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October 2013
Meet the News & Views Team 2
Mission (not so) Impossible 3
Our Sensory Garden 3
Health and Wellbeing 4
Trip Advice-0r 8
Sports Brieng 10
Creative Endeavours 12
NRAC News 14
Fundraising Fun 17
Green Projects 19
Supporters Corner 21
News in short 22
National News 26
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Im Alan Cusack and Im from County
Galway. Im good at interviewing and
News and Views is good craic to do.
Others say Im good at learning new
things and I have good ideas.
Im Tiago Da Silva. I was born in
Portugal and Im quite new to
RehabCare. News and Views is good
fun as well as hard work. Im a good
reader and Im understanding. Other
people say Im intelligent and I know
my stuff!
Im Mairad Naughton and Im from
the gaeltacht so my first language is
Irish. Its really interesting learning
new skills. At the beginning it was
hard but it gets easier to work on the
magazine. Other people say Im clever
and I am good with new ideas.
Bain sult as News and Views!
Im Eileen Gormley. I am doing
News and Views to learn more to
support my creative writing. I really
enjoy interviewing and they say
Ive had a few good ideas about
layout. Others say Im decisive,
creative and kind.
Hi Im Thomas Perrill. Ive had a very
tough life but learning new things
and having responsibility really
helps me to stay on the straight
and narrow. The others said I came
up with great ideas on the first
day about colours and names for
sections. They say Im friendly and a
good listener too!
Meet the News and Views Team!
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest News and Views magazine!
We are a new team and we are just learning the ropes but we did work very hard to t as much
news as possible into this edition. We are going to do some training on how to put together a
magazine soon so even though this edition is brilliant the next one might be even better :)
There is one thing we found very tough, when people sent us images that were not separate jpeg
images. It took forever to extract them for the printers so PLEASE remember to send them sepa-
rately next time or we cannot print them.
We really enjoyed reading about what was going on around the country and we hope that you
enjoy it too. Please nd a little introduction to the team below, we thought itd be nice for you to
know a little bit about us.
The News and Views Team
P.S. Check out the brand new RehabCare website with loads of stories and information about the organisation and all of our
services across the country!
www.rehabcare.ie
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Mission (not so) Impossible!
By Veronica Cassidy, Dun Laoghaire
My one wish, to meet Tom Cruise, came true in April! I was
listening to the radio at home and heard he was coming to Dublin
for the premiere of his film Oblivion.
I told my support worker. She knew I was a fan and I told her
that I would be going in to the Savoy Cinema to see him. She
was excited for me. I spoke with staff in my centre and I got
information on the internet. We made a plan to have a friend go
with me to share the experience.
It all started the day before he came. I go to Signal Arts on
Tuesdays. I told June, the artist that runs our class, that I was
going to town to meet Tom Cruise the next day. June suggested
making a welcome sign for him, I agreed. Hearts and flowers
and the colours of Ireland would look good. I wanted to use
these around the saying Cad Mle Filte which means a hundred
thousand welcomes. I used colourful paper and chalk type
markers to make it.
On Wednesday I met friends for lunch and showed them my sign for Tom. Later I met my friend Sally in town and we headed for
the Savoy Cinema. There were a lot of people waiting to see him. Ive never been to anything like it before, I didnt know what to
expect. When Tom came out in front of the crowd there were cheers, I was happy to see him.
Then, Tom Cruise, my idol, started to come towards me. I couldnt believe it! He came up to me, shook hands and said hello. I
showed him my sign and told him what the words meant. He held it in his hands and had a good look at it. He asked if he could
keep it and I said yes! Then I told him that I did a project about him a few years ago and I was his number one fan. He posed for
pictures with me and I got to tell him that I like all the Mission Impossible movies best. Tom smiled at me and said nice to meet
you. I was very happy that day, at last I got to meet my hero.
Our Sensory Garden
By Gerard ODwyer and Michael Phelan. Knocklofty, Tipperary
In Knocklofty this summer we made a new sensory garden with
great help from Abbott Vascular. A sensory garden is a garden
that uses all of our senses; smell, taste, touch, seeing and hearing.
In our garden we have wind chimes and special flowers that are
colourful and have lovely smells like lavender. We have a swinging
chair and a table and chair at either end of the garden so you can
sit and enjoy it. There are cds hanging all around the garden that
change colour when the sun shines on them. We have a bird table
in the middle of it. We also have rhubarb growing in it. The garden
is attached to our duck pond. Our sensory garden was all made
from recyclable materials: our wind chimes are made from cds and
keys, we used water bottles to plant flowers and pallets for the
table and seat. We even have tyres for our flower arrangements.
We love our new garden. It is well planned out and we find it very
relaxing to use when we are finished working with the animals.
There are lovely views and it is very quiet. It is nice to sit down
and take some time to ourselves. We are very grateful to Abbott
Vascular for their help.
Veronica and Tom Cruise
Sensory Garden Knocklofty
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Brown Bread
By Noreen Hayden, Bray
I like eating healthy food. We
make brown bread in our cookery
programme, it was very good.
Here is the recipe of the brown
bread we made. You should try it!
Ingredients:
100g plain flour h150g
wholemeal flour h 150g mixed
seeds / nuts h 50g porridge oats
h1tsp bread soda hPinch of salt
h 2 tbsp sunflower oil h 150ml
natural yoghurt h 150ml milk
1. Grease and flour a 2 lb loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Sieve the plain flour, bread soda and salt.
3. Stir in the wholemeal flour and all but 2 tbsp of the seeds.
Create hollow in the centre. Whisk the yogurt with the milk
and pour into the dry ingredients, stir well using a wooden
spoon or your hand in to a claw shape moving the bowl
around quickly.
4. The mixture should be gloopy like porridge.
5. Pour into the prepared tin, run a knife
down the centre and scatter with the
remaining mixed seeds.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 60
minutes.
7. I usually turn the bread out of the tin for
the last ten minutes to ensure a crunchy
crust. The bread should sound hollow
when the underside is tapped.
I find cooking relaxing. Brown bread is good for you; it is
a healthy food to eat. Brown bread is also good for your
cholesterol. I have a daughter called Amy and we enjoy cooking
together.
Extreme Health!
By Mark Butler, Kilkenny
It is my hobby to do yoga. I love doing yoga with my teachers in
the Kilkenny School of Yoga in Colliers Lane.
I do yoga from my DVDs and books as well. I go to classes every
Monday. I also like to do maxalding muscle control exercises. I
have a new thing on exercise called insanity training (the hardest
workout on DVD) and I combine this with maxalding and yoga.
I practice psychic and occult technique with self help books too.
I also eat healthily and meditation is very important to me. I do
this in my room. I have been practicing techniques from books
such as The Miracles of Mana-Force and Pranic Energy. These
types of books help improve my life and I like to read them
when I am in the RehabCare centre. Also in the centre, I do
relaxation with the group.
Health and Wellbeing
Wellness innovation in Thurles
When we discovered the theme for this year was health and wellbeing, we just knew our service had
plenty to celebrate by way of innovation. So we have compiled a taster of exactly what we have been
working on here in our brand spanking new resource centre.
We all know how important it is to be healthy and we are making a great effort to increase our
wellbeing here in Thurles.
Earlier this year we had a meeting about what amenities we would like to have. It was clear that
the ladies wanted a calm relaxing environment to have their nails, hair and make up done, and the
men wanted similar me time in a soothing environment. It was decided that our resource centre
would create a therapy room, somewhere to relax and be pampered after a difficult day. We offer
manicures, pedicures, foot and hand massages, facial treatments, make up classes and foot spas plus
many more treats for your health and wellbeing.
We are very fortunate to be an important part of our community. We have a large Rehab family here and love meeting new
people. We wanted to give something back so we decided that we could create a Lending Library to encourage people to visit us.
Is there anything more relaxing and good for body and mind than snuggling up with a good book? The next time you're in Thurles
why not pop in to Emily and avail of our lending library?
Slinte
By Nicola McHugh and Fiona Friel with Oonagh Moore, Lifford
The Slinte programme started in January and ran until the end of
July. Five people participated. They went to the gym and cookery
classes in the local college two days per week.
The objectives of Slinte were
h to increase knowledge, improve skills and gain greater
confidence in making helpful changes to dietary habits
h to participate in a variety of activities to increase fitness
h to assist participants to build capacity to make and sustain
positive personal health and social gains.
I really enjoyed the Slinte programme, I learned a lot. The most
benefit I got was from the gym as the facilitator was very good. We
got weighed every week which motivated me to lose weight. FF
We got to meet new people when on the Slinte programme and we
had good fun. I really enjoyed it and would like to keep up the healthy
eating and exercise when the programme finishes. NMCH
Emily in lending library
Noreen Hayden
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Mens Sheds
By Denis Baker, Kildare
I joined Mens Shed with John and Martin in our local community
centre. We attend every Tuesday. We cleared a patch to get it
ready and sowed vegetables. We also made wreaths, logs and
cribs for the Christmas fair in our local parish centre. John helped
out at the Christmas fair setting up stalls and selling the crafts we
made. Mens shed set up a committee and I am joint secretary.
Martin, John and I also did a six week computer course. John
helped to dig up the vegetables we had sown. We gave
strawberries to the local day care centre and we brought some to
RehabCare Kildare. We love going to the Mens Shed every week.
Sensory Room
By Jackie and James, Portlaoise
We have a sensory room in our centre. It is a place we all go
when we feel stressed. It has lights and a projector which shows
really relaxing, calming pictures. I feel happy when I spend time
in there.
What Makes Me Feel Healthy And Well?
By Jennifer Monahan, Tus Nua, Tullamore
I think it is very important to look after your mental health.
Sometimes I worry about things that might happen and I
panic and get anxious. To help me I like to do activities that
help me relax such as word-searches, playing games on my
laptop, listening to music, knitting and crochet. I also like to go
for reflexology and Dhara. Dhara is a treatment where I have
warm oils and milk poured on my forehead and then my head
is massaged. This helps me to release stress. I like to go for Spa
days in Clara House Holistic Spa with my friend Fionnuala every
few months. We like to get massages and facials and use the
relaxation room while there.
I think it is important to talk to someone when something is
troubling me. I will talk to my Mother or my key worker in
RehabCare. It is good to have people in my life who support me.
Every week I volunteer for two hours in SOSAD in Tullamore.
SOSAD (Save Our Sons and Daughters) is a charity that gives
support to anyone who is affected by suicide and depression.
SOSAD encourages people to talk and raise awareness of suicide.
I like working there as I get to meet new people and give
something back to my community. I want to tell everyone it is
important to take care of yourself especially your mental health.
So remember, Think Happy Thoughts!
First Aid Classes Kildare
By John Seery and Bridget Dignam, Kildare
Some of the people attending services in RehabCare Kildare
asked to do First Aid in our centre. The staff arranged this with
the RehabCare Training Department. Trainer Tony Doyle came
down to our centre and he did a day of First Aid training with
us. Tony showed us how to preserve life by checking to make
sure the scene is safe, shaking the person gently, calling for help
and checking for signs of breathing. Tony showed us how to
resuscitate a person and how to use a defibrillator. Tony taught
us how to treat cuts, burns and broken bones. We practiced
CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) to music on the first aid
doll called Annie and we practiced bandaging each other. Tony
showed us how to help adults and babies if they are choking.
Staff supported us during our First Aid training. We learned a lot
from Tony and we also had great fun.
First Aid with Tony
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Wooded walk
By Mairead Naughton,
Galway City
This July one of the
staff asked me if I
would like to go out
for a drive to Menlo by
the river Corrib. Two
of us said we would
love it because the
day was lovely and
warm. When we got
there, we couldnt get
to Menlo Castle so we
went for a long walk down a wooded pathway. The
sun was lovely through the trees. It was a relaxing
feeling. We took some photos of ourselves and the
place itself. It was very nice and interesting. I would
have liked to stay longer but we hadnt much time to
spare. Ill go back!
Social Farming Project
By Jimmy Clarke, Bailieborough
Every Friday I take work
on a social farming
project. I get to work
on a local farm in
Bailieborough. I do lots
of different things like
watering the plants
in the tunnel, looking
after the vegetables
and feeding the pigs
and sheep. At the
minute we are trying
to make the farm more accessible so we are building
a wheelchair ramp from some wood. We are also
going to make a picnic table. I love working outside
and love the different kinds of work I do on the farm.
Whats Good for your Head?
By Hugh O Connell, Phoenix, Bray
We decided to have a
Whats Good for your
Head? week because it was
mental health month in
May. The group had an idea
of painting a wall during
this week, but with a twist.
One painted wall the group
did was painted in the form
of a jigsaw. Each person
that contributed painted
their own jigsaw piece
in their favourite colour.
In each jigsaw piece people wrote different things and actions that were
good for their mental health. A few examples are; my dad, getting out and
about, music, thinking positively, singing, family, the sound of waves, funny
films and jokes, art, chilling out, massage, lie ins, being nice to people and
reflexology.
Why did we do this? To make us more aware of our mental health. If we
feel down we can look at the wall and see what makes us feel better. This
painted wall will be there for a long time which means people will have
something to cheer them up, always.
RehabCare Mental Health Support Project
Project team: John Murnane, Michael Dinan, Bernadette Lavery, John
Murphy, Timmy O Connell, Phil Browne, Marian Maher, Oliver O Brien
A group of eight people attending Shannon Resource Centre worked with
the Quality and Standards Department on a Mental Health Support Project.
Our aim was to figure out a way to support individuals within the services
who are feeling low in their mood or upset and anxious. We also wanted to
figure out good ways to learn how to have good mental health.
The things we discovered are;
hIt is important to have a few supportive people to help maintain good
mental health
hHobbies, interests and exercise are important
hRelaxation is important and very good for your mental health
hIt is good to try to stay positive and to treat yourself by going on
holidays or on a trip
hYou can learn positive sayings and use good memories
hIts good to know who to talk to and where to get help
hThere is a template in it for making a booklet with a list of local
supports services.
We really enjoyed the group sessions. We found the sessions very
beneficial. It was simplified using easy to understand language. The draft
document was easy to read. Our project has been piloted in Bray, Galway
and Kildare. We hope it works well for everyone.
Reexology in
Longford
Every week Helena
Corrigan attends the
About Bawn Holistic
centre in Mullinalaghta
for a Reflexology
session. Reflexology is
suitable for back pain,
migraine, digestive
problems, stress, sinus,
IBS, infertility, hormone
balancing, depression and many more conditions.
Helena appears to enjoy her visits to the Holistic
Centre very much and sits patiently for around half an
hour to enjoy this treatment.
Mairead Naughton
Helena in Bawn Centre
Jimmy Clarke
Hugh OConnell
Health and Wellbeing
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Dance Classes at Sl Nua
By Mairead, Martina, Masie, Eammon, Dympna,
Margaret, Marie and Gweneth, Monaghan
We, the Sl Nua group, recently had six
weeks of dancing classes. Our teacher was
from Castleblayney, she was brilliant. We
learnt so much from her and enjoyed every
moment of it.
A group of us go social dancing every
Wednesday night at a local hotel. The
classes have given us so much confidence.
We now take part in dances called the
Slush dance and the Siege of Ennis.
In the past we did not have the confidence
to try out these dances. Our jiving and
waltzing has also come on now. We will
invite our teacher back later on in the year
as we cant wait to learn more.
Music Makes Me Feel Good
By Carmel Ryan, Kilkenny
In RehabCare I do singing practice for the
inter-centre league. I enjoy singing with
the group. The names of the songs we are
learning are; Blue Moon, The Tide is High,
Blueberry Hill, I Got You Babe and What
a Wonderful World. The theme of this
inter-centre league is The Royal Family.
My favourite song is Blueberry Hill. A
gentleman plays the keyboard when the
group is singing. I also enjoy listening
to the group singing and I always like
listening to Irish music.
In RehabCare, I write songs into my song
book as I like to learn the words of Irish
songs that I like the best. I like to sing
along to Johnny Barry on KCLR radio station
in Kilkenny. And I like to record songs
on my mobile phone and listen to them.
Music and singing make me feel happy
and helps me to enjoy my life!!!
Feel Happy / Feel Good
By Sinead O Neill, Kilkenny
I eat healthily. I eat fruit and vegetables. I
try to drink water whenever I can. I go to
Curves three times a week and I drink diet
drinks and eat salads. I walk my dog every
day and I go swimming too. All these
things help my clothes fit better and most
importantly make me feel healthy and
good.
Food and Health Course
By Shaun OBrien and Paul Adams, Portlaoise
We completed a food and health course with the centre. We
learned that eating the right foods is good for you. The dietician
came and told us things like how much sugar there is in coke
and she answered any questions we had. Our tutor taught
us how to cook different healthy dishes and how to choose
healthy foods. The dietician also taught us how important food
is in keeping your heart healthy and how to read the labels on
food packages. We really enjoyed this programme and we even
cooked some of the recipes at home!!
Left: Paul Adams receiving cert for Food & Health Course
Right: Shaun OBrien
Liz Kemple in Tesco
My Work Experience in Tesco
By Liz Kemple, Carlow
I worked every Tuesday afternoon in Tesco
for a month. I was very happy with what
I was doing. I worked on the computers
and scanned items through the till to
check prices. Another job I had was to
put security tags on expensive items. In
the clothes department I arranged the
sizes and tidied the items. I was also
shown how to do a till lift which involved
removing cash from till and placing it in a
special shoot. I operated the self service
till and learned how to use the security
cameras too. It made me feel great.
Slimming world
By Caroline Smyth, Quayside, Dundalk
I joined Slimming World in August. I was
really nervous and really excited about
joining for the first time. It is a different
way of eating healthily and learning to go
for the healthy options. You are allowed
fifteen syn to use every day. You have to
measure your milk which is 175ml every
day and weigh your cereal. It starts early;
you have to stay for the meeting to learn
the different syns. Next Monday we are
having a taster morning in Slimming
World and after it we walk back down to
RehabCare resource centre.
The Fit Walks
By Lisa Kelleher, Phoenix, Bray
I do the fit walk every Tuesday afternoon
with the other clients and staff. We go
outside the centre to get some fresh air
into our bodies. We do our stretches before
we go on the walk for an hour. I feel good
after the walk is over, I feel fitter and
healthier.
This year we trained for the Sponsored
Walk in Glendalough. The walk was 9km
on rough ground and a lot of it was uphill.
Im glad we did all that training otherwise
it would have been a lot harder.
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Trip Advice-or
Glencar Waterfall
By Lily Lavin, Ballinamore
In July Mary Foley, Aine
Guckian, Marie McHugh,
Thomas McConnell and
myself went on a trip
to Glencar waterfall in
north Leitrim. It was a
really lovely sunny day
and we had great fun. It
was thirty two degrees
in the car at one stage
during the day! We left
the centre after our cup
of tea and a scone. Our
first stop was Glencar
waterfall; we took some
pictures of us beside the
waterfall. We had a cold
drink and biscuits for a
snack before we headed
back into the car. We
stopped for dinner in a
restaurant in Dromahair
on the way home. We
really enjoyed our dinner and the portions were very generous.
We stopped in Drumshanbo for an ice cream on our way back to
Ballinamore because we were feeling so hot in the car.
We arrived back to the centre in time for our bus. We really
enjoyed our day.
My visit to London
By Gearoid Lightholder, Ballyfermot, Dublin
I am 51 years old, I have only ever travelled outside Ireland to
Lourdes many years ago and that was my first time on a plane.
I have had this dream to go to London for so many years. I love
travelling and I like to say I am quite adventurous. I want to
see new places and learn about different cultures. I made it to
London and it was a dream holiday. The trip lasted for four days. I
was very excited and had huge expectations because I had heard
a lot of positive things about it.
A few months ago I went into town to find a good travel agency.
I found PAB Travel. PAB told me that in order to secure my
booking Id have to put a deposit down for my holiday so I began
saving. I put money away every week in the credit union.
On the day I left my house early and got a taxi to the airport. I
arrived at the airport and went to the shop to buy coffee and a
bag of sweets to eat on the plane. Then I checked in my suitcase.
My flight was a bit delayed so I had to wait.
I arrived, got off the plane, had a smoke and went back inside
to ask where I could buy an Oyster card for the underground to
Russell Squads. I got off the tube and asked for directions to the
Royal National Hotel. The hotel was absolutely fantastic! I had an
English breakfast every morning and the staff was nice to me,
they helped me with information whenever I needed it.
I did most of my tour on my own. I did a long walk and visited
loads of nice buildings like the Household Cavalry Museum,
Westminster Abbey, St Pauls Cathedral, Kensington Palace and
Wimbledon Royal. They were awesome! I saw Buckingham
palace too. I saw Phantom of the Opera which was so fun; there
were great actors and singers in it. The theatre was so beautiful,
and people were dressed up nicely. The atmosphere was
absolutely great! I really recommend going to a musical in London,
its nothing like theatre at home, its a thousand times better.
At the musical I met a lady. Afterward we went to a cosy little bar
and had a chat. She seemed like a really kind person. She told
me that her parents are from Ireland but she was born in London.
She was very excited to have met an Irish man. We had a few
drinks and listened to the music. She asked me to visit London
again in August next year and gave me her email to reach her.
On my last day I went shopping. I got home in the evening.
It was nice to sleep in my own bed again, but four days was
definitely not enough. I would like to go back again!
Our day trip to the Share Centre Lisnaskea
By Linda Friel, Lifford
In July we went on a trip to The Share Centre Lisnaskea, County
Fermanagh. It was a long journey from Lifford but it was a lovely
run on the bus. We went out on the Inish cruiser boat trip across
the Fermanagh lakes. We got beautiful weather for our trip and
the scenery was lovely. We saw a castle, swans and other boats.
After the boat trip we had a BBQ. We got burgers, chicken and
salad. It was lovely.
The Share Centre is a lovely place and I would certainly like go
back again and I would recommend it to my friends for a good
day out.
My ight to the Aran Islands
By Martina OConnor & Mairad Naughton, Galway City
In June the staff organised a day trip to the Aran Islands because
one of the guys wanted to fly in an airplane. We left the centre
in the morning and travelled by bus to the airport in Inverin,
Connemara to catch the Aer Arann plane.
It took only ten minutes to fly to Inismr. The plane was tiny; we
had to get weighed before we got on! It was a lovely day. We
went to a hotel to have something to eat. Then we went for a
walk, did some souvenir shopping and took some photos of the
island. We got the three oclock plane back to Inverin. We were
back in Galway at a decent time.
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Jolly boys day out
By Darragh Moore, Park House, Dublin
I recently went to Carrickmines shopping centre, with the support
of Park House. Those who went on the trip were Joe, Pat, Owen,
Bobby and me. It turned out to be a bit of a lads only trip and
we had a great laugh. I was desperate to get some new t-shirts,
and Joe needed a memory stick from PCWorld.
I went to a sports shop first of all and found out three things;
1 The clothes are very expensive
2 I am not sporty
3 The music in the shop was not to my taste. So...I left.
We all met up for lunch. We found a really nice place called The
Vanilla Pod. They had the most amazing chocolate brownies,
man-size brownies! We all had a laugh sitting around chatting
and eating. In the end I found a shop called 53 degrees North
with some cool t-shirts that I liked, and as a bonus, there was a
sale on too! The staff was fantastic and made the trip a whole
lot easier.
Tea at the ras
By Mark Halpin, Patricia Farrell and Sheila OConnell, Ballyfermot
We went on a tour of ras an achtarin. Upon arrival at the
ras we got a lovely welcome and were treated to the nicest
tea, coffee, lemon cakes, fruit cakes, fruits, chocolate and biscuits
served with fresh cream and a strawberry topping. It was
yummy!
We were shown around the building by a member of the Aide
De-Camps staff, John Gorman. He had a great sense of humour.
We learned about the history of the house and the presidents
who have resided there. We learned that one of the late
presidents had a disability. We marvelled! The Aras has no room
for discrimination! On one table there was a present from the
late John F. Kennedy from when he visited Ireland in the summer
of 1963. It was emotional because his charisma and great
personality made Ireland a popular country all over the world,
may his soul rest in peace.
We were told that only one president died during his term in
office. The maximum term to serve as a president is fourteen
years while the minimum is seven years. President Mary
MacAleese was the first president from the North of Ireland and
her mission was building bridges between North and South. Her
term in office saw the first visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland.
Unfortunately we didnt get to see the President as he was
unavailable!
The second part of our trip was to the visitors centre where we
watched two films; one about ras an achtarin and another
about the Phoenix Park in general. The Irish name is Fionn Uisce
which means clear water. We learned about the history of the
park and the sports that are played there. After the visitors
centre we went to The Boat House Cafe for lunch.
We also went on a guided tour of Farmleigh House. The house
is used to accommodate heads of state who visit Ireland. It is
owned by the Guinness Family. Queen Elizabeth, Barack Obama
and Prince Albert of Monaco have stayed there. We were not
allowed in the bedrooms; however, we were told the house has
twenty suites on it. It was very enjoyable and we wouldnt mind
going again!
Bailieborough Horse Riding Show
By Kenneth, Damian, Teresa, Gerard, Rosie, Jimmy, Bridget & Catriona,
Baileborough
Every Thursday eight of us go
horse riding in Kells Equestrian
Centre in Carlanstown, Co.
Meath. In the group are:
Kenneth Wallace, Teresa Rahill,
Rosie Reilly, Jimmy Clarke,
Bridget Reilly and Catriona
Freeman. Damian Grall and
Gerard Denning do stable
management each week as
well. We have been going since
2011. We used to be nervous
about getting up on the horses
but now we are trotting around
the arena like jockeys!
In July we organised and took
part in a showcase at the arena.
We invited our families and
friends to the show. We showed off all our skills to the audience
on the day. We showed how we can mount and control the
horses around obstacle courses as independently as possible. We
also trotted, did balance activities, relay races and dismounting.
We were very proud after the show and our audience was very
impressed by what they saw. We were all presented with a
rosette at the end of the show.
On the day we also got to show off all our new riding gear our
jodhpurs, riding boots, gloves and half chaps. The owners of the
equestrian centre held a fundraising day and bought all this gear
especially for us with some of the money they raised.
After the show we had lunch at the equestrian centre and our
families and friends got to meet the staff at the equestrian
centre. They got a guided tour and a chance to meet all the
horses too.
Catriona Freeman
10
Bike Club Ballyfermot
RehabCare in Ballyfermot won an Innovation Award in 2012. We
won 1,000 and with this prize money we started our Bike Club.
We put a sign up list on the notice board in our centre. There
was keen interest in learning how to cycle. We are lucky to be
located beside the Grand Canal which has a fantastic bike path
linking Lucan all the way through the city to the Grand Canal
Docklands. With only 1,000 and many bicycles needed, including
a tandem bike for an individual with a visual impairment, we
needed to find somewhere suitable to purchase the bikes. Rothar
are a company based in Dublin, who refurbish old bicycles to
sell on. They were interested in what we were doing so they
agreed to provide six adult and one tandem bicycle for us. The
bicycles arrived in May. In the meantime we prepared by doing
a programme on road safety and the responsibilities of a cyclist.
Please see some testimonials for Bike Club below;
I enjoy Bike Club as it helps with weight loss and gets me out of the
Day Service for a few hours every week; I called my bicycle Michael
Buble after my favourite singer. Terri ONeill
I look forward to Bike Club every week and am happy to take part in a
programme that keeps me fit and in shape. Sean Cleary
The Day Service invested in a tandem bicycle for me as I am visually
impaired. I love Bike Club and getting out for 2 hours every Tuesday
morning, I also love the feeling of the fresh air in my face when on the
bicycle. At first I was quite nervous as I am unable to see and had to
put all my trust in the staff member who was on the tandem bicycle
with me and guiding it along the route. Patsy Dunne
We head off on our bikes after morning break around 10am on a
Tuesday and I think it was the best idea for a programme in the whole
centre. I was very happy when it was first mentioned at a House
Meeting and could not wait to sign up; we cycle for miles each week.
Gearoid Lightholder
I am 47 years of age and have not been on a bicycle since I was a child,
so I was delighted. I invested in a helmet straight away and got out
onto the bicycle almost immediately. People in the local community
have seen us all cycling and we are now known by people for our bike
club. Derek Keogh
If you want to set up a Bike Club in your area contact Ballyfermot
on 01 626 9979.
Sports Brieng
Tag Rugby
By Gary Burton Phoenix Bray
I play Tag Rugby every
Monday with Bray Lakers
and the Leinster Academy.
First we do our stretches
and run around the field.
Then we put on our shorts
and tags. Then we sort
ourselves into teams by
putting one team in red
tags and the other in blue
tags. I like playing tag
rugby, it makes me fierce,
fast and strong.
I have gotten a few trys. Its a great sport to play and I
always have a good laugh with my friends and the coaches in
Bray. I would love to play a match against the Leinster team
in the Aviva Stadium. Bring it on!
Gary Burton
Sports Day
By Catriona, Gerard, Teresa, Damian & Jimmy, Bailieborough
In June we had our regional sports day in the Claremount
Stadium in Navan. We brought our banner with us and we
had a parade with the banners along with everyone else.
We did some warm ups before we all got competitive. We all
took part in different activities like bocce, penalty shoot outs,
pool tournaments, bingo, draughts, wellie throwing, egg and
spoon races and knock the cans. Gerard Mckitterick won a
medal for the wheelchair race.
After all of these activities we had built up a great appetite.
We all got on the buses and went to the Ardboyne Hotel for
a lovely dinner. There was a raffle after the dinner too. The
music started and we all found some more energy to dance
the evening away. The line dancing group showed off their
dancing for everyone too. We are looking forward to seeing
all our friends again next year.
11
Horse Riding
By Eimear Furlong, Portlaoise
I love horse riding. I go a couple of times a week. I even won a
medal for my show jumping. I went to the Dublin horse show
when it was on. I went to look at the horse jumping and to look
at the horses jumping over the wall. Each time the horse hit off
the wall the people at the RDS had to make it bigger. One horse
at the horse show had a clear round and won the show! We
went to see the scurry with the horses attached to the carts.
They had a race to see who could win and finish in the fastest
time. I really enjoy going horse riding; I get to spend time with
my friends.
Paintballing
By Fergal OConnor, Galway
1. A group of us wanted to try paintballing
2. We booked a place in Loughrea
3. We got dressed in camouflage soldiers uniforms
4. We got around 200 paintballs each
5. We split up into two teams
6. It was really fun
7. Wed all go back another time for sure.
Galway Paintballing group
Inter Centre Competition 2013
By Fintan Kearns, Carlow
Each year the inter centre sports take place with teams from
RehabCare Carlow, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford
taking part in a variety of activities. This year there was a pool
tournament, a quiz, bocce and a creative writing competition.
The pool tournament was held in the Ivy Rooms in Carlow. The
Carlow team won seven out of eight games. The team members
were Larry Nolan, John Sheehan, TJ Knowles and John Langton.
I was asked to referee some of the games and was delighted
with the honour, as I had never done anything like this before.
The quiz was held in Clonmel. There were 5 members on each
team. Forty questions were asked and Carlow scored thirty eight
out of forty! Team members were; Fintan Kearns, Brigid Delaney,
Paul Collins, Elizabeth Mc Hugh, and Jackie Stout.
The bocce competition was hosted by Kilkenny and Carlow got
full points overall. This was a great achievement by the team.
The team included Sean Skelton, Marie Fennelly, Paul Collins,
Larry Nolan, Michael Mc Gough and Karen Cullen.
The entries for the creative writing competition were sent to
Wexford for judging, the theme was My Favourite Holiday.
Clonmel came first in this competition.
When the results were added up Carlow were announced the
overall winners. It was worth putting in the effort. It goes to
show what can be achieved when people pull together as a
team!
Fintan Kearns
Bray Lakers
By Belinda Flynn, Phoenix,
Bray
My name is Belinda. I
go to basketball training
every Wednesday night
with Bray Lakers. I train
with my friends. Its my
favourite sport. I play
in the womens Special
Olympic basketball
league. It makes me
feel good mentally and
physically.
I also play tennis and
table tennis. I get tennis
coaching in Greystones
tennis club in Wicklow
and I play table tennis in
the Brady Centre in Bray, County Wicklow. The Brady Centre is the
name of the Bray Lakers clubhouse. This has been named after
the woman who started Bray Lakers.
Im part of the Hip-Hop dance, Drama and Keep Fit groups too.
I participate in six activities throughout the week. If I could not
be part of these activities and club I would be sad. Being part of
Bray Lakers makes me feel happy.
I hope to still be a member of Bray Lakers when Im 80 years of
age!
Blenda Flynn
12
The Art of
Fun
By Niamh OConnor,
Clonmel
In early 2012 we
came up with
the idea to hold
an exhibition
in Clonmel
and Cashel to
showcase the art
and craft talents
of RehabCare
Clonmel. Months
of planning
and organising followed. Each person
submitted two art pieces each for the first
exhibition and one for the second. The
Art of Fun exhibition 2012 was held in
October in the Clonmel library. Everyone
chose pictures from postcards, calendars
or things in their lives that inspired them
in some way. I displayed eighteen toys
by my favourite designer Alan Dart plus
a few baby items I had knitted and two
paintings.
The Art of Fun 2 exhibition was held for
the month of July in Cashel library and a
few new paintings and knitted items were
added to the collection. I added a queen of
hearts and a lucky leprechaun.
Life
By Eileen Gormley, Galway
Life is like a lift
Because it has ups and downs
And life can be like a wheel
Because it goes round and round
There are people who are happy
And people who are sad
But if you don't take life too seriously
You will find it's not so bad
Life can come in many shapes
And many sizes too
People have their choices
And different points of view
Some make life very difficult
Leading to problems and trouble
Others like to stay away
And get out on the double
Some people like to make peace
And hate to argue or fight
They take time to relax and be calm
And not get so uptight
We all have emotions and feelings
There is laughter and there are tears
There is happiness and sadness
Anger, Hopes and Fears
Life can be so very mysterious
And it doesn't make much sense
It can either knock or build up
Your self-confidence
You can have your own opinions
On various subjects
But always be aware
That there are those who will object
If you find you've made a mistake
Life gives you a second chance
So if this happens to you
Embrace it, laugh and dance.
Inishgrove Shannon Art Collaboration
Earlier this year John Murnane and Michael Dinan, who attend Shannon Resource
centre, worked on an art project in the Inis Grove childrens residential service in
Ennis. Inis Grove selected their favourite colours, shapes and designs and decided
where they wanted them placed in their rooms. John and Michael worked hard
creating exciting, colourful murals on the bedroom walls. The children in Inis
Grove are now waking up to delightful scenes of farm yards and sea scapes. The
bright colours and colourful characters have contributed to providing an environment
that is a pleasure to behold!
Creative Endeavours
Niamh and Mai OConnor at exhibition
Crafts on display at Art of Fun
My Adventure
By Patrick Connolly, Monaghan
In June I went to the Tanagh Outdoor
Education Centre with some others from
the centre. The staff was very supportive
and encouraged me to climb the indoor
climbing wall. They helped me to put on
my harness and explained how to climb
safely. I climbed to the very top first
time and felt really proud; it was a great
challenge for me. The staff supported me
back down and it is something I would
love to do again.
13
My Own CD
By Liam Nolan, Kildare
I love singing and I love music. I
always wanted to make my own
cd. I went down to RehabCare
in Waterford because they have
a recording studio there. I sang
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. I
had to sing it a few times before I
got it right.
Then I recorded it and made my CD. At first I was nervous but
then I heard myself on the CD and I felt great. I couldnt believe
that I could do it and have my own CD. I thanked the gang in
Waterford and played my CD for everyone in Kildare when I got
back. I also played it for my mother when I got home. Everyone
told me how good I was. My CD will be played on KFM, our local
radio station. I am very happy that I made my own CD.
Liam Nolan
My dream come
true
By Nuala Rooney, Drogheda
I went to Mallow, County
Cork on holidays. It was
one of my goals to visit
David Willis, the artist, to
do some painting with
him. I attended his painting
workshop along with eleven other students. I had a great day. I
was so happy to meet David, he is a lovely man.
I painted a beautiful painting with oils which I will always
treasure. I hope to go again next year.
Nuala Rooney
Crochet
By Emma Coster, Bray
I started learning how to crochet in class in the Bray centre. A
volunteer named Jill taught the class. I liked learning how to
crochet and it was good for my head. After Jill left I asked the
staff if I could do a crochet class and staff said that would be
great! I got names of people who would like to know how to
learn crochet and I went on the internet to get stuff on crochet
and I taught staff and clients. I taught the crochet class for six
weeks and I liked teaching. In crochet class I made flowers,
blankets, hats, a scarf and a headband. At the moment I am
doing a class on crochet in the afternoons on Wednesday which
is part of our hobbies time.
I can teach people how to crochet and it makes me feel happy!
Emma Coster
Mermaids a short story
By Alastair Quinn, Bray
These mermaids were two beautiful good-looking girls. You
may call them creatures of the ocean, but really their beauty is
prettier than that. They swim like fish underwater flapping their
tails, and when they feel tired, they rest themselves on one of
the high rocks talking to each other before they start swimming
again. That is until one of them sees something in the distance.
A young girl is in trouble, her foot caught in seaweed. She is
trying to regain her strength to break the seaweed but she cant
because the water is too deep to reach down. She cant keep her
head out of the water. The mermaids come to her rescue, one of
them stops her from drowning by swimming down to her ankles
and gently lifting her ankle and breaking the seaweed. The other
mermaid carried her in her arms out of the water on to the sand
and one of them stroked her gently, she coughed out water.
One of the mermaids put her hand on her face and told her
youre safe, we rescued you, you will be alright, and she said I
will, thanks for saving my life. One of the mermaids gave her a
gentle kiss on her heart and gave her a wish that mermaids are
the prettiest of the ocean.
The reason I write poems and write about beautiful mermaids is
because it relaxes my mind and helps me to be creative; it helps
me to create beautiful songs as well.
Alastair Quinn
14
NRAC News
Message from Michelle Joyce, Advocacy Ofcer
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the NRAC section of News and Views. Here you will find out about the new National Committee and about everything
they have been doing since the election in March.
We would like to thank the previous NRAC National Committee from 2011- 2013 for their commitment and hard work over their term
and to congratulate the newly elected committee. In this article you can find out a bit more about each member.
It is important that you have a voice within your service. We are delighted to let you all know that we have a new Advocacy Officer
and her name is Joanne Nelligan, she is working in the South East, Mid-West and South Regions.
Many thanks
Michelle
Messages from NRAC National Committee Members 2013-2015
My name is Aidan Hogan, the recently appointed Chairperson of the National NRAC Committee. I would like to thank those who voted
me onto the committee I was pleasantly surprised and delighted at the prospect of being in a position to help and support people
around the country.I am fully committed to doing my very best in this new role. I sincerely hope that together we can all make a
difference. I would like for people to realise that they have a voice, and my goal is to have that voice heard.
As your Chairperson, I attended the People of the Year Awards in September. It was a really great event and it was exciting to see
people who have made a real difference. I watch it every year and it gives me great hope and inspiration for the future. I will be in
touch with you all later and I hope to visit as many centres as I can in the future.
Aidan Hogan
Chairperson, NRAC National Committee
From left to right
back row:
Marian Coneely,
Kitty Tumelty,
Seamus Sex, John
Murnane and Neilus
ONeill
From left to right
front row:
Francis Ducie, Fiona
Friel, Aidan Hogan,
David Moore, Helen
Shiletto and Peter
Doherty
Message from Joanne Nelligan, Advocacy Ofcer
Hi All,
My name is Joanne and I started work with the Advocacy Team in June. Over the last number of months I have visited a lot of
services and met many of you. I will continue to do this in coming months and I look forward to meeting you all soon.
15
Message from Francis Ducie
There was a conference hosted by the
National Disability Authority and The
European Parliament Information office in
Ireland - An associated event of the Irish
Presidency of the Council of the EU on the
24th May 2013 in Croke Park. I enjoyed the
National Disability Authority Conference. I
found the whole day inspirational and the
speeches made me think I could make a
difference.
I was particularly delighted and
impressed to meet Sinead Kane who was
responsible for encouraging David Blunkett
to come over to the conference from the
UK. I also enjoyed David's speech.
One item in particular which I found
astounding was the speaker from the
European Union Agency for Fundamental
Rights who informed us that in some
countries people with mental health
difficulties do not have the right to
vote! Another speaker from the Vincentian
Partnership spoke very well of their work
for the less fortunate.
I am delighted to be a member of NRAC
and look forward to attending more
conferences and meeting politicians. I met
Mairead McGuinness who had lunch at my
table and spoke to me. I look forward to
using my voice as a member of NRAC to
dispel preconceived ideas about mental
health difficulties.
Francis Ducie
Vice Chairperson, NRAC National
Committee
Message from Kitty Tumelty
Hi, my name is Kitty Tumelty and I have
attended RehabCare in Athlone for the last
12 years. I like going to RehabCare to see
my friends. It means a lot to me to get
voted onto the NRAC National Committee.
I have wanted this for years. Thank you
to everyone in the North East Midlands
Regional who voted for me.
I represented the NRAC National
Committee at the EPR conference in Dublin
with Michelle. I would like to go to more
conferences.
Message from Fiona Friel
I started on the National NRAC Committee
in 2011 2013 and it ran for two years,
then I got re-elected this year 2013 for
another two years. It was an exciting time
to hear if your name was called out and
once again I was all pleased with myself.
I am the secretary for the NRAC National
Committee. I take down all the minutes
and email them to Michelle, I travel
independently once a month to the
meetings and I enjoy it.
Im also involved in a programme run by
RehabCare called Iplanit. This means that
you can put your PCP (Person-Centred Plan)
all on a computer online and I also enjoy
doing that.
Fiona Friel Secretary, NRAC National
Committee
Message from Helen Shiletto
In April 2013, I, Helen Shiletto, was elected
onto the NRAC National Committee. Before
being elected, I put my name forward in
my centres house meeting in RehabCare
in Kilkenny. All the clients and staff in my
centre were happy for me to go forward for
the NRAC committee. At first I was nervous
and excited because I was not expecting
this to happen to me. It felt good that
people wanted me to go forward. On
the Election Day, we went to Dublin to
congratulate Mary Nora Curran on the good
work she had done over the years. It was
a good day we had tea and scones in the
morning. Then Michelle Joyce talked about
how the last years committee got on. It
was very interesting. Mary Nora Curran got
an award for the good work she has done
over the years.
After this I was elected for the committee.
I hope that I will do good work. I will try
to do my best. I was surprised when my
name was called out - I feel very good to
be on it.
I look forward to talking about the issues
like what people in RehabCare should
be called. I am interested in talking
about new staff interviews, the budgets
and finances, water rates and disability
allowance.
Message from Peter Doherty

My name is Peter Doherty. I am from The
Ashlawn Day Centre in Castlerea County
Roscommon. I have been secretary of
the local NRAC Committee for a number
of years. I then decided to put my name
forward for election to the National NRAC
Committee and I was successful in my
bid. This happened in the Ashling Hotel in
Dublin on the 12th March 2013.
So I now represent the concerns and views
of service users in the West/Northwest
region. After a while on the National
Committee we had an election at national
level. I put my name forward as Vice
Secretary and after a vote I was elected as
Vice Secretary of the National Committee.
It is a great honour for me personally
and for RehabCare Castlerea. I would like
to thank my local committee, external
facilitator and all the staff at Ashlawn Day
Centre in Castlerea.
Message from Neilus ONeill
My name is Neilus ONeill, I am forty-five.
I am from Tralee, Co. Kerry. I first started
with RehabCare in Blennerville in April
2012. I started attending the service
because of lack of motivation and interest
due to mental health problems. I got
involved with NRAC almost immediately
at a local and regional level and, in March
2013, I was elected to the national NRAC
committee.
We are working on a number of issues
at present within the committee such as
a pre-budget submission and a survey
on how the service users would like to
be addressed. I am also involved in the
Immersion Project; this project looks at
focusing more on individualised services.
I have recently been involved in piloting
the Recovery Star at RehabCare and I am
also involved with The Kerry Peer Support
Network. I do some volunteer work with
the Tralee mental health association. My
hobbies are reading and playing the guitar.
16
Message from Margaret
Conaty
My name is Margaret Conaty and I
attend RehabCare Resource Centre in
Cavan. In March 2013, I was elected to
the NRAC National Committee. It was
a great achievement for me and I was
very surprised to be elected. I have been
elected from 2013 to 2015.
Every 6 weeks I go up to Dublin and meet
with the other members of the committee
where we discuss different issues. There
are about 12 of us on the committee. I
represent the North East Region and I
intend to do my best. Michelle Joyce helps
us with each meeting and I think Michelle
is very efficient and good at the meetings.
I feel it makes me very independent going
up on the bus to Dublin and getting a
taxi from the bus station to Roslyn Park
in Sandymount. I enjoy getting tea and
dinner in Roslyn Park. Thanks to everyone
who voted for me I really appreciate it
and I will keep you all in my thoughts and
prayers.
iPlanit Consultation 2013
RehabCare is introducing iPlanit to all services. iPlanit is a way of planning on a computer. It is for people who attend
RehabCare services and it supports them to have;
More empowerment - Helps put the action into planning by creating a live, up to date, transparent view of progress
shared between support team members and the individual/carer.
More control - Gives individuals control of what information is recorded and who gets to see what. Individuals can also
safely share their plans and related multimedia content online
Increased Participation - Allows an individual to easily track and provide feedback on progress on actions and outcomes.
Make individual support plans come alive with rich, intuitive multimedia functionality. Individuals can personalise the plan
with their own multimedia clips and images.
Four members of NRAC were part of a consultation group on iPlanit. This is what NRAC National Committee member Marion
Conneely from County Galway had to say about it.
I found the day good and interesting. The training was at a slow pace which helped me understand it. I found it easier to
see the information on the screen compared to the computer. I feel that the folders are a waste of paper and ink and are
time consuming to find information in. I dont have my own email so I would look forward to using the messages in iPlanit
to communicate with people in my contacts, e.g. my physiotherapist. I like that I can add pictures to my action plan and the
more times I practiced it in the training the easier I found it. I prefer to personalise my plan on the iPlanit rather than my
folder. I did not really find anything from the training day difficult and I know if I was to have problems with it in the future
that I can ask staff for support. I would like for our centre to do the iPlanit plan.
Message from David Moore
My name is David Moore and I am from
Dundalk, Co Louth. I got voted onto the
NRAC National Committee and I want
to do my best for everyone. I am with
RehabCare for two years and I attend three
days a week. I help to cut grass in the
community, I play football in Oriel Park and
I play pool on a Friday afternoon. Keep up
all the good work committees have been
doing. I will do my best for the North East
Midlands Region.
Message from Seamus Sex

My name is Seamus Sex and I got involved
in NRAC National Survey. I was part of a
working group that designed the survey
on what term or name people prefer to
be called. At a house meeting when
everyone was there I read out the survey
and it explained why we were doing this.
In RehabCare Kildare we have already sent
our survey back to Michelle.
Message from John
Murnane
Hello my name is John Murnane, I go to
RehabCare Shannon. I like reading and
enjoy gardening, we have an allotment
in Shannon which I go to two or three
times a week and we grow organic
vegetables.
Thanks so much for voting for me I really
appreciate it very much. I hope to be a
good support for people and to take your
views to the NRAC National Committee.
Before I got elected onto the NRAC
National Committee I got involved in an
Employment Working Group, this was
a working group made up of staff and
people that use the service. We met for
seven months and produced some very
good documents. I enjoyed being part
of this group. The first few times I had
staff support to the meetings in Dublin
but I gained confidence to do this on my
own. Now I travel independently to all
meetings in Dublin.
NRAC News
17
Employment Working Group 2013
NRAC has been working with RehabCare as part of an Employment Working Group, which is looking at ways of improving
employment opportunities for people who use RehabCares services.
NRAC members from around the country were involved in the Working Group. Here are some thoughts from two members.
It was good meeting people from other RehabCare services from counties around Ireland. I felt welcome in the group. We all talked about what it
was like for people who dont have work. It made me think about how much I like having my job and how important it is to me. I think it is good
for people to get work in their community. I think the handbooks we worked on will help others get work. At the end I spoke about the working
group with Laura Keane and I felt confident doing it. It was a very good experience and I am glad I got involved.
Rachael Treanor, Dun Laoghaire
I liked getting involved in the Employment Working Group when I was a National Committee Member last year. I wanted to help people with
disabilities to get paid employment and to work with RehabCare to support this to happen. We worked very hard and made decisions together.
I felt very involved in the Working Group and I gave a few good ideas. At the minute I am on work experience on a farm one day a week. I like
working on a farm but my goal is to be in paid employment and working with people with disabilities.
Shane Loughlin, Cavan
1 Day for Rehab in Baileborough
We had our 1 Day for Rehab in July. We were very busy in the centre the days before this
making cakes for our cake sale and getting the centre ready. We had a barbecue with
loads of food. We also had quiz sheets, a raffle & a game to guess how many sweets
were in the jar. We had a great turn out on the day & the centre was very busy. We had
donations on the day from The Bailieborough Womens Group who collected money for
the centre and also from Patrick Fox who had done the ducking chair at the local festival
in aid of RehabCare. We had great support from the local community and we raised 770.
Tullamore Autism Resource Centres Sponsored Walk 2013
Staff and service users of the Autism Resource Centre, Tullamore took part in a
sponsored fun walk on Friday the 12
th
July at Charleville castle and grounds, Tullamore.
The walk was in aid of the Resource Centre and The Dogs Trust, Dublin. A number of the
people who access the Autism Resource Centre chose to support the Dogs Trust charity
as well after they completed an animal welfare programme in 2012. We raised a total of
630 for them.
(from left to right) Back Row: Paul Byrne, John McGrath, Andrew Moore, Niall o Leary Doyle, Catherine
Molloy. Front Row: Joe Lawless, Linda Dolan, Vera Conroy, Charlene Kennedy, Breda Tynan.
NRAC News / Fundraising Fun
NRAC Activity
By Park House, Dublin
On May 9
th
, Laura Keane, the Director of
Health and Social Care, RehabGroup visited
Park House at the invitation of our NRAC
committee. Laura was given a tour of the
building and spent the morning viewing
our current projects and meeting many of
the people who attend our service.
Laura Keane and Owen Callanan,
Park House NRAC Committee
member
18
Boxty like my Mam used to make
By Paul Maguire, Ballinamore
When I was small my mam used to
dress me in old clothes and I would help
her to make boxty for Halloween. This
was a tradition in Leitrim. One day I
asked my key worker if we could make
boxty in the centre. We made it with a
few other people and we ate it for break
on Halloween. At my next meeting I
said that I would like to learn how to
make Boxty for my tea at home.
Some others were interested so we
started learning. We were talked to
about safety in the kitchen as I dont cook at home. Now I know
how to be very careful in the kitchen. I wasnt good at peeling
potatoes but was good at grating them and I liked frying them
best of all. After each programme I ate a pan in the centre and
brought the rest home for my tea. Sometimes I shared it with my
sister at home but I usually ate it all because I really love it! My
sister is going to help me make it one day at home.
When we were having 1 day for rehab we made boxty and sold
it at the cake sale to raise money. I was very proud to be able to
sell it for fundraising.
Dee House Summer BBQ
We held a barbeque for our residents, families, staff and friends
of the service. We raised 320 and hope to purchase an iPad
for our service users to be able to access Skype and Face time
for communicating with their families far and wide and for
multisensory activities.
The activities included bean bag toss, giant jenga, charades and
an interactive quiz and lots of craic! The food included burgers,
sausages, lots of salad and homemade desserts. We were lucky
with the weather as we have been most of this summer! We
would like to thank all those who donated raffle prizes they
include: Lucan Golf Club, Dunnes Stores, Odeon & IMC Cinemas,
Twomeys SuperValu, Centra & Bray Bowl.
It was a great success and plans are in the works for the next
fundraising event!
Dee House barbeque
Fundraising Fun
Bakes and books
By Park House, Dublin
In June, staff and service users joined forces to organise a cake
and book sale for One Day for Rehab. This event was generously
supported by our neighbours in the Stillorgan Grove area and
raised 430.
5K Fun Run

By Louise Gilbert, Resource Centre, Dundalk
We organized a 5k Fun Run in aid of RehabCare and the Simon
Community. The run started from the Marshes Shopping Centre
in Dundalk. Five hundred people took part. The money raised
went towards the Garden Project. People of all ages, from young
to old, took part. There was a great atmosphere on the day. The
runners all had to wear a tag on their ankles. The tag clocked
the time it took them to complete the race. The local Argus and
Democrat newspapers took lots of photos.
The participants were all very proud of their achievement. The
day was such a success it is hoped it will run again next year.
19
Green Projects
RehabCare Swimathon and 5K
By James Mahon, Longford Resource
My name is James Mahon. I attend the Autism Resource Centre
in Longford. I love being active and I like going on walks and
using the outdoor equipment in the local park called The Mall.
I like to keep fit and I am a member of the Longford Arms
Leisure Centre. I enjoy going swimming twice a week with the
Resource Centre staff and service users. I joined Special Olympics
swimming this year; I go to this every Monday night.
I took part in the Rehabcare Swimathon this year and I enjoyed
this. I like doing 5km walks. I have done two 5km walks with
my key worker Mary. I also did a 5km walk for Rehabcare with
my sister Ann.
Swimathon
Eco / Green ag
By Sean Mills
Last time we talked
in our green flag
class we decided
to do a project.
This project
involves different
parts. I got the
position of being
project manager.
I have to collect
different kinds of
information about
the environment
and make a folder
out of it for our green flag project. We learn how to care for our
environment by recycling our waste in a systematic way.
First we separate our plastics, paper and our cans into different
bins. Then we collect the waste we bin and put it into separate
bags using the same method. By reducing reusing and recycling
we are making our environment a much prettier and safe place
to live. We will have our assessment for our first Green Flag in the
next couple of weeks!
Jamie & Sean working on Green Flag
GREEN TIPS
ENERGY
Bray Resource Centre
hFirst, ask yourself, where does the energy to power your
centre, home etc., come from?
hTurn lights off after use.
hReplace old bulbs with CFL energy saving bulbs.
hTurn off electrical appliances when not in use and
remember if your television or computer is on stand by, it is
still using energy.
hTry to walk, cycle or use public transport whenever you can.
hTurn your heating down a few degrees; it will save energy
and money!
hIf possible try and use other sources of energy, wind, solar
or hydro.
hTry activities that only require brain and physical energy,
like, reading, running, singing, walking and board games etc.
hTake part in Earth Day (April 22nd) and only use necessary
energy for one whole day.
hCheck out internet sites such as
www.seai.ie,
www.energyireland.ie and
www.ecounesco.ie for more tips, information and advice.
Radisson Horticulture Programme in Cavan
RehabCare Cavan has been helping the Radisson Farnham
Estate Hotel in Cavan to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs for
the lovely Pear Tree Restaurant in the Hotel. Every Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday we head out to the polytunnel
where we weed, water and plant produce. Each week the chef
visits us and plans what we will grow and collects food for the
restaurant. We have sampled our own food in the restaurant
and its very tasty!
GREEN TIPS
Help the Environment (General)
Dundalk Resource Centre
hUse a lunchbox and a reusable drinking bottle to reduce
wrapping waste
hReuse your plastic bags over and over again
hUse rechargeable batteries
hVisit your local recycling centre to learn more
hCreate a compost heap for egg shells, tea bags, fruit peel,
garden cuttings
hTake clothes you no longer want to a charity shop or charity
bank
hGrow your own fruit and vegetables to decrease your
carbon footprint
hShare your top tips with your local community!
20
ECO-UNESCO Sustainability Award
By Alice Jackman, Alan Finlay and Tommy Brown, Bray
Our garden was part of a project to achieve the Silver ECO-UNESCO Sustainability Award. The previous year we won the bronze award
for our recycling and energy saving schemes and this year we wanted to go one step further.
We made an Eco Recycling Garden with reused materials including tyres, welly boots, pallets and old wood. We used an old barrel
to collect rain water at the side of our new shed (unfortunately we could not find a recycled shed) with a down pipe and a gutter
to catch the rain water. We reused the tyres to grow herbs and potatoes and built raised beds out of the pallets to grow our other
vegetables including rhubarb, carrots, onions, pumpkins and beetroot.
The Garden was a big project! We needed some money to buy our plants and vegetables. The Eco committee wrote a letter to the
centre manager to see if we could get some money to start off. Thankfully we got some money to spend on the garden from all the
hard fundraising done and money received from an innovation award we received the previous year for earning our Bronze award.
Alice Jackman took care of the budget and paid the Woodies Bray staff with a cheque after we picked out the vegetables and plants
we needed as well as some garden tools.
After a lot of hard work, seeing the end product of the garden was a great feeling. The garden can break up the day and after
watering and weeding the garden it looks neat and tidy. We feel good and satisfied when we look at the garden. There is a sense of
achievement to see the plants growing and to see the garden taking shape. It's good to be out in the fresh air doing the garden. Its
good for your health to have an on-going project, to plant and re plant the vegetables and to start it all again next year. Its important
to keep reusing recycled material.
We have started to use some of our vegetables like onions and rhubarb in our cookery class and have started to use some herbs as
well. Anyone is welcome to pick from the garden if they want to add something to their lunch.
The second part of our submission to eco-unesco was our craft work in our craft class where we put together old chairs and tables
that were second hand. We decorated these chairs by sanding, varnishing and painting them. We hope to raise money for RehabCare
Bray by selling our furniture at our craft fair in October. In May this year we received word from ECO-UNESCO that we had achieved the
Silver Award!
Green Projects
21
Supporters Corner
Interview with Padraig Walsh, Behaviour Therapist, RehabCare.
Interviewer: Eileen Gormley, Galway
What is Behaviour Support?
Its really exciting work that focuses on improving a persons quality of life and reducing the times where they use behaviours that
challenge to communicate or cope with life. Behaviour Therapists try to find out why a person does what they do? We look at how a
team can support a person. This can include things like changing where they are spending time or the things that they do every day.
We can teach people different ways to communicate or look at changing their living arrangements.
How does Behaviour Support t within RehabCare?
This is a really good question! Many of the people in RehabCare referred for Behaviour Support have a need for a specific kind of
communication. Or they might need different emotional and environmental supports. Behaviour Therapists are helpers. We help
family members, key workers, day service staff and residential support staff. This help might include training them, meeting with
them to find good ways to support people to improve their quality of life. Sometimes we see big changes in peoples lives after we
make some small changes but often our work takes longer and a lot of hard work from a team of people.
Where are you from?
I am from a place called Bunbrosna in Co. Westmeath. Famed for twinkle toed set dancers and footballers, it is nestled between 3
lakes and along the main Dublin to Sligo road.
How do you unwind and relax?
Just like a dog needs a walk every day, I need to keep as physically active as possible! I love water-sports. I play Gaelic Football with
Bunbrosna in the summer and Rugby with Garryowen in the winter which is a difficult balancing act but I really enjoy both. I recently
got a bike through the Bike to Work scheme which Im getting lots of use out of this summer. I also did the Connemarathon last April.
I love reading and listening to music. My favourite bands at the moment are Stevie Wonder, the Jigsaw Jam and Joy Division.
Why did you study to become a Behaviour Therapist?
I started off by doing a degree in Psychology at NUI Galway and continued by completing a Masters degree in Applied Behaviour
Analysis. I have always been curious about human behaviour, why we what we do and how we can help each other when we have
difficulties. These courses let me explore my curiosity more and gave me the skills and qualifications to work in Behaviour Supports. It
continues to be a rewarding job. Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to learn more about human behaviour.
Padraig Walsh visiting Rocfield house
22
Africa Day Park House
There was a splash of colour about the place in June when staff
and service users donned African dress and ate traditional African
food. Staff members from Africa kindly lent their traditional
African outfits to others to try and also cooked delicious African
fare Akara (fried bean cakes) and Fried Plantain (a type of
banana).
Left: Catherine Gerety in traditional African dress
Right: Harry Elliott, in African Head gear and jewelry
News in short
Roceld Open Day!
Rocfield Resource Centre, Newport, County Tipperary
welcomed visitors from far and wide on its open day
in August. The centre opened its doors to the public to
fundraise and to introduce the service to the community.
The centre supports six people and facilitates their
engagement in community activities as well as promoting
the development of a wide spectrum of skills.
In addition to the family and friends of people attending
the service many people attending other services around
Limerick and Tipperary came along to offer their support.
With the help of a raffle, a card sale, a naming-chickens
competition and some tasty treats, money was raised
which will help with the construction of a sensory garden
and a vegetable garden.
A big thank you to all who came and supported the centre
on the day.
Open Evening in Lifford!
We had an Open Evening and Celebration of Achievements
in July because we wanted to show the local community what
we have been doing over the years. We really enjoyed it, we
liked our families and friends seeing our achievements and
what we enjoyed doing at the centre. We had to give a tour of
our centre to people in the community. We really liked meeting
new people. It was hard work getting the centre ready but we
were proud of ourselves and happy with our work. We had
a traditional music band playing in our foyer and some of us
played instruments too. We had food served and had a great
night.
Paul Harte with other trad musicians
Left: Brian and Una Heffernan
Right: Conor and Nora O Dwyer
23
Doors to Elsewhere!
In May of this year, we were lucky enough to hear from Tony Fegan who is from the
Doors to Elsewhere Drama Department at Rua Red in Tallaght. Tony agreed to hold an
eight week drama course for people attending our service for two hours every Thursday
morning.
The teamwork and confidence levels during and after the classes were through the roof
and since the drama finished up in July, people attending the service are still talking
about it and asking when they can return for a second Drama course.
The group put on a small production at the end of the eight week course and invited
friends and family along to see them perform. The response from those who came to
watch was phenomenal!
If you want to try this out in your area, please contact Ballyfermot on 01 626 9979.
Farewell Fintan
By Casla Resource
Centre
Our friend
Fintan Honan
who attended
Casla Resource
Centre died
in a tragic
accident earlier
this year. A
lot of us went
to his funeral
in County
Limerick, it was lovely and his family spoke
very highly of him. We miss him because
he was great craic and a friend you could
always rely on. He was intelligent and kind
and helped us to organise things. He was
even on a working group about jobs up in
Dublin.
Ar dheis D a anam
In memory of our friend
Maureen Lennon (RIP)
It was with great sadness in June that we
learned of the death of our friend Maureen
Lennon. She was seventy eight years old.
Maureen had been involved in NTDI and
Rehab for over twenty years. She is sorely
missed by all her friends in RehabCare
Athlone. She was friends with young and
old alike and will be remembered for her
great personality and ability to speak her
mind.
EQUASS
Bailieborough
RehabCare in Bailieborough were selected on the 23
rd
of May 2013 to take part in
an Equass Audit. There was a great atmosphere in the centre that day. Wed all done
different tasks to prepare. Some of us got all our photos ready, the glasswork group
did a fabulous mosaic and the centre looked great! We were all very proud.
The day arrived and we were very excited, there were a lot of people visiting our
centre. We had our manager, Bernard Mc Veigh, Aveen Toner, the Regional Manager
and Dinis Mota our interviewer from Portugal . Dinis interviewed some parents, a
group of service users and staff. We also had a lovely meal.
The glasswork group presented Dinis with a candle holder which was made from
glass. He seemed to love the present. We were delighted when we heard we had
passed and we are very proud of our centre.
Maureen Lennon, centre
Fintan Honan
24
Golf Classic in Nenagh!
Nenagh Resource Centre held a Golf Classic in August in the
Nenagh Golf Club. The event began first thing in the morning.
Thirty-two teams participated. Tee Boxes at every hole advertised
businesses in the area.
We were donated twenty-five graded Green Fee donations for
popular courses around the country as prizes. That evening Sinead
Butler (Regional Manager) spoke about RehabCare services in
Nenagh and Donnacha Ryan, the Munster and International
Rugby Player, presented twenty-five hampers to our raffle
prizewinners. We raised 6,040!
Sign Language
By Breda Flanagan, Portlaoise
We did sign language with Nicola. We learned how to say hello
and our name and where we come from. We learned how to
count and it is easy when you can do it, its nice to learn a
new language. It will help if we meet people who are hard of
hearing. We can talk to them using sign language. It felt good to
learn a new language. I felt proud of myself.
Portlaoise sign language
News in short
Quayside opens its doors
By Louise Gilbert and Una Mac Namee, Quayside, Dundalk
In May we held an open day to celebrate the move to our new
building in Quayside Business Park in Dundalk.
Jenny greeted the guests and got them to sign the visitors book.
After our guests got a tour of the building and saw all our lovely
programme rooms some of our members stood up and delivered
excellent speeches.
We also had some singing and music. John and Rosemarie
officially opened our centre by cutting the red ribbon.
Marguerite and Lauren cut the cake. There was plenty of nice
food and tea. It turned out to be a very good day for us.
We love our new building because we can be more independent
being on a bus route and within easy walking distance to town.
We have noticed people are much happier in this new building.
Rosemary Sheelan and John Moore
25
Ballinamore Tidy Towns Community
Project
By Seamus Browne, Bernie McDermott, Veronica McConnell, Mary Foley,
Thomas McConnell
Our involvement with the Tidy Towns involves keeping the Golf
Links Road, which is in front of our centre, litter free. A group of
us go litter picking three days a week. There is a sign up on the
Golf Links Road to say that RehabCare have adopted the road.
During the summer the Tidy Towns Committee approached us
to see if we would like to become involved in a new project to
clean up a vacant house in the town. Our role in this would be
to clean up the garden. We took a trip to the house. The garden
was completely overgrown as nobody had lived in it for over
three years. We cut all the shrubs and trees back and removed
them. We cut and raked the grass and we also painted the
garden wall and fence.
While we were doing this work members of the local
community complimented us on the great work we were doing
and how well the garden was looking. We agreed to maintain
the garden until the end of the summer by cutting the grass
and weeding on a regular basis.
Mondello Park
By Castlebar Services
In June a group us went to Mondello Park to experience the
Early Drive Course. We enjoyed the whole day. We were able
to experience driving a car for the first time in our lives. We
invited Noel Gibbons from the Road Safety Association to join
us and he accepted the invitation.
We were interested because we want to complete the Driver
Theory Test and we knew this would be a great way to get
practical experience and perhaps help us to decide whether we
want to continue studying. We discussed this with our manager
who supported the idea and helped us get the plans in motion.
We contacted staff in Mondello who informed us that the Early
Drive Course was set up in 2004 by Mondello Park and the
Irish School of Motoring to provide a new type of young driver
safety awareness programme aimed at transition year students
as well as people with disabilities.
When we arrived at Mondello we were taken to the track
and each of us got a driving lesson in a lovely yellow Seat car
which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Then we went to the
classroom and watched a road safety video and saw footage
of the consequences of unsafe driving. We went downstairs
and prepared for the brake test, this measured the length
of time it took to move the foot from the accelerator to the
brake.
The last part of the visit was to the Car Museum and then we
were presented with certificates. A most memorable day was
had by all.
European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR)
& Head Ofce Presentations
By Kenneth Wallace, Bailieborough
On June 11
th
, Derek Smyth and I went to Dublin to do a
presentation on a community survey that we completed in our
centre. All centres around the country completed this survey and
the presentation had all the results that were put together. We
left Bailieborough very early to go to Dublin.
We had great craic going up to Dublin. We dressed very smartly
for the occasion. We were very excited about this. Derek and I
were the second speakers of the day. Derek and I spoke out loud
and proud and we took it in turns doing the presentation.
Everyone clapped when we were finished, there were nearly
two hundred people there. We enjoyed the day. We had lunch
there too. We left Dublin about ten past three, we were very
tired when we all got home.

We also went to Head Office on June 18
th
to do the same
presentation. This time the presentation was done in front of
Rehabs Board. This was my first time in Head Office. I really
enjoyed doing the presentations and meeting lots of new
people. It has also boosted my confidence.
Kenneth Wallace & Derek Smyth EPR
26
Next issue
Please think about whom youd like to see interviewed in the
Supporters Corner.
We think our next theme will be about Community and Work
So get thinking about your articles...
Wed love to hear about your paid jobs, your voluntary work
and any community involvement that you enjoy.
***********************************************************
Important:
Please do NOT send us images within your articles, we need
you to send them as separate jpegs or we cannot print them.
Please check or get support to check your spelling and
grammar before you send in your articles. This saves much
time and allows us to produce News and Views a lot faster!
***********************************************************
National News
New Directions
New Directions is the governments proposed new way of
working with people with disabilities who attend centres and
services during the day. It says that services must support you to
h Be a part of your community. Use community amenities to
improve choices in how you spend your time and how you live
h Get specialised support throughout your life if you have
severe and profound difficulties
h Have a service that is tailored to your individual need and is
flexible, responsive and person-centred.
Having choices, doing interesting and useful things with ones
time, learning new skills, meeting people and enjoying their
company these are things that most people take for granted.
These are the ordinary experiences that people with disabilities
tell us they want.
In RehabCare we work with you to achieve this through our
Service User Pathway and our focus on community presence and
participation. Let us know if you have any thoughts, comments
or suggestions on how we can continuously improve the way we
work with you.
Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for
people who use RehabCare services
The Charter of Rights and Responsibilities states how people
who use RehabCare Services can expect to be treated by
people who support them and by others who use the service.
The charter sets out rights that aim for people:
to be free from discrimination
to have a high quality service from RehabCare
This Charter is there to help everyone to have a better
understanding of their rights when they use a RehabCare service.
In order to make sure that RehabCare is continuously
improving, the charter is reviewed on an annual basis in
consultation with the NRAC Committee and Service Users in
services around the country.
The Charter has been developed through an extensive
consultation with people who use RehabCare services,
management and staff.
In 2012 service users involved felt that there was no need
to make any changes to the existing Charter but some
recommendations were made and put into practice following
the review e.g. Services were to create their own individualised
responsibilities section.
Copies of the Charter are also available in:
Braille
Large Print
Audio
Computer CD
The Charter Review Project is facilitated by the Department of
Quality and Standards in consultation with NRAC and Service User
Consultation Groups.
We are now in the process of carrying out the 2013 Review
process. If anyone has an opinion about the current charter (what
is good about it, what you would like changed to make it better?)
and would like to share their views I would be happy to hear
from you you can email me at
joanne.ohehir@rehabcare.ie
27
28
If you would like further information on any RehabCare services in
your area, please contact us at:
RehabCare, Roslyn Park, Beach Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4
Tel: +353 1 205 7200
Email: info@rehabcare.ie
Website: www.rehabcare.ie
People First
Person Centred
Innovation
Can Do
Partnership
RehabCare News Aug 2012 12/10/2012 15:38 Page 16