Toko and District Lions Club donate specialist hoist to Stratford rest home

Bathing patients has just got easier at Maryann Rest Home and Hospital in Stratford, thanks to members of the Toko and District Lions Club.

Michelle Parrett, nurse manager at the Age Care Central facility, says the donation of the specialist overhead ceiling hoist will make bath time more comfortable for both patients and staff.

"The hoist enables our staff to gently move patients from a sitting position in a chair into the bath. It is a simple smooth process which is gentle for them, while also helping prevent back strain for our staff. It increases comfort all round really and makes an important task faster, comfier and better for everyone involved."

Hoists like this one aren't cheap, she says.

"The hoist costs just under $5500, so it was something we knew we needed to look for funding to be able to purchase it."

She approached Toko and District Lions she says, "because they have been very supportive in the past".

Toko and District Lions president Jo Corlett says it was "an easy decision" when it came to deciding to fund the hoist.

"We have done lots before with Maryann and Age Care Central, and are happy to help a community facility where we can."

The club used money raised by managing the parking at Stratford Speedway to cover half the cost, she says.

"The remaining half was through the Lions Lloyd Morgan Charitable Trust that we applied to for this project."

The Lloyd Morgan Charitable Trust is a special Lions New Zealand trust set up specifically to help fund community causes like this one, she says.

Michael Walsh, one of the directors of Age Care Central, says the support of Toko and District Lions is greatly appreciated.

"As a community owned, charitable trust, Age Care Central relies the generosity of groups and individuals, and donations such as this one, in order to continue to serve our community and residents in the way we do."

Members of the Toko and District Lions Club attended an afternoon tea put on by the team at Maryann Rest Home and Hospital last week and took the opportunity to see a demonstration of the hoist by staff members.