Places
The programme takes place in eleven healthcare settings across a number of rural locations in the south west of Ireland. It includes five day care centres in: Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Skibbereen; five community hospitals in: Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Schull, Skibbereen; and Bantry General Hospital, St. Joseph’s Unit, supported by events at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen town, County Cork.
All of the centres and units mentioned below are part of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, providing community care across Cork and Kerry.
Community Hospitals
Bantry
Arts for Health Partnership Programme is present in two areas of Bantry General Hospital; St. Joseph’s Unit and Rehab & Medical Unit. St. Joseph’s Unit is situated on the first floor within Bantry General Hospital and provides long-stay, respite, and palliative care to older people. It is a Health Service Executive (HSE) facility and is registered for the care of 24 residents. St. Joseph’s is at the heart of the community and is included in local events. They endeavour to provide residents with quality individualised care where resident choice is promoted and the client comes first.
The Rehab & Medical Unit specialises in caring for patients with higher level needs. Arts for Health launched a pilot project focused on this ward in 2024.
Contact: 027 52904
Castletownbere
Castletownbere Community Hospital serves the entire Beara peninsula including Bere Island and Dursey Island. The single-storey building is situated on the seafront with stunning views of Berehaven harbour and port. Castletownbere Community Hospital, a former coastguard station, was established as a residential centre in 1932. The hospital accommodates 31 continuing care beds, respite, palliative care, and community support.
Contact: 027 70004
Clonakilty
Clonakilty Community Hospital is a public unit situated on the N71 road, on the Cork side of Clonakilty town.
Clonakilty Community Hospital is comprised of two blocks of buildings which date back to the 1800s. One of the blocks has two wings which are connected by a central corridor and the other is a two-storey block with a lift.
Continuing, respite, community support, palliative, and dementia care are provided, and 99 residents can be accommodated. Accommodation is available across four units named Saoirse, Dóchas, Críonna and Silverwood. The residential unit itself has a warm and friendly atmosphere that assures that residents have all the comforts of home in a safe environment.
Contact: 023 8833205
Dunmanway
Dunmanway Community Hospital is a purpose built residential care facility dedicated to providing a secure, safe and homely environment for the patients they care for.
The centre is located in the town of Dunmanway, County Cork. The original two-storey building, built alongside the ruins of the workhouse, was established as a residential centre in 1950. Modernised between 2007 and 2008, resident accommodation is now within a ground floor, purpose-built unit. The centre provides continuing, respite, and palliative care for 23 residents. The primary purpose is to provide patients with the most appropriate care which is evidence based and person centred.
Contact: 023 8845102
Schull
Schull Community Hospital was built in 1942 and acted as a maternity hospital for the West Cork area. At the onset of the 1960s, this coastal care setting was transformed into a nursing home for the care of older people. The recently renovated ground floor of the building, accommodates 21 residents for continuing, respite, community support, and palliative care.
Contact: 028 28120
Skibbereen
Skibbereen Community Hospital is a single storey building located in the HSE grounds in Skibbereen.
The Hospital accommodates 40 beds for respite, community support, continuing, and palliative care. It is surrounded by landscaped gardens and located just 15 minutes walk from Skibbereen town.
Contact: 028 21677
Day Care Centres
Bantry
Bantry Day Care Centre was purpose built by the Care for the Aged Association. Opening in 1998, it welcomes clients from the town and surrounding area. Bantry Day Care service supports older people so that they may continue to live independently and thus enhance their quality of life. The health and social supports provided enhance and enrich the lives of those that attend and thus helps to create a positive image of ageing. Services provided include: nursing; physiotherapy; chiropody; hairdresser; recreational activities/Arts for Health Programme; meals, and transport. Bantry Day Care Centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Contact: 027 52455
Castletownbere
Castletownbere Day Care Centre is a purpose built building situated in the grounds of St. Joseph’s Hospital with scenic views of the port of Castletownbere and beautiful Bere Island. It serves the entire Beara Peninsula from Dursey to Glengarriff. The Centre provides a nursing led service to an average of 12-18 people from Monday to Friday. It offers a wide range of services and is a great social occasion for those living alone and in rural isolation.
Contact: 027 70737
Clonakilty
Clonakilty Day Care Services for the older person opened its doors in November 1990. At present the Day Care Centre is a hive of activity with 20 to 25 clients attending most days. Clonakilty Day Care is an integral part of community life in Clonakilty and surrounding areas. The aim is to provide client-focused care, with weekly observations of some clients with medical needs allowing them to live at home. Personal care, hairdressing, chiropody, physiotherapy, and nursing care are all available services at the day care centre. For other clients the social aspect of attending breaks down the loneliness barriers that have huge ramifications to health. The focus of the service is to promote health and well being, and the vibrancy of the atmosphere is enhanced by its many visitors. Students from transition year bring their own liveliness on weekly afternoon visits. Musical groups, Guide Dogs, V.E.C., local Garda talks, and in-house professionals such as dietician and tissue viability nurse. The Arts for Health Programme gives access to a wide variety of art mediums and techniques. The team simply would not exist without the clients attending every week and the joy of participating is reciprocal for staff.
Contact: 023 8845621
Dunmanway
Dunmanway Day Care Centre has been open on the grounds of Dunmanway Hospital since May 2000 and offers day care for the older people of the area. It is open five days a week with one day dedicated to dementia care. The centre offers a wide range of services which help to keep its attendees well in mind, body and spirit. Services include: personal care, social support, nutritional support, carer respite, transport, chiropody and physiotherapy. The centre’s aim is that staff members become friends of those attending and thus become a source of support and advice. The holistic approach of the centre ensures that all enjoy a chat, music and a wide range of arts and crafts. This has been supported by the Arts For Health Programme over the past number of years with some amazing results!
Contact: 023 8845621.
Skibbereen
Skibbereen Day Care Centre is a purpose built facility dedicated to the provision of homely, cheerful, stimulating, supportive day care and friendship for older people. We are located adjacent to Skibbereen Community Hospital. We operate Monday to Friday, mainly 9am to 4.30pm and offer a comprehensive programme of activities, services and care, designed very much with the individual in mind. We endeavour to enrich the lives of our clients, building upon their skills, knowledge, unique abilities and strengths. Operating for the past twenty years we are passionate about enhancing the lives of older people and ensuring that all attending the Day Care Centre receive the best possible care and support at all times.
Contact: 028 40454
Family Carers Development Workers
Arts for Health partners with a network of Family Carers Development Workers to deliver our Creative Carers programme across West Cork.
West Cork is fortunate to have a dedicated network of Family Carers Development Workers. Most members of this network also work with older people. Their mission is to develop and deliver activities that support Family Carers using a community development approach. They aim to enhance existing links with local community groups and statutory services to better meet the needs of Family Carers and to overcome social isolation by supporting community connection and participation.
They offer:
- To listen, so they can identify local needs, and then advocate for and develop local solutions in partnership with others.
- To promote health, well-being, and to overcome social isolation through engagement in local group activities.
- To signpost and refer Family Carers to services for information and supports, and to advocate on their behalf.
Caha Centre
Contact Ann-Maire Thomas annmaire.thecahacentre@gmail.com
Beara West
Contact Alvina Cassidy acassidy@bearawestfrc.ie
Bantry
Contact Gemma Casey gemma@locallinkcork.ie
Mizen & Sheep’s Head Peninsula
Contact Lorna Harte 087 4001763 or lorna@locallinkcork.ie
Skibbereen
Contact Gráinne Carr opcworker@scfrc.ie
Dunmanway
Contact Debbie Hayes debbie@dfrc.ie
West Cork Arts Centre
West Cork Arts Centre was established in 1985 in Skibbereen, Co. Cork. It is a publicly funded arts facility that creates opportunities for the people of West Cork to have access to, and engagement with, local and global arts practices of excellence.
It supports a multi-disciplinary arts programme with a focus on contemporary visual art . It is a resource and development agency, providing expertise, and physical and human resources to assist artists, other arts organisations, groups, and individuals to realise arts projects.
It is committed to exploring new and innovative ways of combating the challenges facing audience development and participation, and the development of opportunities for artists, especially in relation to those located in rural communities.
Currently West Cork Arts Centre provides a range of education and community programmes for adults and children at the Centre in Skibbereen and throughout the West Cork region. The unique and enriching opportunity to experience and work with real artworks and live artists is explored through many of its programmes. Our Artists’ Residency programme (Artists’ Studios and Dance Studio) offers Artist in Residence studio opportunities to artists locally, nationally and internationally. West Cork Arts Centre places education at the heart of its activities with a wide range of arts workshops, community-based projects, film screenings, seminars, talks and gallery tours on offer throughout the year.
West Cork Arts Centre covers the Skibbereen and Bantry urban and rural area which stretches from the Beara Peninsula in the west, to Clonakilty in the east, from Dunmanway in the north, to the islands of Cape Clear and Sherkin in the south. A considerable number of artists and crafts people from Ireland and abroad are living and working in the area.
Partnerships with other organisations and agencies are formed to deal with this geographical area and this is a vital strategy for realising the objectives of the Centre.