Creative caring hits right note

Lifestyle – A voluntary care group in North Connemara has gone the extra mile during Covid to ensure that  older or vulnerable people aren’t left feeling isolated.  Key members tell STEPHEN CORRIGAN how singing, nature, food and fun have all been freely on offer to those confined to their homes, even during the darkest days of lockdown.

While Covid-19 has impacted everyone in one way or another, for older and more vulnerable people, the early months of lockdown were particularly isolating.

As ‘cocooning’ became a word in all our lexicons, care in the community became more important than ever. And the imaginative approach of one group in Connemara has shown that, despite all challenges, even the impact of months in solitude could be eased somewhat.

Connemara Care, a voluntary organisation based in Clifden, delivers home help services to older and vulnerable people living across North-West Connemara.

With 28 local carers providing daily support to over 60 clients, it has evolved as a leading light in home care since it was founded in 2018. That’s when it became an independent organisation, having started life as a pilot project from Forum Connemara.

While Connemara Care continued to provide its normal services during Covid, it was the team’s innovative approach that won the organisation the Social Inclusion award at this year’s County Cathaoirleach’s awards.

Coordinator Geraldine Kelly says this award recognised the team members’ dedication in ‘adding value’ to what they do. In addition to providing top-class care to clients, they also sought ways to alleviate the loneliness felt by many older people when the world shut down in March 2020.

“The team of 28 that we have are excellent; they know the area very well. They are very close to the people that they care for, and in many cases, know them or can make the connection somehow so that normal awkwardness when a new carer comes in isn’t there.

They know them and can build up a proper relationship,” she says of the home help element of their work.

It was a project led by Kathleen Aspell Mortimer, Assistant Coordinator, that provided a welcome escape for those confined to their houses when the pandemic struck.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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