They had already made their mark on their native place in so many ways during their lifetimes – but the lasting legacy left by Joe and Helen O’Toole just continues to grow well after their deaths.

The latest incarnation saw the new Joe & Helen O’Toole Community Nursing Unit (CNU) in Tuam opening its doors for the first time to Day Care Services last week.

The day service now operates Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:30 am to 16:00 pm with a Dementia specific day care on Wednesdays.

Currently up to ten people attend each day (up to five for Dementia Day Care), benefiting from a variety of activities tailored to their individual preferences.

These activities include music, dancing, bingo, card playing, poetry, art, arts & crafts, chair exercises, etc.

And the attendees are loving it; as Brendan Gilligan put it: “I meet like-minded people.  I get on fine.  I like to support the day care as it is near me.”

New to attending day service, Mary Mahon described it as ‘a great outing’.

“Before this, I might not have seen anybody for days.  I have made lots of new friends.  I enjoy crafts, exercise and the company,” she said.

“It is a lovely day out.  I look forward to meeting my new friends,” said Mary Lawlor – and Bridie Miskell added: “We are like a little community”.

Director of Nursing Sini Varghese said that the Day Care Centre for Older Persons provides much needed vital service to the local community.

“It is at the heart of the wellbeing of our community and plays a critical role in supporting families and individuals in need of specialised care,” she said.

“It provides a welcoming environment where those attending can receive the high-quality, compassionate services and support that they need.”

Facilities at the HSE Day Care Centre consists of a large day room, kitchen, office area, access to the gardens and roof top garden.  Catering is provided by the kitchen in the CNU.  Transport is available to assist attendees to access this important community resource.

Referrals for the service can be made through the local Public Health Nurse and GP.

“Day centres are fundamental to the health and well-being of our older population and play a key role in enabling older people to live independently in their own communities,” said Staff Nurse Amrutha Abraham, who organises the service.

“We are delighted to be offering this service in the Joe & Helen O’Toole, Community Nursing Unit for the people of Tuam and surrounding area.”

The unit was supported by the Joe and Helen O’Toole Charitable Trust, which oversees the distribution of the multi-million-euro fund, left for community purposes, by the late Tuam couple.

Mr O’Toole died in 2019, six years after the death of his wife. The well-known businessman ran O’Toole’s Supervalu in Tuam for decades.

Pictured: Attendees at new Joe & Helen O’Toole Community Nursing Unit in Tuam (from left) Mary Lawlor, Kathleen Keane, Ann Mullins, Bridie Miskell, Mary Mahon and Brendan Gilligan, with (back) Staff Nurse Amrutha Abraham; Health Care Assistant Geraldine Higgins; Director of Nursing Sini Varghese, and Health Care Assistants Nora Costello and Frida Delagado.