Charity heralds plans for 2017

Sunday 01 January 2017

A local charity is hoping to build a new home to care for its elderly residents and plans to get other residents working on encouraging us all to recycle more.

Les Amis wants to create an eight bed nursing and complex needs unit so that their residents don't have to move into care homes and is setting up a recycling team thanks to a big grant from the Association of Jersey Charities.

The unit will offer long term residential accommodation to adults with learning disabilities who have nursing needs and may have also developed complex needs or dementia. The charity's staff and registered nurses will provide the 24 hour care, support and development they need, taking the pressure off States provisions, especially as many elderly care nurses are not trained to look after people with learning disabilities.

The Association of Jersey Charities recently chose to gift Les Amis a substantial grant to pilot a Les Amis recycling team which they hope to roll out this year. The scheme will not only help the States reach their target to recycle 36% of the Island's waste but it will also create sheltered employment for a number of Les Amis residents.

The charity say they are confident that they can provide a cost effective service that will be useful and popular with local businesses across the Island.

Les Amis have been supporting and empowering islanders with learning disabilities and/or associated conditions for over 40 years and their services are as diverse as the needs of the clients, residents and families that they work with. They support over 150 service users and employ over 200 staff that provide 24 hour care 365 days a year.

The charity says 2016 has been a positive year, not only has the business grown but Jersey’s awareness surrounding learning disability has improved immensely. The use of social media and their new website has increased Les Amis’ public recognition over the past year and they have been able to effectively share news of their events such as the hot chocolate sales, the Plankathon and annual Christmas carol service with a broader range of Islanders. 

In 2017 they say they hope to build on their relationship with Zedra, their new corporate partner and say it will help them expand and improve so that everyone in the Island who needs them has access to their services.

The charity says disability does not mean inability and are confident they offer the right support at the right time and hope to continue this ethos long into the future.