Care home social and leisure organiser wins national award

The social and leisure organiser of a care home in Northern Ireland has won a national award for ensuring residents are visually and socially stimulated.

Oonagh Duffy, who has worked at Ben Madigan Care Home in Newtownabbey for over two years, won the Carers Award at the Houston and Williamson Funeral Services Carers Awards.

She won the award for her enthusiasm and outstanding commitment to her role and was presented with a certificate and gifts including a spa weekend and flowers by Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland’s health minister.

Ms Duffy said: “I was overwhelmed to receive this award and would like to thank all my colleagues for their support. I really enjoy my job and it is very important that we have a varied range of activities for residents to take part in. We aim to maintain lifestyles as similar as possible to those enjoyed at home and to keep residents as active, both physically and mentally as possible.”

Ms Duffy, who is a trained occupational therapist has worked on a number of initiatives for the home.

These include creating different themed rooms, such as a secret garden in one of the lounges, completing collages of life histories of all residents and their relatives and introducing a wish box for residents, families, friends and staff.

Karen Fleming, who nominated Ms Duffy and is home administrator at Ben Madigan, said: “Every nursing home should have someone like Oonagh, she has such innovative ideas and helps to create an enjoyable and pleasant place to live and adds to the quality of care offered. Ben Madigan is lucky to have her. She is one in a million.”

Ben Madigan care home is a 64-bed nursing home providing care to elderly residents with varying needs and dependencies. The ground floor caters for frail, elderly people with nursing needs and the first floor is a specialist dementia unit which incorporates a reminiscence room and has dedicated staff who are trained in person centred care.

This is the first year Houston and Williamson Funeral Services has organised the awards, which celebrate and give recognition to those who work in the care sector in Northern Ireland and who have shown outstanding commitment in their role.

Ben Madigan care home is part of the Priory Group, which has 48 care homes for older people across the UK, of which seven are in Northern Ireland.

Image: left to right Beverley Brown (Funeral Services NI general manager) Oonagh Duffy , Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland's health minister