A new family room, which has been described as a calming, supportive, space, has opened at University Hospital Galway's coronary care unit. Croí, the heart and stroke charity, recently funded the furnishing and redesign of the facility.
The coronary care unit is a specialist centre for patients recovering after an acute heart attack or other serious heart conditions. It is the primary heart unit for the Saolta Hospital Group and patients from the west and north-west of the country are cared for there.
Commenting on the importance of the new family room, hospital manager Chris Kane said, "Many of the patients treated in the Coronary Care Unit arrive by ambulance or helicopter with little time to prepare for a hospital stay. They come from all parts of the country and having a family room available makes a huge difference to the families who may travel long distances to the hospital in stressful situations. We are very appreciative of the support from Croí which made the new family room possible."
Christine Flanagan, Croí's director of fundraising says the charity is proud of this "beautiful space" created by the Croí family room. "Part of our mission here at Croí is to support families faced with heart disease or stroke and we wanted to provide a calming space for families going through a difficult time as their loved ones receive care in University Hospital Galway."
Rosetta Reilly from Co Cavan who spent time in the family room earlier this year while her mother was in the care of the coronary care unit said her family were delighted to have use of this special room for the duration of her mother's six night hospital stay.
"I was here every day and the rest of the family visited daily from Cavan. We were able to have a cup of tea together between visits to the coronary care unit and I was able to rest here, too. Living so far from the hospital, it was fantastic to have a home away from home which allowed us to be close to our mother."
To redesign the family space in the hospital, Croí teamed up with local interior designer Rosie O'Connell, who generously donated her time to the project.
“Rosie collaborated with the team at the hospital and really helped transform the room into a calm space for families to recharge," said Ms Flanagan. "Croí's work is entirely funded from the proceeds of fundraising events, voluntary contributions and philanthropy. The Croí Family Room refurbishment was made possible thanks to generous donations to Croí's Patient and Family Support Services fund. Other Croí patient and family support services include free accommodation in the Courtyard Apartments at Croí, where families can stay close to a loved one who is undergoing surgery or receiving stroke or cardiac care at Galway University Hospitals."
To learn more about Croí visit www.croi.ie
