Designer Louise Kennedy returned to her native Tipperary to open the first family room in Nenagh Hospital which is for relatives of patients who are seriously ill or near the end of life and those families who are bereaved.

The room was funded under the Design & Dignity Grants Fund which is operated and co- funded by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) and the Health Service Executive (HSE). The new facility cost approximately €35,000 from the Design & Dignity Fund.

The Design & Dignity Fund was instigated in October 2010.A total of 11 projects in acute hospitals countrywide are being supported by the Fund and so far five facilities have been completed.

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Located near the main entrance to the hospital, the new family room was created from combining two small rooms’ measuring12sq meters in total. The clever use of space has allowed the hospital to have a tea and coffee making facility, a couch, armchairs and a “pull out” bed should relatives wish to stay overnight near their dying loved one.

Speaking at the opening, Louise Kennedy commented: "Our Late father Jimmy Kennedy spent time in Nenagh Hospital, he received amazing care from the very dedicated nursing team who also gave my family the support we needed at a very vulnerable and anxious time. It is such a welcome facility that Nenagh Hospital now has a family room for loved ones to grieve privately and to be in a calm and peaceful environment."

(CD/MH)