07 December 2022
PROVING IT’S POSSIBLE…
Westbury Residents Realise Their Dreams At Disneyland Paris
In all that we do at Resilience Social Care, we ask ourselves one clear question - ‘How can we bring Possible to Life?’ How can we safely help those we support enjoy new opportunities, realise their goals, and reach their potential? Recently our team at our Westbury Residential Care service put this thinking into action in the most special of ways - by organising a dream-come-true trip to magical Disneyland Paris for their residents.
Our bespoke service in Westbury is home to four young adult residents. Having lived together for over a year, their relationships have grown and they are friendly and energetic - working, socialising and participating in their local community. The residents had been requesting a holiday since the beginning of the summer, with Disneyland top of the list. Senior Support Worker Agnes Kalinowska, describes how the plan came to take shape:
"My co-worker Fionnuala and I had been talking about planning a trip abroad for our residents - so we sat down with our manager and team leader to look at how we could make this happen. We began exploring every tiny detail, to get our plan across the line. We spent a lot of time looking at how we could manage risks and what the benefits were. We had many planning sessions with the families, and we consulted with the residents’ Multi-Disciplinary Team to ensure we had the green-light from all professionals concerned. We looked at how we would manage the flights and the public transport - especially as one member of the group uses a wheelchair. When we finally told the group ‘You’re going to Disneyland’- it was just wonderful. There were tears!"
In November, and together with four staff, Agnes, Danielle, Janet and Sarah, the group flew from Dublin to Paris for the trip of their dreams. They stayed in apartments close to Disneyland, and over the course of five days the Westbury residents experienced the best of the home of magic, fantasy and fairy tales. Rides were enjoyed, roller coasters were ridden, and Disney characters were hugged - plus there was a special evening at the Walt Disney Theatre, featuring favourite characters from the likes of Frozen and The Lion King. The experience was made as easy as possible, with the group receiving special passes, so there was no need to queue. There was plenty of time to see the sights of Paris too - from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe. The team always kept the families back home informed of plans and sent daily photographs.
"This was truly an incredible experience for our residents, and I will never forget seeing their faces when we arrived in Disneyland. Everyone could choose what they wanted to do, so some took boat trips, others went on the carousel and teacups, and one of our guys was really into the big roller coaster rides! Another resident is a huge Marvel fan - and when he saw Spiderman, he just couldn’t believe his eyes!"
While the trip obviously brought dreams to life and immeasurable fun, so much more was achieved. The group experienced so many new things, learned valuable skills and enjoyed independence on a different level:
"Each resident had to save their own money for the holiday and took control of their own daily budget in Disneyland. They also had to choose what clothes to take with them. They got to eat in French restaurants and try new food - even snails, which was loads of fun - and used the city’s trains and buses. I’m just so proud of them and everything they achieved."
Westbury Service Manager, Aoife Connaughton, sums up the importance of trips like this:
"These four residents experienced that everything is possible. They can do more, fly, explore, travel - live their best life. By building inner strength and self-belief - so much can be achieved."
