Local nursing home gets a boost from Canterbury

Canterbury League Club’s generous $25,000 donation has enabled St Basil’s Homes in Lakemba to purchase new equipment for their aged care facility.

St Basil’s Resident Lifestyle Project was created to improve the quality of life for residents by enhancing their cultural, leisure and spiritual experience while living at the home.

Halfway through the project, residents are already enjoying the benefits of the new audio and visual equipment in the lounge areas, a new outdoor sail and tinted windows to protect residents from UV rays, a new fridge as well as new dining room chairs.

“We wanted to make realistic changes in our facility that would impact on the majority of our residents. These changes will also create a more home-like atmosphere and encourage communication, participation, interaction and enjoyment,” said Sussan Beky, St Basil’s Leisure & Lifestyle Coordinator.

111 high-care residents call St Basil’s home and Beky has noted that residents seemed pleased with the changes and have responded well. Still in the cards is the purchase of a new BBQ set, more outdoor furniture, art equipment and gardening materials.

“Having our own BBQ will help stimulate our residents’ sense of smell and hopefully they will want to engage with other residents while using it,” said Sussan.

At the same time, Canterbury also donated another $27,000 which went towards supporting St Basil’s Men’s Shed in the Lane. The Shed offers a secure place for older people to come together and socialise while working on craft projects.

“St Basil’s does a lot of good work ensuring their residents have a safe and enriching experience during their stay. More needs to be done for aged care facilities around the state to make sure we do not neglect a generation that has contributed so much to our society,” said Dr George Peponis OAM, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.