Fundraising efforts are underway to to help long-term care patients in Nanaimo get back on the road.
Dufferin Place has been without a working bus for the last two years after the previous one broke down. The facility is of three long-term care centres in the region that the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation is trying to assist with a new fundraiser. The other two projects are patio upgrades at Eagle Park care facility in Qualicum Beach, and outdoor equipment and programming at Trillium Lodge in Parksville.
Karen McCarthy, organizer of strategic initiatives and grants at the foundation, said the connecting theme is that all the fundraising is intended to benefit the residents in the summer.
"Summers are really important and we've just come through COVID and that hit our long-term care facilities really hard and a lot longer than the rest of us," McCarthy said. "They didn't get to go out in places when COVID was happening, so now it's really important."
Barney Ellis-Perry, hospital foundation CEO, told the News Bulletin that this is foundation's first fundraiser in direct collaboration with the community's long-term care homes.
"There's frankly a two-tier system because we have the private care homes, which have buses and have outings," Ellis-Perry said, "but if you're in one of our [subsidized] long-term living facilities … they have tiny, tiny budgets for repairs. They have tiny budgets for anything like having a barbecue outside, having lawn furniture even."
A replacement bus for Dufferin Place is estimated to cost $130,000. This particular fundraiser has a goal of $50,000, which Ellis-Perry said is intended to cover charter bus costs.
Danica Zaric, Dufferin Place's activities coordinator, told the News Bulletin that in the interim the care facility has been borrowing Trillum Lodge's bus when it's available.
"Getting out into the community, having a change of scenery really adds to the quality of life for these residents that live here," Zaric said. "We can do a lot of different things when we have a bus here. We can go out for lunch at restaurants and pubs, we can go to scenic drives, we go to the mall, we have picnics in the park – there's music in the parks these days in the summer which is very nice to go out, get some fresh air and listen to music."
People can donate online on the foundation's website at http://nanaimohospitalfoundation.com.