merrion street

Speaking on the occasion of Western Care Association’s 50th Anniversary, Minister of State with special responsibility for Disabilities, Finian McGrath TD said that Western Care should be very proud of the role it has played in providing services and supports to people with an intellectual disability and their families in Mayo over the past 50 years. The Minister highlighted this by saying “You have delivered magnificently on your Mission to empower people to live full and satisfied lives as equal citizens - a mission which particularly resonates with Ireland as a nation this year, the centenary year of the signing of the Proclamation.”
The Minister was speaking at a conference held to mark the 50th Anniversary, and noted that one of the items on the conference agenda on the subject of “ A Home of My Own, Living on My Own Terms” encapsulated the tremendous work being done by Western Care in supporting people to live self-directed lives. The Minister continued “Many people with disabilities already live in the community, and the aim of the health services must be to support people to remain living in their own homes, and prevent them from being separated from their communities and their natural social support structures”.
The Minister added that Western Care are very much to the fore in this regard and are committed to supporting their service users to live rich and fulfilled lives, participating fully in the lives of their local communities and are committed to supporting people to gain meaningful employment in partnership with local employers. He said "The history of Western Care Association demonstrates that it has the inspiration, the imagination and the commitment to make a strong contribution in the coming years to transform the lives of people with disabilities in our society”.
The Minister concluded by thanking all those involved in making Western Care the vibrant and responsive organisation it is today, ranging from the people who use Western Care’s services, and their families, who are front and centre of all Western Care’s endeavours, the staff who give of their best day in and day out, and the many volunteers who give so tirelessly of their time to support service users and staff. The Minister applauded each and every person involved in Western Care for their achievements and wished them every success in the years to come.