Jose with his sister Juliana

My name is Juliana Antonio Byrne.  My brother Jose Antonio is in Brooklodge ADS, Ballyglunin for over 31 years.   I can only say it has a positive experience for our family. This is a service of excellence without doubt, this Service has always strived to facilitate the needs of the people who attend.

The most important thing is that my brother Jose is happy. He loves going to his Day Service in Brooklodge and I believe the reason for this is that his day in Brooklodge is fulfilling, it gives him a sense of worth and wellbeing, he is listened to and his wishes and aspirations are met. If there are any challenges they are dealt with in a timely manner and resolved. The communication between staff and family is great and so there is a great partnership between the service and family. The staff team are creative, always looking for new ideas and experiences to enhance the lives of the people they support and this continues to improve the service and prevent complacency and stagnation. Having  transport  to and from the service is of great benefit. 

I think securing funding to facilitate building works to enhance and develop the service is important. The Local Community is very important to Brooklodge and to enable a partnership between the two would benefit both.

The  Brooklodge Service  has always been supportive to Jose at difficult times of his life especially when our mother passed away, having support and consistency helped him immensely at this time. The introduction of the Friday Feeling Cafe and the Co Op has given him a sense of "work" . The 30 Year Celebration was a great event, and it gave Jose and all his friends the opportunity to showcase their talents. Over the years there have been many things to celebrate , a trip to Wales, undertaking Adult Education Courses, Drama Shows and Art Exhibitions to mention a few. More recently recording their Single "Stronger Together" was a huge achievement.

My most important wish for Jose is that he is happy, that he is treated with dignity and respect and listened to , that his wishes and aspirations are achieved as far as possible and that his days are fulfilling and challenging. 

At the moment this is happening for him in Brooklodge and I am so grateful to the staff team for this.  

 Juliana Antonio Byrne

Jose with his sister Juliana