Thanks to the support of the community, the Altona Health Care Auxiliary was able to purchase several key pieces of equipment for the Altona Community Memorial Health Centre and Eastview Place this year.
“We started off last year already to raise funds for 17 ceiling tracks, and then we also purchased a vital signs machine, a [commercial cleaning] steamer, and a motor for the lift so that there was an extra one,” shared president Elaine Friesen. “That cost altogether about $33,000.”
The ceiling lift tracks—which allow staff to more easily move patients in and out of their beds—represent the bulk of the year’s funds at just under $24,000. The lift motor came with a price tag of $2,480, the monitor—a wheeled unit that can be easily moved wherever it’s needed—was $4,271, and the steam cleaner —which allows staff to quickly get into the nooks and crannies of soiled wheelchairs—was $2,714.
The group also issues $1,000 annually for two bursaries for local high school graduates, and spends lesser amounts on things like poinsettias for the hospital during the holidays and ice cream outings for personal care home residents.
The ladies are now looking at how they’re going to put their 2025 fundraising dollars to best use. Their annual Taco Buffet Fundraiser in May was a smashing success, serving nearly 400 meals.
“That’s a big fundraiser for us and it seems to go over quite well,” Friesen said.
Auxiliary members are also busy through the year serving up food at community gatherings, such as funerals or large family celebrations. Pre-pandemic, they used to host additional fundraising soup and pie events, but those haven’t made a comeback just yet.
They are currently 11 members strong and are always looking for new people to join them.
It’s an incredibly rewarding team to be a part of, its members share.
“It’s an easy group to be involved with because the commitment level isn’t huge. And yet there’s a reward aspect when you know you’re helping others,” noted Kim Batchelor. The auxiliary meets once a month for 10 months of the year.
“I’m involved because I was a part of the nursing community and this was something I thought was valuable,” shared Pat Dick. “I know that the nurses always need stuff, the care home always needs stuff, and they can’t always have it arrive in a timely manner.”
The items the auxiliary purchases are ones the health care facilities might otherwise wait years to get funding approval for, if at all.
“There is always a wish list,” said Amy Funk, Eastview Place manager, noting their asks of the auxiliary are very resident-centred—things that improve the qualify of life of the people who call the facility home.
The auxiliary’s gifts are a real blessing, Funk said.
“It’s lovely,” she said, sharing in example how the auxiliary provided them with a beautiful quilt they use for when a resident passes. “We lay this quilt over the body as it is wheeled out of the facility, and it gives the time for residents and staff to say a final farewell. It’s been beautiful.”
And the wheelchair-accessible swing purchased with auxiliary funds a few years ago remains a big hit with residents and their families, Funk added.
Clinical resource nurse Kathy Winter observed that the ceiling lifts have been a huge timesaver in the hospital.
“It saves many steps from having to go get a floor lift and bring it to each room,” she said. “Now we just have this track and we don’t have to maneuver around furniture and wheelchairs as much … and it’s easier on the patients, too.”
The second lift motor, meanwhile, also means they aren’t having to run all over the place with a lone motor anymore, Winter added.
These donations are only possible thanks to the auxiliary’s generous donors, Friesen stressed, sending thanks out to everyone who has supported them this past year.
“If it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t do any of this,” she said. “The community is generous. Very generous.”
If you’d like to get involved with the Altona Health Care Auxiliary or make a donation to it, you can connect with Friesen at 204-324-7791.
