The Bungalow COPE Galway

Description

The Bungalow – A Community Hub for Connection, Health, and Innovation

Loneliness and social isolation are pressing health issues among older adults, acknowledged globally by the World Health Organization, which designated 2021–2030 as the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. In response, COPE Galway—a long-standing provider of services for older adults—established The Bungalow, a vibrant community hub in Mervue. This initiative aims to promote healthy ageing through meaningful social connection, inclusion, and wellbeing-enhancing activities.

Initially launched with modest participation, The Bungalow has evolved into a lively centre, welcoming up to 20 older adults daily. Activities run year-round and address multiple dimensions of wellbeing, from physical activity (e.g., Siel Bleu, chair yoga, Activator poles), to mental stimulation (tech sessions, health talks), to cultural enrichment (trips to the theatre, musical events), and social engagement (tea mornings, a weekly lunch club). Its consistent programming is vital—particularly during summer months when many other services pause, leaving vulnerable individuals at risk of increased isolation.

To accommodate growing demand, the space underwent a six-month renovation to improve accessibility and comfort. Upgrades included automatic lighting, accessible toilets, fire doors, and a fully renovated kitchen and activity room, ensuring a welcoming environment for all users.

What truly sets The Bungalow apart is its innovative leadership model. An occupational therapist serves as the programme coordinator, applying a person-centred, evidence-based approach rooted in occupational science. Her methodology includes co-production with service users, community collaboration, and stakeholder engagement—ensuring that the space evolves in step with the community’s needs. This fusion of clinical expertise and grassroots community work is both rare and impactful.

Further enhancing its innovative model, The Bungalow also serves as a placement site for occupational therapy students from the University of Galway. This addresses a long-standing issue: the lack of local placement opportunities. Students benefit from hands-on experience in a real-world community setting, learning to facilitate group work, promote health, and address occupational needs in a non-clinical environment. This supports both workforce development and the future of community-based care models.

Although designed to serve the Mervue, Ballybane, and Renmore areas, The Bungalow now attracts attendees from across Galway, including Doughiska, Knocknacarra, and even Claregalway. Word-of-mouth referrals underscore the real need for such inclusive, community-driven spaces.

Importantly, the hub fosters cross-sectoral collaboration, hosting groups such as women’s circles, music ensembles, Ukrainian community meet-ups, and parish gatherings. It also partners with external organisations—including HSE, Croí, Galway City Partnership, and the Social Prescribing Programme—to amplify impact and share resources.

The Bungalow’s success is best captured in the words of its users:

“It’s great to get you out of the house.”
“It’s so much fun to come over here.”

Aim of Initiative

The Bungalow primarily aims to support older adults experiencing loneliness or social isolation due to a range of factors, including widowhood, adult children emigrating, or limited social networks. By offering a consistent space for social connection and meaningful occupations, the hub helps participants establish occupational routines that support both mental and physical well-being.

One of the most significant barriers high-lighted to COPE Galway by older people that prevents older adults from engaging in community activities is the lack of accessible transportation. In recognition of this challenge, The Bungalow Community Hub was intentionally located within walking distance of several established neighborhoods with high populations of older adults—specifically Mervue, Renmore, and Ballybane in Galway City. The project was designed to create an inclusive, welcoming space for older adults, whether living independently or in more vulnerable circumstances.

While the original focus was on the immediate neighborhoods, the reach of The Bungalow has exceeded expectations. Participants now travel from further afield—including areas outside the city like Claregalway, and even from local nursing homes—demonstrating a widespread need for accessible, community-based spaces that enable older adults to engage in life-enhancing occupations. This growing demand highlights the critical role such hubs play in supporting healthy ageing and social inclusion on a broader scale. The Bungalow project, as a successful model, could be replicated in other areas, given the resource to do so, making a lasting difference to older people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Who is it aimed at

The Bungalow primarily aims to support older adults experiencing loneliness or social isolation due to a range of factors, including widowhood, adult children emigrating, or limited social networks. By offering a consistent space for social connection and meaningful occupations, the hub helps participants establish occupational routines that support both mental and physical well-being.
The Bungalow provides low cost, local, accessible activities to promote social participation, respect, and social inclusion for older people.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Community engagement and consultation with older people from the area is key to success. In the spirit of “Nothing about us without us” older people’s views and wishes should be at the forefront of any project for older people. COPE Galway involved local older people in the project from inception until currently where they have input to programmes being run etc.
2. The Bungalow belongs to the Holy Family Parish, Mervue, and COPE Galway has been fortunate to work with the Parish to secure access to such a local venue and develop the disused premises into a vibrant community hub for older people, over the last few years.
3. Renovating the Bungalow premises to ensure it is fit for purpose welcoming and accessible to older people has been key to the success of the project. Various funders were applied to and the funding used to stage the development of the premises, with the final piece being the installation of the new kitchen in March 2025. The Bungalow is now complete, with welcoming indoor and outdoor space for older people which is fully fit for purpose.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Gaining use of a local venue, and then funding the renovation to make it suitable, welcoming and accessible to older people, was a key challenge. The parish have been very supportive, in terms of the venue, and we staged the renovation thanks to a number of grants already listed from key funders.
2. The key to any successful community development project for older people is to build up community trust and engagement, and really listen to older people’s needs and wants. COPE Galway did this from the start of the project, and staff respected their views and actioned the project and its’ activities working closely with the older people in the area.
3. Securing the funding for staffing is a challenge. Securing the staff that have the experience, enjoy the work and are willing to work alongside older people, volunteers and other agencies to grow the project is another challenge. Thankfully COPE Galway overcame both these challenges to run a successful project, with a motivated and talented staff team.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The Bungalow project has resulted in increased socialisation, education and participation of older people from the area, through attending the wide range of courses, health promotion interventions, exercise classes, social activities and lunch clubs available locally.
2. The Bungalow project has resulted in improved mental and physical health of older people attending the various activities, exercise classes and health promotion interventions which run weekly in the community venue.
3. The Bungalow has resulted in a reduction in loneliness and social isolation among older people attending activities. This has been fed back from participants, as they have made new friends and enjoy the social part of getting together as part of a class or activity in their local area.