Centre gives carers a break
Released: 19 July 2007
Carers are hailing the success of a new £1.5 million short break centre which is a ‘home away from home’ for adults with a learning disability.
The Ernest Bold Resource Centre offers accommodation for adults with a learning disability. It gives them a place to stay overnight or at weekends, promotes their independence by allowing them to meet new people and learn new skills and also offers their carers the chance to take a much-needed break.
Geoff Foster, Wolverhampton City Council Cabinet Member for Adults, said: “This is a very exciting development for people and will provide an invaluable facility for families who need a break.
“We’ve listened to the needs of carers, families and those who have learning disabilities and are proud to be able to provide this much-needed short break service.”
The centre’s manager, April Sennett said: “We are here to give carers a break in the way that supports them the best.
“If this short break service was not available I firmly believe that a lot of families would no longer be able to cope with looking after the person they care for in their own home.
“Our aim is to offer people with a learning disability a range of short breaks and care and support services which help and promote their independence and social inclusion.”
The centre in Wolverhampton Street, Bilston, opened three months ago and is one of two new resource centres - along with Swan Bank, Penn, which opened in 2005 - to have replaced outdated facilities at Muchall Grove.
Purpose-built, Ernest Bold has six en-suite bedrooms, two of which are specially equipped for people with physical disabilities. There is also an extra bedroom available for families who are experiencing an emergency situation.
Staff run regular activities and occasional day trips, with people planning their activities via a monthly meeting.
The service has more than 80 families registered to use it, and the number is rising all the time.
April said: “Muchall Grove was no longer fit for purpose; we did the best we could with it, but we spoke to the families using the service and they told us they wanted something better, brighter and newer.
“They have been involved in the project from the very start, and their families were part of the steering group. They told us they wanted an outreach service, and the provision of beds for emergencies, and we have been able to provide those.”
The centre is staffed 24 hours a day and while people with a learning disability meet new people and learn new skills, their carers get to have some time to themselves.
Faye Harvey, whose son Dwayne has been at Ernest Bold and Muchall Grove before it for the last nine months, said: “I find it very useful; it’s a good break for me and my son likes to come here.
“People used to think that respite centres like this were institutions but this is nothing like that; it is such a homely environment and Dwayne always has a big smile on his face whenever I bring him here.”
Service users and their carers have been invited to the centre’s official opening by Councillor Foster on Wednesday, August 8.
For more information about the Ernest Bold Resource Centre, call 01902 553369.
Issued by the press office.