Margery Cole aged care staff and residents welcomed new medical equipment last week, which they said would provide some respite when performing daily procedures.
The Keith Chenhall Foundation donated $18,000 to the aged care facility which used the funds to purchase a hygiene chair and lifting device.
The hygiene chair would help reduce the use of manual lifting when bathing patients while the lifting device would provide support when moving residents in and out of bed.
“It’s most important for the organisation because this chair in particular will allow the nursing staff to look after the patients much easier and it will be much more comfortable for our residents, especially if they’re a larger person,” Yallambee board chair Lorraine Bartling OAM said.
“We’re getting more frail residents plus residents who are larger and some of our nurses find it difficult to comfortably moved around,” she said.
During construction of the aged care facility, beams which could support a lifting system were installed in anticipation of a lifting device, Ms Bartling said.
Having received funding for the device, Ms Bartling said Mr Chenhall’s ongoing support of the home, which consisted of donations totalling $34,400, allowed more flexibility within the facility.
“He’s probably locally the one person who has been extremely supportive, he donated money towards our bus, which is very important not only for the residents here in Margery Cole but also for our unit residents, and they go shopping a couple of times a week or they’ll go on a trip to Port Albert and have fish and chips down there,” she said.
“It gives us the flexibility to do more things with them.”
When The Express asked Mr Chenhall about the reasoning behind his donation, he said “Traralgon is my town… Traralgon provided for me and my family, my mother and father. I’m giving back”.
