• Easy-to-Read
Bringing Clive Home

Bringing Clive Home

Tuesday 29 May 2018

Congratulations to the Team in Ashville whose work in 'Bringing Clive Home' was recognised nationally as part of The Nursing and Midwifery Values in Ireland: Bursary Award programme.
The award was presented to the Team at The Nursing and Midwifery – Living the Values Conference in Dublin Castle recently. These awards are to recognise nurses and midwives who show a commitment to promoting the core values that of their practice: Compassion, Care and Commitment.
Here is the story of Bringing Clive Home

Clive is a 38 year old man who lives in Ashville. Ashville is Cope Foundation’s residential centre. It had been 25 years since Clive visited home.
Clive has high support needs. Clive is unable to use the usual forms of transport, such as buses and cars. Clive requires ambulance assistance to support him.

The only time Clive left Ashville since he was young, had been for short walks in his trolley bed around the outside grounds and to the hospital when he was sick.
Clive’s mum asked staff at Ashville if it would ever be possible for Clive to come home on a visit. She said “I will never have him home again”.

Staff supporting Clive began to discuss how they could make this possible. It was going to be difficult, but not impossible! Staff were determined to find a solution for Clive and his family. All possibilities were explored.

One nurse suggested asking the Civil Defence if they would help to bring Clive from Ashville to his home. Civil Defence was happy to help. The doors of Clive’s family home were measured and a bed was set up in Clive’s front room!

Nursing staff volunteered their time to accompany Clive and attend to his nursing care needs at home. They would support Clive at home on visits until the family were confident enough to support his care needs, and even then, would remain on standby to support.

Accompanied by his nursing support and ambulance team, Clive was ready for his first visit home in 25 years. Neighbours, friends and extended family turned out for the first visit, with balloons awaiting his arrival.

At first, two staff nurses stayed with Clive and his family. Now a nurse goes and settles him and then comes away, with a nurse on call for support. Clive’s family are now confident in supporting him for the day, and will text if they need assistance.

This initiative has provided Clive with the opportunity to be seen and heard and valued for the incredible person that he is. Attending to Clive’s holistic needs, and responding to his unique expression of his choices and preferences, has resulted in a shift in focus from the difficulties of his high support needs, to the joy and laughter that he brings, his fun-loving positivity and his invaluable contribution to society.

The work done to bring Clive home is a very real example of Cope Foundation's overall strategy for and belief in 'Enhancing People's Lives'. Huge congratulations to the Team in Ashville for working hard and creatively to provide truly person-centred support for Clive.