THE Bathurst community can be assured that the money it raises for Daffodil Cottage continues to make important improvements to the facility, according to the head of its advisory committee.
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Daffodil Cottage Advisory Council chair Peta Gurdon-O’Meara has provided a breakdown of recent and ongoing projects at the cancer treatment and care facility in the Bathurst Base Hospital precinct.
She says she wants those who raise funds for Daffodil Cottage to know how the money is making a difference.
Top of the list of recent projects completed thanks to fundraising, she said, would be the extension to the cottage which officially opened mid last year.
The NSW Government contributed $150,000 to the project and the community raised more than $730,000.
Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said the extension had doubled the cottage’s patient capacity.
”As part of the extension we also completely replaced much of the furniture and some of the computer equipment,” she said.
“The cottage was redecorated all through and I think the results have been very pleasing.
“What we try to achieve for patients is a ‘home away from home’ environment and a place to relax. This I think we have achieved.”
The second biggest project paid for by fundraising, Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said, would be the refurbishment of the garden at the rear of the cottage “as a place where patients and carers can meditate or just spend some quiet time and this they do in large numbers”.
“It has matured as a garden and is now very pleasing to sit and pass the time or for the staff to have their lunch,” she said.
Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said the wig library at the cottage has been developed to give a free wig or turban to patients who have lost their hair and a styling to go with it.
“To my knowledge, no other cancer service offers this wonderful feature and it is much appreciated by patients,” she said.
“For palliative care patients we have a comprehensive service of providing much-needed furniture to keep patients in their own home for as long as possible. This is widely used and much appreciated by patients and their carers.
“We have recently installed a new shed just at the rear of the cottage to house this furniture when it is not in use.”
Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said Daffodil Cottage has committed $100,000 to be held annually to help members of the community with the cost of drugs that are not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The PBS, an Australian Government program, subsidises medicines to make them affordable.
Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said applications to Daffodil Cottage for help with the drugs not on the PBS will be “processed by a committee of experts in this field”.
She said the cottage has used funds raised to reimburse staff for training and to continue to support cottage volunteers’ training and ongoing support.
“We have just purchased a PhysioTouch machine for Lymphedema patients and installed a blanket warmer in the treatment area,” she said.
“We have, with the assistance of the NSW Health Department, increased the staff at Daffodil Cottage extensively and the service for patients is growing and growing.”
Daffodil Cottage also supports the radiation bus that travels from Bathurst to Orange and back five days a week for those undergoing radiation treatment.
“All this has been possible through the continued support of the Bathurst and wider community support,” Ms Gurdon-O’Meara said.
“Daffodil Cottage is now an area of excellence in cancer services in NSW. Long may it continue, although I continue to look forward to the day when we can put a lock on the door and revel in a cure.
“Daffodil Cottage has a strong local ownership and shares a special place in the hearts of all those who have supported it over the years.”