Nua Healthcare Service User is "Man of the Moment"!
My name is David and a few weeks back I was delighted that I won the Service User of the Year Award at the Annual Service User Awards in Taliesin. I got it for going through Day Services, getting a job, joining the Service Users Committee, things like that. I keep the shield for a year and then it goes to next years winner. I also got a medal. I was really surprised to receive it, I wasn’t expecting it all!
I joined the Service Users Committee in January of this year and I really enjoy it. Sometimes we come up with suggestions and we work around social events. We see if people are happy in the houses they are in or if they have any problems. We talk about it and the Committee are their voice basically. We also work on social events like the Awards Day in Taliesin, we work on Open Days like Nua’s Family Open Day Event too. We see if there are any ideas coming from the houses for social events. There was one house in Offaly, they wanted to know could we have a few social events closer to them because it was hard for them to travel to other events. Things like discos and bingo and bowling.
I have a job too. I work in Cahill Cycles. My duties there are mostly cleaning and the assembling of the bikes. I like it there and I do four hours on a Wednesday. Then on a Friday I would be in Chapel View Day Services where I do woodwork and that. Then I go to a place called Platinum Clubhouse three days a week. Platinum Clubhouse originated in America. It was set up by a former Mental Health Institution. The hospitals realised people had nowhere to go after care so they set up this place called the Clubhouse, like a social place where you could get help to integrate back into the community and that. In the Platinum Clubhouse, you have the kitchen where dinner is prepared every day, then they have an admin office where all the clerical work is done, then you have the education and community room where you can go and see about furthering your education in the community and they have an employment room too where you can go and see if you can get a job, like a career guidance section. I think there are, overall, something like 200 members in it, but you wouldn’t see them all at the same time in there. They have an Outreach Department in there where they would ring me to check in with me if they haven’t seen me for a few days.
I recently also turned 40! I had a party here in Teach Folláine, it was a great day. I recently moved into Teach Folláine in June, I was in Broadleaf, but I love it here in Teach Folláine. It suits me and my needs and we have Day Services right next store! I’m very happy here, it has improved my path through Nua.
Finally, I’d like to say hello to all the people I have met over the last while like staff and Service Users. I’ve made a good few friends here in Nua.