Saint Andrews – A huge thank you is in order to the supporters of Passamaquoddy Lodge nursing home. They have once again given generously to the annual fundraising campaign allowing the purchase of much needed medical equipment and comfort care materials.
For more than 50 years, the Lodge has relied on the community to pay for those necessary services and equipment not paid for in the government’s allowance. These are not frivolous items, but equipment that allows for the comfort and health of the Lodge’s 60 residents. To date, the on-going annual fundraising campaign has raised just more than half of this year’s $60K goal.
This year, your generous donations have allowed the purchase of medical-grade ECG (electrocardiogram) machine and bladder scanner. “Both the ECG machine – (paid for by our local Kiwanis Club) and the bladder scanner are diagnostic tools that allow our residents to be tested and treated at the Lodge. They can forego a trip to the emergency room via ambulance,” says Yolande Jay, Lodge Administrator, “These ambulance trips heightens the levels of confusion of residents suffering from dementia and can result in extra hours, even days in the ER while the residents awaits for an ambulance to be free to transfer them back to the Lodge.
A third Broda chair was also made possible by this year’s donations; two were bought from last year’s campaign and a fourth is still needed. Broda chairs help reduce the risk of muscle contraction and pressure sores in our less mobile residents , says Jay. “Besides another Broda chair, we still have a few more items on this year’s fundraising list,” says Jay, “Our courtyard garden is in serious need of repair and new plantings. And the residents have asked for a pizza oven. All these items, whether medical or comfort care, align with our philosophy of patient-centered care at the Lodge.”
