Programme: Limerick
WHO Theme: Communication and Information, Community Support and Health Services
Cost: 1000 – 5000
Status: Ongoing
Description
Located in the heart of Cappamore, Co. Limerick, St Michael’s is in operation for over 25 years providing a hub of activity for senior members of our community in East Limerick. It is an all-inclusive service with members experiencing varied levels of abilities. We endeavour to meet all our members’ needs socially, physically and psychologically regardless of limitations.
When our members attend, they catch up with friends and neighbours it a relaxed homely environment, away from their own homes. Maintaining relationships and social contact is paramount to leading a better quality of life for our members. Our busy daily schedule is driven by our members and their desire to learn and share activities that bring them joy. Our services improves self-esteem and encourage socialization through fun activities with our golden age members in a safe and encouraging atmosphere.
Enhancing our digital technology has increased the range of activities accessible to our members. With member attendance up to 30 per day, the cost of physically attending activities outside our centre is prohibited by transportation cost. Activities on offer vary from day to day and have been greatly enhanced by our recent digital upgrade grant supported by Limerick City and County Council (LCCC).
With the financial support of Agefriendly Limerick Community funding streams, and in liaison with LCCC Broadband Development Manager, we completed the following Digital Upgrades to St. Michaels Day Care Centre:
1. Installation of additional Wifi Access Points throughout centre so all rooms can access internet services
2. Purchased a 75” smart TV
3. Received 5No. touch screen tablets
We have used these Digital Upgrades to expand the daily provision of activities to our members, which are as follows:
• Our members participate in daily ‘Chair Yoga for Seniors’ using our smart TV and wifi access. This type of exercise favours those experiencing balance issues and is perfect for our group. As a charity, our budgets are restricted and availing of these classes online is much more economical for our members and charitable organisation.
• A few of our members are living with various types of dementia. This is a journey which limits their participation in more general activities. We undertake one-to-one sessions with some of our members who are at middle to late stages of the disease and in some cases no longer communicate verbally. Using touch screen tablets allows us to introduce personal apps that link to their dormant memories. One such lady played the concertina prior to being diagnosed. During these sessions we play familiar concertina music to her, and this results in stimulating verbal and physical responses. The responses are very positive we receive smiles while she taps along to the music.
• Retired farmers attending our centre frequently watch local Marts using the Tablets. This digital practise maintains their link with elements of their earlier life that they no longer have access to. They reminisce on their earlier life activities. This digital activity also provides a conversation platform for smaller groups with similar interests in the day centre. We have set up several wordsearch apps on our tablets that give our members access to vast numbers of new searches every day.
• A members son recently passed away suddenly while on holidays. His best friend who lives in China, was unable to come home for the funeral. We were able to arrange a video call with to China using our tablets and internet access. This allowed our member to speak with her son’s friend and share their emotions following her son’s death, which helped both with their grief.
• Recently a member of our centre passed peacefully, however, her friends from the Day Centre could not physically attend the funeral mass. We used the digital technology in the Day Centre to virtually attend the funeral, and mourned the loss of our friend remotely in the safe environment of St. Michaels Day Care Centre, together as a group.
• We use the digital technologies available to use to remotely visit, as a group, numerous galleries, historical exhibitions, sites and concerts. The availability of Wifi access throughout the centre has allowed members participate to remote activities in different areas of the centre. We have had some members singing along to their favourite musician playing to them via zoom, while other members are playing bingo in the dining hall, via zoom.
• As our members are the most vulnerable group in society to digital exclusion, we have scheduled digital classes for Autumn 2024, using the Tablets, to teach digital skills to our members. The Tablets are user friendly and completely portable which allows us to teach digital skills to those with limited mobility in small groups in our centre.
Aim of Initiative
The aim of this digital initiative is for St. Michaels Day Care Centre, to support its members social, physical and psychological needs in a homely environment, providing recreational, educational, and social activities that empower them to live life to the full as actively engaged citizens, through the use of digital technology provided to them by Limerick City & County Council – AgeFriendly Limerick and Digital Services.
Who is it aimed at
Older adults living in rural areas within east county Limerick
3 Steps critical to success
- Participation and engagement by day care centre members and staff. St. Michaels Day Care Centre staff prepare a daily schedule of activities, designed and driven by their 30 day care centre members and their desire to learn and share activities that bring them joy.
Research Weaver and Jaeggi (2021) shows that a varied activity schedule improves cognitive function and social interaction in senior citizens. It stimulates the brain and can stir dormant memories and even encourages speech in people often isolated though loneliness or illness. Games and interaction can provide a fun and relaxing way for people to express their creativity and can enrich their lives.
- Digital skill training for staff and purchase of user friendly digital technology
- Financial support and digital technology support from Limerick City & County Council
3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery
- Lack of basic literacy levels – Our most senior members were born in rural Ireland during a time where finishing primary school and/or attending secondary school was not often feasible for their families. As a result, some senior members do not have basic literacy levels. When using even the most basic digital technology devices, it is often underestimated that the user has a basic literacy level. This posed a challenge to the digital initiative. Day Care Centre staff dealt with this challenge by offering one-to-one person training on using the Tablet.
- Lack of High Speed Fibre Broadband – The rollout for high speed broadband has not been fast in rural parts of Limerick by NBI. When this digital initiative was launched high speed fibre was not readily available to St. Michaels Day Care Centre. The Day Care Centre is adjoined to Cappamore Broadband Connection Point (BCP), but access to this centre is limited due to lack of disability access means to the upstairs hub.
OpenEir recently installed high speed fibre broadband to the centre, however the provided routers meant access could only be accessed in one room of the centre. This issue was overcome by the centre installing Wifi Access Points throughout the centre. The delay in fibre rollout and issues experienced with connectivity in all parts of the centre, resulted in a delayed rollout of this digital initiative and members missing out on earlier use of digital technologies.
- Digital Initiative Participation is limited due to lack of Rural Public Transport – St Michael’s Day Care Centre can accommodate up to 30 members on a daily basis. However they currently only have daily access to a 15 seater bus. Mobility and access to transportation can be challenging to our senior citizens and more so in rural areas. Many of our members no longer drive and are reliant on friends and family to access services in local communities.
There is currently no daily Local Link Bus service, between neighbouring villages and towns surrounding Cappamore village. There is one weekly Local Link Bus Service, operated by Transport For Ireland (Route L31), which passes through Cappamore village. This service operates on a Friday only and starts at Doon and finishes at Dooradoyle. Therefore, any senior members who don’t have access to private transportation and live along the service route, can only attend St. Michaels Day Care Centre on a Friday.
The St. Michaels Day Care Centre 15 seater bus collects members daily from their homes and brings them to the centre. This bus also drops them home in the evening time. However, as there is only one bus and one driver, the number of journeys it can complete are limited. St. Michaels Day Care Centre are seeking assistance from government departments to purchase another mini-bus or mini-van so that it can collect more senior members living in rural east Limerick, so that they can avail of the daily services on offer at St. Michaels Day Care Centre. More frequent collection and drop-off trips will make it more feasible for senior members to uptake the services at the centre, as they will not be on a bus for long periods of time.
3 Outcomes / Benefits
- Support our members in maintaining their mental wellbeing by actively participating in a therapeutic activity in a safe social setting. Increasing the offering to wider range of activities that suit the individual needs of our members. Improve the quality of life available to those in our rural communities.
- Increase member usage of the Digital Technology so they can maintain relationships, social contact and interests to combat emotional and social isolation. Increase their level of comfort in using Digital Technology so as to access everyday living services, appointments, banking, communication.
- Use digital technology to support physical and mental wellbeing in our members by partaking in online exercise classes in a safe environment. Frequent light physical activity through online classes have helped our members:
a) It improves flexibility and balance.
b) Strengthens muscles essential for daily activities.
c) Reduces stress and promotes mental lucidity.
d) Alleviates pain associated with arthritis.