New beds for palliative unit

"Our aim is to make people more comfortable and these are things we can do for the community."

Friends Who Care members Denis Barnier and Rosemary Munro have donated two more beds to the Grafton Palliative Care unit. Picture: Jenna Thompson

TWO more beds have been donated to the Clarence Palliative Care Service in Grafton thanks to the tireless fundraising efforts of two women who are passionate about giving back to the community.   

For the past seven years Denise Barnier and Rosemary Munro from Friends Who Care have been paying it forward to the Grafton Hospital and Grafton Palliative Care unit by raising funds to buy much-needed equipment.   

Having both experienced end-of-life care with their own family members, the two women understand the importance of providing as much comfort as possible in a person's final chapter.  

"We just go to the hospital or the palliative care unit and ask them what they would like.   

"Then we order what they want and raise the money through fundraising," Ms Munro said.   

When the two women approached the Grafton palliative care unit, an electric pull-apart bed with a $5500 price tag was at the top of their list.   

"These beds support patients who prefer to stay at home as part of their end-of-life care," Transitional Nurse Practitioner Helen Adams said.   

"Having these beds available is extremely important to facilitate a person's wish while also providing a positive outcome on the bereavement of those that remain."  

Ms Barnier and Ms Munro raised $12,000, which was enough to purchase two electric pull-apart beds and Span America PressureGuard Non- Powered Air/Foam mattresses.   

"Our aim is to make people more comfortable and these are things we can do for the community," Ms Munro said.

Originally published as New beds for palliative unit