Day services to be restored in Lifford after long wait

Day services will be restored for older people in the Lifford area later this year.

A HSE Day Care Centre will be located in the Habinteg facility at Ballyduff Park in Lifford.

The HSE has told Porthall-based Fianna Fáil Councillor Gerry Crawford that they expect the building to be ready for the delivery of day services by the end of September.

The news comes after a long and protracted wait with the services now to be located in the Habinteg facility having previously been provided at the Lifford Community Hospital.

“After a long absence, this is a very welcome development in the whole Lifford catchment area, which also includes St Johnston, Raphoe and Convoy,” Councillor Crawford told Donegal Live.

“What will be provided when the services open again cannot be underestimated. The value of that social contact is vital and certainly many of those people wouldn't have had that level of social contact since prior to the services closing down.”

The day care centre will consist of a large day room, kitchen, office area, staff changing

facility and an ancillary space.

Catering will be provided for clients and Meals on Wheels will be provided for the wider community.

The HSE has told Councillor Crawford that transport is being planned with SITT to take clients from their homes to the centre with public health nurses in the region involved in the process to help identify suitable clients.

Councillor Crawford said: “This is a very positive development. At other times, there used to be a private provider hired to provide transport and this is a follow-on from that. Without that, the day services wouldn't be accessible for many people.”

The Habinteg facility will have the capacity to cater for 15-20 clients per day and a range of activities will be provided for clients to include daily exercises, music, bingo, arts and crafts and dance.

Meanwhile, first stage tenders for the full design team for the new community hospital and primary care centre in Lifford have been received. The second stage tender documents are currently being prepared.

The new community hospital will include 25 short-stay beds and will provide a full range of supporting professional health and social care services for older people in the area.

Councillor Crawford said: “Although it's a process that is slow, it is a project that will happen.”