Muscular Dystrophy Ireland Muscular Dystrophy Ireland

Holiday Booklet for Members Holiday Booklet for Members Holiday Booklet for Members

This booklet has been devised to help

members attending an MDI holiday

Overview:

This booklet has been devised to help mem-

bers attending a holiday. Throughout the

year MDI organises 3 week long breaks for

adult members. The groups are generally

split in accordance of ages.

Group 1: 26 –49yrs

Group 2: Over 50 years

Group 3: 18- 25 years Please see Expression of Interest form for specific dates:

The Accommodation: Kilcuan Lodge: Run by the Irish Pilgrim

Trust in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway.

The Lodge is situated on a quiet road sur-

rounded by woods, it is very tranquil. It is

due to the woods that mobile phone recep-

tion is not great. There is a public phone

(Tel:091 796917) which people can ring.

The centre has a living room style area with

a flat screen TV, tables that are big enough

for meal times and activities, a kitchenette

and is very spacious. It is very homely, the

centre is always warm and has underfloor

heating. There is a separate well-serviced

kitchen and we buy food for breakfasts,

lunches and snacks.

There are 16 bedrooms. All rooms are en-

suite and accessible. Please note that mem-

bers or staff

will not have

keys for

their rooms.

There are 2

e l e c t r i c

beds and

MDI often

bring 2 more that are assembled on site.

There is no shortage of pillows, sheets, blan-

kets etc. Laundry facilities are limited so it is

advised to pack enough clothes for the

week.

You can get more information on the lodge by visiting www.irishpilgrimagetrust.com

There will not be any other groups staying at

the same time as we are there.

Clarenbridge is a small village with a PO,

primary school, church, pharmacy, hair-

dresser and a doctors surgery. Claren-

bridge is a short drive to Oranmore and

about 25 minutes into Galway (depending on

traffic).

Please remember to pack towels, as they

are not provided at the lodge.

Food:

Please ensure to inform MDI if you have

any special dietary requirements.

For breakfast there are the usual suspects -

cereals (weetabix, cornflakes, rice krispies,

coco pops, porridge, cheerios), fruit, yo-

gurts, toast, scrambled eggs, scones etc.

We would normally have lunch at the centre

– sandwiches, wraps, bagels, omelettes or

crackers. If you are heading out for an activ-

ity we will bring a packed lunch with us or

eat out – if this is the case the cost will be

covered by MDI.

In general we have our evening meals in Kil-

cuan Lodge. Usually there is a pizza night

and a Chinese night. On the other evenings

caterers cook the evening meal. There are

two choices and we check early in the day

that there is something everyone likes and if

not we organise an alternative for them.

Common choices include – chicken curry,

spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, roast chick-

en, homemade burgers, and cod. Sides in-

clude wedges, chips, rice, baked potatoes

and salad.

Equipment:

As already mentioned there are 2 electric

beds in the centre and MDI brings 2 more.

If you need one of these beds it must be

specified on their application form. MDI al-

so brings hoists, toilet chairs and shower

chairs, bed levers, bed sides and sliding

sheets. Some members do bring their own

shower chairs and mattresses and this is

perfectly ok but please do inform us if this is

the case so as there will be enough room on

the bus. We encourage members to bring

their own slings, labelled, MDI do have

some but it is better for the member to have

their own. Should you require anything

more regarding equipment you should con-

tact the camp co-ordinator.

Staff:

Staff include youth & respite workers, nurs-

es, PAs and MDI’s bus drivers. All staff are

Garda vetted and core staff are trained in

patient lifting, first aid and children first.

Many of the PA’s and nurses work with MDI

throughout the year and are familiar with

the needs of our members. New staff will

be paired up with experienced staff. On

camps staff work in pairs and normally look

after 2 members. These pairings are for as-

sisting members to get up in the morning

and to go to bed at night. Members can ask

any member of staff to help them through-

out the day – mealtimes, toileting etc. There

will always be two night staff minimum, 1

nurse and 1 PA. They are to help with night

turning and toileting. It is the same 2 staff

that work nights for the week.

There is a nurse on duty during the day as

well. If anyone has dressings or other medi-

cal needs he/she will take care of them if

required.

Activities:

Outings are usu-

ally organised

before camp

takes place and

closer to the time

you will receive

a letter from the

ho l i day co -

ordinator inform-

ing you of activi-

ties booked.

You can expect

shopping, cinema, bowling and swimming.

Other common activities may also include

fishing, visits to local tourists and historical

sites, trip to Salthill, greyhound racing,

pubs etc.

Transport: You will be informed about meeting points

and times closer to the holiday. We cannot

pick members up at their homes as this

would make the journey time to Claren-

bridge too long. The same meeting points

are usually used for the return journey.

FAQ:

How will I let the night staff know if I

need assistance at night?

MDI provide members who require assis-

tance at night with bell pushers to alert

night staff. Each member will have their

‘own tune’ so staff will know immediately

who needs them.

How much money should I bring?

MDI covers the cost of accommodation,

food, entrance fees to activities eg cinema

tickets, transport and staff. On the cinema

outing MDI will cover the cost of the ticket, a

small drink and popcorn. If the member

wants anything extra they will have to pay

for this themselves. If members are re-

quired to make a contribution to an activity

you will be informed before camp. This is

not very often and no one has to take part if

they do not want to. Members usually do

bring money to go shopping with and buy

extras – eg if we go down to the village shop

you might want to buy souvenirs etc. MDI is

not responsible for money a member brings

on camp and they are expected to take re-

sponsibility for it themselves.

Can I have a room on my own?

There are 16 rooms at the centre. Three of

these are single rooms. We usually try to

give the night staff a room each as they

need to sleep during the day and two of

these rooms are far away from the living ar-

ea. The third single room is near the top of

the corridor. This room has a carpet in it

(none of the other rooms do) making it un-

suitable for the use of a hoist. This room will

be assigned to a member we feel it is ap-

propriate for. The other rooms are spacious

with separate wardrobe space and a locker

for each member.

Items to pack:

• Suitable outer wear for Irish weather

• Plenty of towels – especially if you want

to go swimming

• Swim wear

• Toiletries - Shower gel, face

cloth/sponge, toothbrush and toothpaste,

hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner,

hair gel

• Sling if applicable

• Urinal if applicable

• Charger for chair, with your name on it, if

applicable

• Phone charger

• Any sleep system you use – special cush-

ions etc

• Medications

• Enough underwear for the week

• Incontinence pads if applicable

Please note:

MDI cannot be responsible for any electri-

cal equipment you bring with you e.g. mo-

bile phones, laptops, Ipods, etc. If you

bring these, you will be responsible for

them and we can only advise to have your

name clearly visible on such items.

We hope that the information contained in

this booklet has been helpful. It you have

any more questions/queries please do not

hesitate to contact your Youth Respite

Worker or the holiday co-ordinator.

Muscular Dystrophy Ireland

75 Lucan Road

Chapelizod

Dublin 20

Tel: (01) 6236414

Fax: (01) 6208663

Website: www.mdi.ie