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Journalist Ann Marie O’Doherty from Tralee, looks at the work done at the Baile Mhuire Day-Care Centre and speaks to Development Officer at the centre, Aidan Kelly, about what a typical day is like there…
In the grounds of the old Mercy Convent in Balloonagh sits Baile Mhuire Day-Care centre, a facility which has come to mean a lot to the older generation of Tralee.
Thanks to the services provided by the centre, more elderly people now have the option of remaining in their own homes rather than entering assisted living.
The main entrance to Baile Mhuire Day Care Centre, Balloonagh.
Although Baile Mhuire has been in operation for over thirty years its remit has changed over time. It was originally used as a community centre for respite care for the elderly.
However, the introduction of the HIQA Residential Care Standards meant that the existing respite unit was no longer suitable and this was closed in 2011.
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The Board of Directors decided to focus instead on a day centre, something which would allow elderly people the opportunity to remain independent while still having their needs met.
The new centre was opened by the Director General of the Health Service Executive, Tony O’Brien, in August 2014. It has received funding from both local and national sources and is now a hub of daily activity.
Baile Mhuire caters for the social, emotional and medical needs of the elderly of Tralee. Its main goal is to allow clients to remain in their own homes for as long as possible by providing daily support with common issues like wound management, exercise, physiotherapy etc.
However, the real benefit for its clients is the social side of the centre. Here they can mix with people of their own age while engaging in activities like music, dance and Bingo. There is even a hairdressing service on site which is, I’m told, a big hit with the older ladies.
I met with Aidan Kelly, the Development Manager of Baile Mhuire, to ask him about the centre and his role within the service. Aidan deals with the day to day running of Baile Mhuire while a voluntary Board of Management are committed to the its long-term development.
Aidan Kelly, Development Officer at Baile Mhuire Day Care Centre.
How did he first became involved with the organisation? This raises a small chuckle as Aidan tells me it was his friend the late Tommy O’Connor who asked him to volunteer his services.
O’Connor was the Chairman at the time and stressed that it would only be a small commitment, but Aidan laughs as he acknowledges it has become so much more.
Despite this, you sense Aidan is genuinely passionate about his work with the facility. It isn’t a chore but more a labour of love. What may have started off as a favour to a friend has become a large part of his life. Aidan confesses that he has to be careful not to let it completely overwhelm him.
“I have to be careful not to let one over-ride the other. I need my own job to keep myself going after all,” he smiles.
Aidan feels he is lucky that he runs his own business as this allows him to manage his own schedule. Though he does not need to be present at Baile Mhuire every day, he admits that it is rare for him not to be in touch with the centre on a daily basis. There is always something that needs to be discussed or a decision that needs to be made.
Baile Mhuire Day Care Centre reception area.
His role as Development Officer is quite a comprehensive one with responsibilities ranging from staffing needs to future planning. For instance, the evening before our interview Aidan was in Cork meeting with the Charities Regulators Office. It is commitments such as this that make Baile Mhuire at least as taxing as a full-time job.
What is a typical day like?
“Well we would have clients arriving normally between half nine and quarter to ten. Everybody then has a tea or coffee and a scone to settle in to the day. At about 11.30 we have a nun who comes in to say prayers with those who are interested.”
Aidan stresses that prayers are not mandatory and that although they are based on the site of the old convent, the service really isn’t about religion. They are very much focused on helping clients with their day-to-day living.
“After prayers we do exercises. We have a set routine that our clients enjoy doing. Lunch comes next – a three course meal – so it is more of a dinner than a lunch really. In between all this now people might be going for physiotherapy sessions or getting help having a shower. We have our own daily schedule but people would be coming and going to different appointments. We have medical staff who help with minor issues like wound management.”
Aidan then goes on to tell me that their most popular activity is Bingo! This is held after lunch and it is perhaps the highpoint of the day for the clients of Bailie Mhuire. They thoroughly enjoy it. However, Bingo does make way now and again when there are alternative activities offered such as art therapy or a music session. Volunteers are the life blood of the centre with many people willing to give of their time and skills to aid the enjoyment of the clients there.
“At about half three, quarter to four people would start to leave. I find they are quite tired by then and ready to go back to their own homes. Most people would come on average twice a week, only a minority would come on a daily basis. Saturdays are probably one of the busiest times of the week with many people finding it helps them fill an often too long weekend,” says Aidan.
“We close on a Friday to facilitate Saturday openings. We are actually the only centre of our kind that does open on a Saturday. We were asked if we could do it so we looked at it and found that we could. It really is great to have a service like that at the weekend as these can be lonely times for people.”
It seems that today we are in even more need of services like Baile Mhuire. An ageing population means extra strain on day-care centres.
“Clients have become more dependant on the centre,” says Aidan, “We are finding with an ageing population the demand for our services has grown a lot in the past few years. We are lucky in that we do get a lot of funding from the HSE. Centres like Baile Mhuire actually save money in the long run by cutting down on the number of people who would need assisted living. For every euro we get in funding we would probably be saving them about 6 euro really.”
However, the centre does have its struggles as Aidan admits.
“Staffing is a major area of concern for us. In total we employ sixteen people so we have five main core staff and then the rest would be people on schemes and volunteers. We rely on schemes really and it can be hard because clients become attached to staff members then when their scheme ends we can’t afford to keep them on. You spend time training people and they develop relationships with the clientele and then twelve months later you are starting again with someone new. We do rely a lot of volunteers as well but you can’t expect a volunteer to be able to commit everyday.”
Staffing, it seems, is one area that would benefit from more funding. But Aidan is optimistic for the future of the organisation. He believes schemes run by Intreo and initiatives such as the Tús Scheme are important to Baile Mhuire while the on-going support of volunteers cannot be undervalued. Not only do volunteers give of their time in the centre but they also play a vital role when it comes to fundraising activities.
“It is a great voluntary run service with huge support from the HSE and other stakeholders.” says Aidan.
The older people of Tralee have nothing but praise for the centre. On the day of our interview a piece appears in the Irish Times on Budget 2017. A pensioner from Tralee, Kitty Enright, mentions the importance of Baile Mhuire for people like her and calls for the government to provide more resources like it. Let’s hope they listen.
• Ann Marie O’Doherty is a Tralee native, living in Waterford, studying Journalism at present.
