Knockamann serving its residents well

I REFER to the article that carries Dr McClean of the Brothers of Charity’s opinion on Knockamann, Portrane, in the Irish Examiner (April 18).

When the village complex now known as Knockamann was first contemplated, the client population of St Joseph’s Service on St Ita’s campus was 200. Most of these lived in completely unsuitable old psychiatric buildings.

Many of them were of a very high dependency level, some having come from, and some rejected by, voluntary organisations unable to cope with them. Our association vigorously campaigned for complete vacation of these old buildings. A purpose-built centre for 30 clients was opened in Clonmethon, Oldtown in 2002.

This was seen to have an almost immediate beneficial effect on the residents who moved there, most of whom had presented with challenging behaviour. Knockamann opened last November and is a state-of-the-art complex of 10 bungalows, each accommodating six residents.

Also included is a fine new resource centre, which provides a wide variety of appropriate therapies and occupations tailor-made for each individual. We are in no doubt as to their ensuing benefit. There was an example of this only last week when residents from St Joseph’s Service attended an awards ceremony in the Burlington Hotel representing the only ID facility in the country to be nominated for an An Taisce award.

While ongoing issues remain and continue to be dealt with by both this association and St Joseph’s service, we hope that relocation to the community is kept at a pace which ensures that the mistakes of such relocations made on a large scale in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK, are not repeated. Dr McClean’s expertise with intellectually disabled people, particularly those with challenging behaviour is well-known and admired, not just in Ireland.

We would be surprised however, if in the circumstances, he could recommend a more satisfactory solution for residents to the old overcrowded, inappropriate accommodation, than that of Knockamann.

Eamonn Tierney

Chairman

St Joseph’s Association