New interactive garden blossoms at Knockamann

RESIDENTS at St Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Services, Portrane, have been boosted by a major project that has come to fruition in their area. 

Emmet Daly of Special Olympics Ireland, who represented his country at this year’s Special Olympics in California, performed the official opening of a new interactive garden at Knockamann. 

The garden was built by a team undertaking the ‘Improving Service with Co-Operative Learning’ programme in conjunction with Dublin City University (DCU). 

This programme brings together teams of three people to work on a service improvement or project. 

The team consists of three people – a service user Gerry Clail, a family member Bernie Pigott, and a staff member Brendan Dee, Clinical Nurse Manager.

The DCU programme is facilitated through a cooperative learning team approach with supports provided by academic supervisors and service based mentors. 

There is equality among the team members, encouraging them to develop a collaborative attitude throughout the project. 

The programme teaches them how to work together as a team and research options to complete a project that will make things better in their service.

The garden has been designed to allow service users have further opportunities to socialise with one another. 

It includes a number of features such as a sheltered picnic area, golfing green, enclosed trampoline, tactile boards, sandbox and a leaf chair. 

The project was designed and developed with an emphasis on the residents’ needs. 

The contribution of some key people behind the success of this year’s project was acknowledged at the opening ceremony, namely Susan Dunne, HSE Clinical Nurse Manager and project mentor, and Patsy Fitzsimons whose skilful craftwork made a huge contribution to the garden.

HSE Director of Nursing for St Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Services, Eileen Kelly, expressed thanks and appreciation to the staff at DCU, in particular, Deirdre Corby for supporting the project. The valued contributions of all management, staff, service users, and their families were also acknowledged.

Knockamann, a customised residential development, comprising 10 bungalows and a comprehensive Day Resource Centre, opened in 2010.