The Pontiac Reception Centre (CAP) is calling on the community to raise the $30,000 needed to fund new equipment upgrades at the Shawville long-term care home.
The effort is being led by CAP foundation, which works to raise money for things that are not covered through government funding. This fall, it will be raffling off a smart TV to raise a portion of the funds needed.
The upgrades that this $30,000 will support will all help to improve patient care and safety. Tools like bathing chairs that will allow residents to bathe comfortably and safely, and slings that will support residents while moving between locations, without fear of causing injury, are some of the items on the list.
They also include Broda chairs, which help residents with minimal core strength reduce the likelihood of developing ulcers and sores that can occur when sitting or laying with poor posture.
Jessica Cox Stephens, manager at the CAP, explained that when residents have lost mobility, it becomes difficult to shift weight or change positions, which becomes uncomfortable over long periods of time.
“So to have good posture in a chair [ . . .] makes a huge difference,” she said.
These supports will not only make residents more comfortable, but will also decrease the risk of injury involved in moving them.
The CAP Foundation will be selling 2,000 raffle tickets for the smart TV at $5 each, which will cover one third of its total fundraising goal.
Katharine Summerfield, president of the foundation, feels confident that the community will support the home because it is an important, special piece of the Pontiac community.
“It’s a facility we are really lucky to have. When your family has to leave their home and they can no longer take care of themselves, that’s traumatic. And it’s traumatic not only for the person who has to leave their own home, but for the family as well. And to be able to visit them locally and know that they’re safe and the places immaculate, the staff is outstanding,” Summerfield said, “People feel very lucky to have a home of that calibre here in Shawville.”
Last year, the foundation launched a similar fundraising initiative for $40,000 with the goal of beautifying and enhancing the home.
With money raised last year, they were able to “completely transform” the home, according to Summerfield, through several different projects which included a lobby makeover and several other new additions like a movie theatre and an agriculture area.
TV raffle tickets can be purchased from the CAP reception, from any of the foundation’s 12 board members, or by getting in touch with the foundation by email at fondationcapshawville@gmail.com.
The draw will take place Dec.19, at Little Red Wagon Winery where someone will get to take home a brand new TV, right in time for Christmas.
Donations to the foundation can be sent to Centre d’Accueil du Pontiac, 295 rue Allan Black, Shawville, QC. J0X 2Y0, or made through e-transfer to the above email address.
