Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

206Table 11.3: Activities outside the facilityThe importance of outdoor activitiesMy day is brilliant. I’ve got something to doall the time. … If the weather is fine now, if itis warm I’ll walk away up the road, away uppast the swimming pool for about an hour,an hour and a half. … You can go in and out(of the facility) as much as you feel like; noone to stop you. It’s your time. You can dowhat you like with it. (PK3 Resident 01, Public)That is very important; the body must be used.Your legs and your whole body, you must beused. That is very important. I love walking.I walk, I’ll keep walking. Oh yes, and I’m evenplanning now to go to walk so. (LCI Resident12, Public)Oh yeah, I go out. Sometimes in thesummertime I go down to the shops but I’mnot allowed out on my own. I have to get anurse to come with me and she goes with medown to do the shopping and then we comeback home again. (PK3 Resident 04, Public)We go to the races twice a year and we willgo to the panto at Christmas. We don’t go tothe one in Dublin. We did at one stage but it’shard sometimes, it depends on how well ourclients are. And we might have a picnic out inthe summer. Different things, if we get invitedand we’re able to go, we’ll take somebody.We’ve often took maybe six or seven mendown to the pub in the afternoon. You know,bring a guitar and have some sandwiches andthings like that. (GN2 Activity Therapist 01,Public)We have also trips out in our minibus nowthat we have it. Tuesdays, Thursday andsometimes Friday mornings, you know, andfive or six clients would go out. During thewintertime it’s not great, we usually go to ashopping centre, but during the summer it’sfantastic. They get a chance then to go (place)and they go for a ramble around, might go fora coffee or they go for a drop of sherry, pintor whatever it is and then come back again.(YW5 Assistant Director of Nursing 01,Private)The lack of outdoor activitiesI used to love to get out but notnow. You see, it’s alright if any ofmy cousins came up from Cork.They might, they’d have a car andthey might take me out for a driveor a thing but I don’t expect any ofthe locals to take me out. … I feelthat I’d be holding them up. They’dhave to walk slowly and you know,in fact, I’ve come to the conclusionthat I shouldn’t be botheringanyone. It’s alright if they have a carand take me on a drive but to walk.(LCI Resident 08, Private)No. (I don’t get out on trips). It’svery awkward, you see. They’dhave to bring a chair and me aswell, like, you know. If there weretrips to Knock or anything like that,it isn’t just me they’d have to loadon to the bus, I’d have to bring thechair as well and take that out andthen put me into it. (YW4 Resident05, Private)Well, I suppose going aroundfarmers’ yards and that, I’d lovethat.Int: So you’d love some trips out?Yes, yes I’d love that. And theyhaven’t done that yet.Int: And do you think that’spossible?Yes, it is possible. I mean, whyshouldn’t it be when you’re afarmer’s daughter and there’sseveral of us here. They shouldsurely be able to get a couple offarms that they could bring us to.(YW5 Resident 02. Private)She was a carer herself … andalways liked to feel needed … andout of doors. Liked to be outdoorsand walking. … She is confined alot. (Relative)Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care Settings in Ireland