“It’s improved my confidence and it’s made me like myself more now than I did before I came into the Dulick Centre” – Peter Kavanagh, service user, speaking about the Dulick Centre in Ennis, Co Clare, where physical and sensory disability services are delivered directly by the HSE and in partnership with a wide range of voluntary service providers. 

Peter was speaking in recent weeks when senior staff across the HSE Mid West Community Healthcare Services area expressed thanks to all staff in the region for the work they do every day, reflecting on the positive impact that their work has on clients, service users, patients and their families and friends.  They recorded that thanks, while those whose lives have been impacted in turn also said thank you.

Maurice Hoare, Director of Service, Disabilities, HSE Mid West Community Healthcare was “delighted with the opportunity to thank all of the HSE staff and all of the partner agencies who do so much every day to make such a difference to the lives of people with disabilities.”

For Peter Kavanagh, a service user within disability services, there was equal delight and pleasure in expressing his thanks.  Peter proudly stated: “One thing I love about the Dulick Centre – it’s about what you want to do.  The staff will support you 100% - whatever you decide what you want to do and I just love that.  A good day for me – would be on a Wednesday, when you come in here, have a gym work out, have a bit of lunch, come back here and have a bit of a laugh. One thing I’d say about the staff is that I don’t class them as staff.  I class them as friends and when you are in a disability centre and you feel like that, that just sums up the place and sums up the staff.  Sometimes, the staff in the Dulick Centre go beyond their job to help people – to help me.

COVID-19

“When we were under COVID restrictions the first time they were delivering meals.  One of the staff members used to bake cakes on the Thursday night and they’d bring some to me – and I class that as just unbelievable.  It helped me cope with the isolation of COVID.  What it’s done for me, and I think probably what it’s doing for a lot of people, is improving their confidence.  It’s made me like myself more now than I did before I came into the Dulick Centre.

“One thing I would say to any service users who are afraid to come or are thinking about coming in – talk to the service users here. I know the staff will be great but if they talk to the service users, they’ll hear their experiences and then start to say ‘God that’s a place I want to go to.  Definitely."

Watch Peter Kavanagh talking about the Dulick Centre - youtube.com