At the start of 2013, the ACET care team noted a positive attitude among many clients who were seeking to improve in areas of their life, such as adhering to HIV medication, lowering levels of methadone maintenance, giving up smoking and bettering other areas of general health. In line with this, ACET’s staff and volunteers continued to provide practical and emotional client-centred care to 25 families with 63 adult and youth clients needing intensive or medium support, and to 29 families (40 individuals) who needed low levels of support, all affected by HIV, Hepatitis C and poly drug use, among other issues.
The support included:
- 563 home care visits (373 by care staff and 190 by volunteers)
- Accompaniment to 43 clinic and medical appointments
- 64 sessions of bereavement support, crisis intervention and counselling
- Numerous respite days (individual and family) with therapeutic elements
- 22 quilt group meetings
Following the success of a pilot women’s morning in March, we held a second women’s event in July which focused on a holistic look at nutrition and healthy living. The reason behind this focus was a direct result of emerging issues of food poverty and the implications this has on physical and mental health. The good weather during the summer months also provided an opportunity for individually focused and varied respite days for clients. We enjoyed day trips to Dun Laoghaire, Bray, Botanic Gardens and Howth, in addition to making use of local community gardens and parks in the city centre.
The 2013 budget, which came earlier than expected, affected a number of our clients who receive grants such as mobility or dietary allowance. Practically, staff worked alongside individuals on personal budgeting, helping families with back-to-school needs and advocating to have personal grants restored.
In December, the care team completed the Hamper Project, delivering individually-tailored hampers to all the client families in a manner integrated with their overall care plan, taking time to be with people during this difficult season. This is always a positive way to close off the year and we are extremely appreciative of the donations and help towards it.
ACET Care 2013 highlights:
- Continued work around parent-to-child communication and disclosure of HIV status.
- Ongoing goal setting in line with client care plans which saw many individuals committing to adhere to their medication and reduce methadone and other drug use.
- Several new diverse client referrals during the year.
- Client-initiated group respite days which were significant as our clients are rarely in a place to attend group activities.
- Supporting one client to share their story in a public setting of their journey through addiction and of living with HIV.
This is an excerpt from ACET’s 2013 annual report. To download the full report, which includes reports on our education projects, our finances, and Matilda Project, please click on the link below.
