Delight as residents from Moville Residential Group Home win prestigious prize

The win was for their poster submission which documents the residents’ resilience when faced with the detrimental effects of the unprecedented physical restrictions imposed by COVID-19 on mental health and overall wellbeing.

The four residents from Moville Residential Group Home, supported by their staff team, were recognised for their exceptional efforts, with their poster submission winning the Journal of Research in Nursing poster prize.

At the conference, the four residents received a rapturous welcome on stage as they accepted their award followed by a standing and emotional ovation from the large gathering in the O’Flanagan Theatre, Dublin.

The Annual International Nursing and Midwifery Research and Education Conference is aligned to the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The theme of this year's conference was 'Changing Landscapes of Health,' and the sub-themes were:

Integrating sustainable development goals into practice

Health and wellbeing in the health system

Innovation and digitalisation

Transforming nursing and midwifery practice, research and education

Moville Residential Group Home provides full-time residential care for adults with intellectual disabilities with the aim of maximising residents’ potential for independent living and supporting residents to have their physical, psychological and social needs met in line with their wishes and preferences.

The literature in the winning poster describes the effects on mental health and overall wellbeing of the unprecedented physical restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

These limitations impacted travel, reduced the options available for regular daily activities, and restricted access to a variety of physical activities. As a result, residential services for people with intellectual disabilities encountered considerable difficulties in maintaining opportunities for physical activity.

Consequently, numerous services modified their methods for providing physical activity programmes, involving residents, staff and utilising local amenities within the applicable restrictions.

Paddy McTeague, CNM3 (Quality, Risk & Service User Safety) Donegal Disability Services said: “It was a wonderful experience for us all and fitting recognition for the residents’ resilience during COVID-19 which was captured in the photographs in their poster.

"We are delighted for the residents to have maintained their presence within their local community and would like to take this opportunity to wish them every continued success in the future. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to staff members who support residents in all their endeavours and all community members who have offered their unwavering encouragement and support.”