Ralph and Zigga Anderson, residents of P.A.'s Herb Basset Home, will soon have a photo of themselves placed on the van purchased for residents' transportation. (submitted photo/Victoria Hospital Foundation)

By paNOW Staff

Seniors' Transportation

Senior residents given greater mobility following fundraising

Jul 25, 2019 | 2:00 PM

Residents at two Prince Albert seniors care facilities will soon have greater mobility and freedom, thanks to funds raised through the annual Victoria Hospital Charity Classic golf tournament.

The eighth-annual tournament, held in conjunction through the Victoria Hospital Foundation and Emma Lake Golf Course owners Ross and Janet Ethier, raised $30,000, which will be used to lease a transport van to be used by residents at both Herb Basset Home and Pineview Terrace in P.A.

“We learned quite a while ago that residents at Herb Basset Home and Pineview Terrace had no dedicated transportation … it was meeting their needs to a degree, but it wasn’t always possible for them to be spontaneous or take advantage of good weather,” Sherry Buckler, CEO of the Victoria Hospital Foundation said.

Buckler noted the van will be provided at no cost to residents of either facility, and will allow residents the freedom to request transportation to any event that they wish to attend or activity they hope to take part in.

“We expect the van to be delivered in the next few weeks. When it arrives we will place our partners’ logos on the van as well as a photo of a married couple who currently reside at Herb Basset Home,” Buckler said.

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“Then the seniors can start getting out and about in the community and attending events. We’re just very excited.”

The van will cost somewhere in the range of $80,000 and will be leased with the option of purchasing following the lease. A total of six wheelchairs and four passengers, or eight passengers total can be carried in the van. SUN nurses union will be sponsoring the maintenance on the van over the next three years.

Director of Care for both Herb Basset Home and Pineview Terrace, Frank Suchorab, told paNOW residents are excited to have greater access to the community.

“I think everybody is looking really well forward to it. I think residents and their families are all very excited,” Suchorab said.

“Loneliness and isolation can be a plague in long-term care. I think this will really stamp out some of the loneliness and boredom that some of our residents face. I really want to thank Sherry Buckler and her team with the Victoria Hospital Foundation for all the hard work they’ve done.”

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow