Adult Day Services

Health & Wellbeing Programme

‘No Barriers Health & Wellbeing Programme’ is an 8-week person centred programme currently delivered to DCITS day services and funded by the HSE. The programme provides health and wellbeing support and opportunities to participating service users in a fun, inclusive and positive environment.

Health and wellbeing are essential for adults with intellectual disabilities, as it can help prevent and reduce health issues and can significantly enhance quality of life.

Maintaining good physical and emotional health can address key health concerns, increase independence and self-esteem, and promote positive behaviours such as emotional regulation and resilience.

Programme model:

Our programme is underpinned by an evidence-based model which recognises that capability, opportunity and motivation are required for each service user to reach their goals or target behaviours towards adopting healthy lifestyle practices.

This is achieved via our expert coaching team at No Barriers who implement each programme based on our service users’ physical and psychological needs, providing the right environments to engage in programme activities and applying behaviour change coaching techniques via positive feedback, rewarding effort and modelling behaviour.

Programme Aim

Increase Physical activity
Enhance health and emotional wellbeing
Offer community-based opportunities
Help embed a strong health and wellbeing culture within DCITS services

Programme Objective

Engage in various activities promoting good health and emotional wellbeing including exercise, nutrition education, mindfulness and workshops based on good health choices.
Provide service users the opportunity to take part in health-related goal setting and work with them to support their personal goals over the 8-week programme.
Empower service users in creating positive health behaviours and share the message that good health and wellbeing can be achieved when the correct environments, resources, accessible information, and supports are offered.

Programme Benefits

Physical benefits – increase cardiovascular fitness, enhance muscular strength and coordination, support healthy weight management, boost energy levels and sleep quality.
Emotional health benefits – Reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood and self-esteem, strengthen emotional resilience.
Social benefits – offers access to community-based health resources, fosters sense of belonging and improves communication, provides support and builds friendships.

Duration and Schedule

The programme runs in one DCITS location at a time for the duration of 8-weeks (Monday – Thursday 10.30 – 3.00pm).
Morning and afternoon sessions consist of 1 – 2 activities depending on mode of activity. Lunch is taken between the morning and afternoon sessions.
Each activity can last anywhere from 20mins to 1hr depending on the activity type.
Each programme schedule is implemented flexibly and tailored to our service users’ needs and location of each day centre.

Core Components of the Health & Wellbeing Programme

Exercise classes – These energetic classes focus on muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness in the gym environment. Service users use a variety of gym equipment weights, sleds, ropes, bikes, rowers etc. adapted to everyone’s needs. Exercises are completed for sets, reps and time. This form of exercise is significantly beneficial for muscular strength, bone density and cardiovascular health.

Yoga – Our yoga classes are delivered in a quiet, relaxing environment where service users enjoy moving mindfully targeting muscular strength, balance and flexibility. These classes also have added benefit where service users can engage in meditation/quiet time at the end of each session to relax and regulate.

Dancing – Dance classes on our programme have a real flare of fun where service users can work on their cardiovascular fitness, coordination and build self-confidence while working out to their favourite tunes.

Fun & Games – Our fun and games sessions focus on movement, play and team building. These sessions are an excellent way for our service users to engage in sport and team games building on collaboration and problem-solving skills while strengthening relationships with peers.

Walking/wheeling – Walking/wheeling sessions provide our service users opportunity to spend time in green space, targeting weekly physical activity guidelines for health (150 moderate intensity minutes per week) and show that walking/wheeling is the easiest and most inexpensive form of exercise for all.

Mindfulness activities – Our mindfulness sessions provide a peaceful and immersive experience, allowing service users to relax in a calm environment. Practicing mindfulness offers numerous benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure, and improving sleep quality.

Nutrition & Hydration – Nutrition & hydration workshops are a key part of our programme, offering service users a fun and engaging way to learn about nourishing their bodies. Participants will explore topics such as staying hydrated, maintaining a balanced diet, meal planning, making healthy choices when eating out, and preparing simple, nutritious meals.

Health and wellbeing workshops – Our health and wellbeing workshops feature visual tabletop activities that explore essential topics like sleep hygiene, heart health, self-care, and resilience. These sessions highlight the importance of these components in maintaining overall health and wellbeing.

Resources

With the programme delivered in the communities of each DCITS location we have built a base of resources and connections which can facilitate our programme activities alongside No Barriers. See below our fantastic programme partners!

Success Stories

Testimonials from past participants

'’No, I said, 'I'm not doing it'. The fear of new things. Not knowing what to expect. I don't like change or changing my routine. With some help from my parents and the staff, I agreed to give it a go. I’m so glad I did!"

"The program turned out to be fun. I learned a lot about myself and about nutrition, this has helped me make better food choices. I learned I can do things out of my routine like going to the gym and astro turf in my community. We did a lot of different exercises. My fear was gone. I learned that it is ok to move away from my routine. I had a laugh with my friends from CI Ballyraine who participated too. The staff from CI Ballyraine came on my journey and gave me great encouragement along the way. The staff of No Barriers were very helpful, thank you to the coaches for their support and encouragement, especially when going to the gym and trying new exercises. They made me feel safe and comfortable through the 8 weeks."

"I advise everyone to try the program. There are different things in the program that suit everyone. Thank you to the No Barriers program. I had a great experience and my advice is to everyone is not to be frightened to change your routine. Change is ok"

How to Participate

Speak to your service coordinator or get in touch with No Barriers Programme Coordinator Sinéad (sinead@nobarriers.ie) to find out when the programme will be in your centre!

When the programme is coming to your centre, No Barriers will come show and talk to you about the programme and what we will do for the 8 weeks.

You can then take time to decide if the programme is right for you. If you think you might like to join, you can then come along to the programme and sign up on the first week.

If taking part in the programme it’s important to:

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes
Have a raincoat
Bring a drink of water

Team

Meet the No Barriers Health & Wellbeing team!

Sinéad Martin

Programme Coordinator and Coach

MSc Sport & Exercise Psychology

BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Performance

Additional Training – Disability Inclusion Training, Understanding & Supporting Autistic People, Managing Behaviours of Concern, Sleep Hygiene, Pain Management – Gentle Movement and Relaxation Techniques, Epilepsy & Buccal Midazolam Administration and First Aid.

Helen Mc Cready

Coach, Physical Therapist

MSc Sports Performance Practice

Postgrad Dip. in Clinical Exercise

BSc Applied Health Science with Physical Therapy

Postgrad Cert. in Disability Studies

BA Applied Social Studies in Social Care

Postgrad Cert. in Research Development & Practice

Additional Training – Epilepsy & Buccal Midazolam administration and First Aid.

Fiona Kelly

Coach, Nutritionist and Yoga Teacher

BSc (Hons) Food Science & Nutrition

200hr Yoga teacher training with additional hours in chair yoga, yin yoga, mobility and flexibility training

Irish Institute of Health Sciences Practitioner Certificate in Health & Wellness Coaching

Level 6 Special Needs Assistant

Additional Training – Epilepsy & Buccal Midazolam administration and First Aid.

Sean Mc Ginley

Coach, Strength & Conditioning and Personal Trainer

National Certificate in Strength & Conditioning (NCSC)

Diploma in Personal Training

Bachelor of Business (Hons)

Additional Training – Managing Behaviours of Concern and First Aid.

We’d love for you to be part of our Health & Wellbeing programme!

Whether you want to build healthy habits, stay active, or find new ways to relax, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Let’s do this together!

Get Started Today