Anthony is a typical teenager who loves soccer, rap music and tattoos. He has experienced mental health difficulties since his early teens. He struggled in school and spent some time in a mental health unit in a Galway hospital. By the time he finished school he had stopped leaving the house and became very isolated and withdrawn. He eventually connected with local youth mental health services and this has helped him build his confidence and community connections. He has started soccer training and hopes to join the local team. Anthony is passionate about encouraging people to talk about mental health and wants to use his experience to help others. A youth mental health strategy is being developed for Donegal county with support from the HSE and Genio (through the Service Reform Fund). This is a youth-led initiative, which has successfully brought people from across communities and professions together. Anthony is a member of this group and is helping to identify and develop appropriate youth mental health supports in the local area. He is also being supported by the HSE to train in peer mentoring so that he can help other young people going through similar experiences.

Mary is very open, friendly and intelligent. She did exceptionally well in school but experienced significant mental health challenges from her late teens. These challenges meant her time in university was cut short. She spent a number of years struggling with her health and unable to engage in work or education. The first step on her recovery journey was when she joined the Kerry Peer Support Network in 2013, funded by the HSE and Genio. “It provides a place for people to come to that there’s no professionals present. That was always a very strong point from the beginning, that there wouldn’t be professionals present and that it would be obviously people who have been through the system themselves. I mean it was initially run for six weeks and it’s six years now it’s still going.” Meeting other people from her community experiencing mental health challenges helped Mary build her confidence and made her realise she was not alone. She started to pursue an education in mental health support and facilitation. She also began to sit on HSE service user panels and recovery education committees. In 2016, she was successful in becoming a paid HSE Peer Support Worker and she brings a wealth of experience and empathy to her role in supporting others. “There is no way 5 years ago that I could have imagined myself doing this and feeling this confident. Any day can be a challenge, but in this there is growth. I have discovered a new life.”

Irene is warm and welcoming and always has time for a cup of tea and a chat. Irene was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2012. She was referred to a hospital consultant who ran a basic cognitive test. Irene’s daughter Orla describes how, “He sat me down and he said, ‘right I think your mam may have dementia’. That basically she shouldn’t be living at home, she should be in a nursing home. This was all based on this one test. He’d never met my mam before. I mean she was still driving her car, living on her own and had her independence. I just felt it was a bit harsh because I knew she wasn’t that bad. I felt quite hurt and alone at that moment because I didn’t know where to go from there.” Eventually Irene was referred to the Holly Day ward in Connolly Hospital, which had developed supports for people with dementia as part of the HSE & Genio Dementia Programme. Orla describes how “seeing the doctor and then seeing the nurse, Susan, they both showed an awful lot of care and attention towards my mam. Towards me as a person being a family member. There was no mention of a nursing home.” Irene continues to live independently, with support, and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

In his youth, Joe loved cycling and rugby. He has a dry wit, loves company and is an entertaining story teller. He spent three years living in Canada where he trained as an electrician. He returned to Ireland and had a family but began to experience significant mental health difficulties. He has been living in mental health institutions, hospitals and hostels for the past four decades. Last year, he was supported by the HSE and Genio (through the Service Reform Fund), to move into his own home in the community where he receives daily medical and occupational support. He is happy to have left the hospital, but it is a huge change and only the start of a new journey for Joe. He is making connections in the community. He is getting to grips with organising his own meals. He goes to town every day for tea and occasionally to place a bet. Every second person he passes seems to know him and greets him by name. He dreams of one day returning to his home town in Meath.

Marion is vibrant and caring and her husband Ronnie adores her. They brought up their four children in the heart of Galway city, surrounded by art and culture. They enjoyed life to the full. Marion was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago and life for Marion and Ronnie changed. Although Marion is still living at home, she has lost a lot of her independence and Ronnie retired early from his job to care for her fulltime. In the last year, Marion has received a dementia-specific homecare package through an HSE pilot scheme, with support from Genio. This means that Marion has someone who comes to her home to provide personalised supports 3 hours a day, five days a week. This has helped her maintain some independence and to continue living at home. Ronnie can spend some time being her husband rather than fulltime carer. Marion and Ronnie continue to enjoy art and design and they are working on a painting together, when Marion feels up to it. She loves spending time with her children and grandchildren and to chat with friends over cups of tea. There are many challenges ahead, but personalised homecare has meant that Marion can be supported in her own home with Ronnie for as long as possible.

Shane is strong, independent, funny and always has a twinkle in his eye. He has physical disabilities which require 24/7 support. His ability to live in his own home in the community was often underestimated. He advocated for years to get his own place and finally, with support from the HSE and Genio, he moved to his own apartment in the summer of 2018. Shane is glad to have his own space and be able to make decisions about his own life, even things as simple as what to have for dinner or when to have a cup of tea. This is only the start of the journey for Shane however. Every day can feel like a challenge, whether it’s trying to get access to the park across the road from his apartment, where the entrance is too small for his wheelchair; or secure a parking space for his disability van. Shane is a champion for others who are also seeking to leave institutional care and move to their own home. He recognises that he is lucky that he can speak and advocate on his own behalf, but others cannot. Champions like Shane are critical in demonstrating what’s possible and create momentum for change.

Catherine is stylish and softly spoken. She had a busy career in the Revenue. She loved her work and loved the people she worked with. In 2018, she was diagnosed with dementia (Alzheimer’s). Her daughter Paula is the primary family carer. The HSE with support from Genio provided a dementia-specific homecare package as part of their programme to develop personalised, community-based services for people with dementia. For Paula, this support has meant that the family can come to terms with Catherine’s diagnosis and establish a routine that maintains Catherine in her home and community life, in so far as is possible. This support also helps Catherine to continue caring for her grandchildren, who she adores, after school. If Catherine was in a nursing home she would be receiving 24/7 professional support and be at risk of becoming isolated from her friends and community where she has lived for decades.

Bernie is very positive, friendly and loves to have the chats. She lived in institutional care for decades where opportunities were limited largely to facilities within a disability campus setting. “I came from Áras Attracta. I didn’t like it. Because [there were] too many people in it.” In 2018, she moved to her own home in Ballina with two friends, with support from the HSE and Genio (through the Service Reform Fund). For the first time, she is experiencing life as a member of the local community, getting the opportunity to make decisions for herself and demonstrate her potential and ability. When she was in Áras Attracta food was delivered from a central kitchen, so she never saw food prepared. She never went shopping in a supermarket to choose her own food. Now she has a home with a kitchen where she can see and smell the food being cooked. She is supported to do her own shopping and is taking part in a cookery course. She also joined the local Slimming World group and has already made friends in the community. She loves fashion and her dream is to work in a clothes shop, so she is currently getting work experience by volunteering at a local St. Vincent de Paul shop. Her world has expanded hugely within a year and her future has so much potential.

Ruby has a wicked sense of humour, loves listening to music, hanging out with her friends and her most important possession is her phone. She also enjoys helping her Dad and her Uncle out on the farm. Ruby has lived with cerebral palsy all her life and requires 24/7 support. She attends mainstream school where she has a lot of friends but her access to activities outside of school is very restricted. Spraoi agus Spórt provides social and recreational facilities to local families in the Inishowen area of Donegal including after school activities and summer camps. In 2011, they established a social club for children with disabilities with support from the HSE and Genio. Ruby’s parents, Chrissy and Alan, describe how ‘it changed our lives’. Ruby has a social outlet outside of school, which is helping her to thrive and gain some independence. Chrissy and Alan felt isolated and alone for a long time, but through this service they have met other families going through similar experiences and challenges and it has become a lifeline. Spraoi agus Spórt received further funding in 2018 from the Service Reform Fund (HSE and Genio) to develop a programme for teenagers with disabilities and Ruby is working with staff to identify and develop appropriate activities.

Jason is articulate and compassionate with a love for fishing. He experienced homelessness for a number of years in Dublin. During this time his confidence and trust in other people plummeted. Fr Peter McVerry (of Peter McVerry Trust) became a consistent presence in Jason’s life and slowly he began to accept help and make changes. Jason finally moved into his own apartment and turned his life around. For the past few years, Jason has been working for the Peter McVerry Trust, providing support to others who experience long-term homelessness and rough-sleeping. He now works with people through a ‘Housing-First’ model, which offers those who have experienced long-term homelessness a chance to have their own home and tailors supports around them to help them maintain their tenancies. He is also directly contributing to and informing the national development and rollout of housing first initiatives through the Service Reform Fund. “I’ll never forget where I was, and I bring that experience with me. Housing- first is powerful. There’s no judgements. It’s meeting the person where they’re at and nurturing positive change. The end goal is to support reintegration to normal living; to offer the best chance to a happy life as possible.”