Hospital volunteers honoured
Heather Hovenden with the hospital’s old oxygen concentrator (right) and the new portable model (left) bought with funds she raised with Elaine Dawson and their team. Photo: Supplied.
Community hospital staff and supporters have held a thank-you lunch to honour the committed fundraising duo of Elaine Dawson, who died last month, and Heather Hovenden.
For years, Heather and Elaine have led a hard-working band of helpers, first raising funds for an electric-powered bed for community palliative care, then helping to fund a new $7000 portable oxygen concentrator.
Now, with the loss of one valued helper, and with Heather in poor health, there are concerns about who will drive fundraisers in future.
Eight people are using oxygen concentrators in Golden Bay. The new unit, which looks like a piece of fashionable hand luggage, fits inside the basket of a walking frame and has a battery that runs for eight hours before needing a recharge. This enables patients to go shopping or out with their families, meaning welcome freedom for the patient and for their carer. The older concentrators are not only much larger and heavier, but must be connected to mains power.
Elaine became the first person to use the new concentrator before she died, said nurse manager Alexia Russell.
“She said it was absolutely wonderful.”
District nurse Jaine Lindsay said the machine made a huge difference in Elaine’s last weeks. “She had a good outing with her family because of it. “When people have chronic obstructive airway disease and they start using oxygen at home,...
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“... they find it’s very difficult to function for long periods of time without it. This unit is just excellent.”
District nurse Karen Campbell paid tribute not only to Elaine’s fundraising but to her work as a hospice volunteer for a number of years.
“She helped out on Daffodil Days and for volunteer support services, and would go into the family home and just sit with people. She was one of those people that if anything was needed, she was there.”
Heather became a hospital patient herself this week, but says she is feeling better with treatment. At her thank you lunch her fundraising spirit seemed undaunted.
“It’s a pity I got sick, because we could have raised more,” she said, adding that she was very glad the new concentrator had finally arrived. “I said to Alexia that even though we live in a very good community, some people think that when we raise money for these things it goes over to Nelson and doesn’t come back. I’m glad people will know it has come back and finally come to fruition.”
She spoke about the fundraising dinners she held with Elaine. “The good thing was that we never bought anything; everything was always donated by the community, all the raffles and meat and that.” When thanked by Alexia Russell on behalf of the community, she said, “The hospital has done a lot for me. It didn’t hurt to do a bit back.”
“Doing a bit” may be something we all need to think more about. Activity co-ordinator Petra Janchen said that our aging population will become a big issue in the Bay, and healthcare changes will see more people receiving care and treatment in their own homes. But it’s not just the population that’s aging. Thursday’s luncheon made it apparent that many of its most devoted fundraisers are too, and that the hospital worries about finding future volunteers.
“While I’m still here, if anyone wants to run dinners I’m happy to pass on the knowledge,” says Heather. “With some things you have to be in the know, like getting the meat deals and where to get hold of the bain-marie. But it’s not that much organisation.”
Alexia is happy to take enquiries (ph 525 9808) from anyone interested in being a family support volunteer. “It might just be a weekly phone call, or a visit once a week, or picking stuff up in town. There is a full training programme covering things like grief and bereavement.”
Further funds could contribute toward the health workers’ wish lists. Karen Campbell said that on hers was a patient lifter so carers can lift people safely and easily. “Something else I would love, which does benefit patients and helps with nurse education, is a laptop and data projector.”
Alexia would like to have another community-based electric bed. “We could use another–we’re presently using one that’s been brought over from Nelson.” And in December, the oxygen concentrator manufacturers are running a special price of $4500 per unit.
“I think we’ll be asking Father Christmas about that.”
Maria Polglase
