The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is asking the community to donate toward B.C.’s first senior-friendly emergency unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
The foundation has launched a winter campaign with a goal to raise $2.3 million for this and other projects. According to the foundation, the emergency department sees more than 86,000 visits a year and 35 per cent are from seniors.
“This new Emergency Unit will provide calm, safe and dignified care designed specifically for older adults, helping them heal with the specialized comfort the aging population requires. Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is raising $1.2 million to create this innovative space within the existing Emergency Department at NRGH,” the foundation said in a news release.
The proposed unit will feature pressure-reducing beds, reclining lift chairs, comfort carts, softer lighting, reduced noise and dedicated staff trained in geriatrics.
“As a nurse and lifelong Nanaimo resident, I’ve seen how hard it can be for older patients in a busy ER,” said the clinical operations director at NRGH. “Crowded, noisy spaces can make confusion worse and delay healing. This new unit will give our elders the care and dignity they deserve, and it will help reduce the incredible pressure we all feel daily on our emergency department.”
The foundation is also raising $600,000 for a wound and outpatient care clinic at the Nanaimo Health Centre to treat seniors and other adults with chronic health needs. Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation
Another $500,000 is being soug
