The Altona Health Care Auxiliary is looking to raise funds for some much needed items at the Altona Community Memorial Health Centre.
The auxiliary raises funds for items for the hospital and personal care home that the province can’t provide, explained president Elaine Friesen.
“When a request comes to us, it’s often easier and faster if we raise the funds and purchase the products.”
The most recent items on the wish list includes a new camera for the care home to take photos of new admissions and record updates, and the hospital has requested 16 ceiling tracks which are needed for slings to assist in lifting patients in and out of bed.
In addition, there is a need for two new wheelchairs as the current ones at the hospital are decades old and have parts that have become difficult to repair. The new models will be more cushioned and fully supportive and adjustable.
Auxiliary member Patti Dick said ideally there should be ceiling tracks in every room.
“We’re short on staff, and when you’re lifting older, heavier people, it’s hard on the patient and on the joints and soft tissue of the person lifting them. It’s dangerous for the patient and for the staff to not have them. And if you’re doing it manually, there’s always a risk of dropping them.”
“The slings would also be a real help for patients or residents with dementia, who can be unpredictable,” added Friesen. “Also some don’t have family who can help, or in some cases, the family is also getting older and tired. So, they end up in the hospital to get panelled for the care home. It can also be disorienting for some patients to be moved from room to room as their physical and mental abilities decrease.”
About half of the current admissions at the Altona Hospital are panelled patients.
Each track costs about $1,500 installed, and the two wheelchairs are about $4,500 and $4,300.
“So, with taxes, we’re looking at about $35,000. Now that may not sound like much, but it’s a lot for us. We have a beautiful hospital, and why not provide the things they need? We want to keep our nurses healthy, and keep our hospital open,” said Friesen.
Unfortunately, since COVID, two of the auxiliary’s biggest money makers, their spring tea and fall bazaar, are no longer happening.
Meanwhile, the group has been serving at funerals and running soup and pie fundraisers. They’re currently planning a taco buffet fundraiser May 2 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Rhineland Pioneer Centre. The meal is by donation, and will include rice, refried beans and all the fixings as well as beverages and chocolate brownies for dessert. Gluten-free options are available.
All proceeds will go towards the purchase of the new ceiling track lifts and wheelchairs, and tax receipts for donations are also available.
“The food at the buffet comes from mostly local sources because we want to support the community that supports us,” Friesen said.
The auxiliary’s primary purpose is to add to the comfort and welfare of patients and residents, and the organization has come a long way and grown in its ability to donate large items such as isolation carts, a stretcher, IV lines, wall murals, garden maintenance, bicycles and swings and items to Katie Cares.
In recent times, their number has shrunk to about nine members, and Friesen hopes more young people will become involved with the auxiliary as current members choose to step away from the group.
“I think our hopes are that it will continue and that we will be able to get more younger members to keep on, so we can keep providing much-needed items that aren’t always in the budget for our local health care facilities.”
