The Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation's fundraiser for long-term care centre amenities reached its goal, thanks to one charitable foundation giving over 90 per cent of the final total.
Started in June, the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation fundraiser was designed to pay for bus rentals for Dufferin Place, patio upgrades at Eagle Park care facility in Qualicum Beach and outdoor equipment and programming at Trillium Lodge in Parksville, totalling about $50,000. Eldercare Foundation made a donation that allowed the fundraiser to reach its target.
Dufferin Place has been without a working bus for the last two years after the previous one broke down. Danica Zaric, Dufferin Place's activities coordinator, previously told the News Bulletin that in the interim the care facility has been borrowing Trillum Lodge's bus when it's available.
The effort had a rocky start, with less than $3,000 raised by late June. The initial hope was to have the amenities funded for the summer, which wasn't able to materialize. Months later, it remained under $4,000.
"As we've learned from the campaign, it's very difficult to get public support for the long-term care facilities but the needs are so great," said Barney Ellis-Perry, hospital foundation CEO.
This is in contrast to other fundraisers held by the NDHF this summer, such as for a medical grossing station, which is used to examine tissue biopsies for suspected cases of cancer. At a cost of about $160,000, the fundraiser not only met the goal for the station, but surpassed it by $18,000.
"Not a lot of people realize long-term care costs 80 per cent of a senior's after-tax income," said Tom Arnold, Eldercare Foundation executive director. "So for many seniors, for many pensioners, on the 20 per cent they have left, there isn't a lot to afford, whether it's personal care items, clothes, even in some cases denture creams or hearing aids, never mind things like entertainment and personal hobby kind of stuff."
He said that the Eldercare Foundation, which serves to to raise and steward donor funds dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors in their communities, has been wanting to expand its outreach beyond south Vancouver Island, where the majority of its work is done. When Ellis-Perry mentioned the initiative during an initial meeting, Arnold said it seemed like a "perfect fit."
"It was a new initiative for the [hospital foundation] to launch such a major campaign to support local long-term care homes, and that's something we have quite a bit of experience in," Arnold said. "So it seemed like just a great partnership for us to come in and help complete their campaign."
The difficulty the long-term care home fundraiser experienced wasn't a surprise to him.
"I think, unfortunately, it's pretty typical and I think there's a couple elements to it. Of course, everyone wants to live longer, so medical equipment that helps us do that, that's easy to understand, that's easy to wrap our heads around, but for seniors and seniors in long-term care it's not about quantity of life, it's about quality of life. Unfortunately when seniors are in long-term care they're often out of sight, out of mind."
He added that unless someone has a loved one in a long-term care home, they may not see how "simple things can make such a difference."
"Things like patio furniture in this campaign, or therapy programs and entertainment. All of us need good medical care, but it's not great medical care that gives us meaning in our days. It's the things that we do, the activities, the hobbies we get to engage in – that's what really makes life meaningful."
Moving forward, Ellis-Perry said the NDHF will continue fundraising for senior services through grants and foundation partnerships rather than individual contributions, which will continue to be used in fundraising for diagnostic tools.
"When the Eldercare Foundation stepped in, [long-term care workers] were just over the moon, they just couldn't believe it," Ellis-Perry said. "It was a big morale boost, and so we want to keep bringing them those morale boosts. We want these people who work so hard in these care homes to know people give a damn and we want to make it better for the seniors."
Arnold said that the foundation will be looking to do more work throughout central and north Vancouver Island in the future.
"Obviously the needs of seniors is a pressing issue for other partners, like the [hospital foundation], so I certainly expect we'll be working together a lot more in the future."
