Denis's Story

Denis was admitted to St Doolaghs Care and Rehabilitation Centre in 2016 subsequent to acquiring a debilitating stroke,  where he presented as a high dependency resident requiring Assistance of 2 staff for transfers and all Activities of Daily Living i.e. showering, dressing and grooming.

Denis was also a full time wheelchair user and was unable to walk or transfer independently. Denis then undertook 8 years of rehabilitation in St Doolaghs and despite encountering many physical, functional and housing set backs, he remained resilient and determined in attaining his long term dream and goal of living independently in his local community. With all staff and the multidisciplinary support and repetitive engagement, Denis slowly acquired the skills to walk again, shower and dress himself again together with acquiring the ability to becoming fully independent in community access. This was achieved through a lengthy process of power mobility training where Denis acquired the skills to use a power chair independently in conjunction with public transport i.e. Luas, trains and buses.

This new found independence in regard to community access inspired Denis to strive for further autonomy, and despite being on the housing list for many years he eventually acquired suitable level access accommodation through the Tuath Housing Association where he is now living independently with minimum support. Denis should be commended for his resilience and determination for overcoming many set backs over the duration of his rehabilitation and is a perpetual example of hard work and mental resilience