard working staff, when we are picked out for praise in a national process such as these Awards."
"At Dungarvan Community Hospital, we strive to ensure that the quality of life and independence for residents is maintained in areas such as health, physical and cognitive wellbeing, social and emotional development, maintaining relationships with family, friends and community groups. Each resident has opportunities for new experiences, social participation, recreation, education and lifelong learning. The hospital provides a varied programme of appropriate indoor and outdoor recreational and stimulating activities, which is offered to residents and which promotes and encourages inclusion into social/community events and gatherings. The project submission for this award was based on benefits which the residents have as a result of access and regular outings to places of their choice in the community. Since Dungarvan Community Hospital acquired its wheelchair accessible bus, residents have the choice of a number of outings each week to places of their choice – e.g. the beach, parks, local tourist attractions, shows, cinema and of course ‘the Waterford Greenway’, which they enjoy immensely. The ‘Greenway’ provides opportunities for residents to visit places they remember from their childhood and is often a subject of reminiscence conversation for many residents."
"Residents in long term care are no longer confined to the facility they live in but are actively encouraged to participate in the wider community and maintain all the social contacts that they previously would have enjoyed. Dungarvan Community Hospital ‘On the Move’ is an initiative which has enhanced the day to day lives of the residents to enable them have the opportunity to maintain their independence and still be part of the community, despite being a resident in a long term residential care setting. Management and staff of Dungarvan Community Hospital are delighted with the recognition and it acknowledges the background work that goes into ensuring the resident’s needs are being met physically, emotionally and psychologically."
