On March 24, the Seymour Health Lower Hume Palliative Care Unit received a donation from last year’s Remember Me Day fundraiser.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Seymour Health received a sizeable donation to an often overlooked, but nevertheless vital, service.
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Last September, the second annual Remember Me Day fundraiser took place, with proceeds pledged to be donated to the Lower Hume Palliative Care Unit at Seymour Health.
The day, which involved drinks and snacks at Wine X Sam and themed beverages at the Seymour Racecourse, generated $23,650 for the unit.
On Monday, March 24, staff of the unit gathered with the committee of the Remember Me Day fundraiser to officially celebrate the donation, and the work put in by the dedicated team of palliative care nurses.
The committee of the Remember Me Day fundraiser, Linda O’Sullivan, Genevieve Pearce and Andrea Lewis, were thrilled to present the palliative care team with the donation.
Photo by
Billie Davern
“We’re really, really appreciative of the Remember Me Day committee, for fundraising, number one, and also their very generous offer of donating it to our palliative care team,” Seymour Health chief executive Ward Steet said.
“This is an area which isn’t really well-funded.
“We’ve got some very special nurses, who have a fantastic skill set, I don’t know how they do it, I know that I would really struggle to provide care in that area.
“Having the resources to support them is amazing because we don’t get that necessarily through the Department of Health, and there’s always a need, so this is fantastic”
The palliative care team put together a list of important equipment, which this funding will allow them to procure.
“Thank you so much for fundraising for us, we’re all very excited, we will spend it wisely, and it will be put to good use,” community services manager Paula Sutherland said.
Seymour Health staff Vickie Callaghan, Nikki Marsolino and Paula Sutherland were grateful to receive the generous donation.
Photo by
Billie Davern
During the celebration, the team noted that palliative care often went underappreciated as a result of the stigma surrounding death and dying.
It is events such as the Remember Me Day fundraiser, which involved guest speakers from the Lower Hume Palliative Care Unit, that allow awareness to broaden on the subject of death and on the resources needed to facilitate adequate palliative care.
“We will be forever indebted — it’s very generous and we’re very excited,” Mr Steet said.
The Lower Hume Palliative Care Unit is always on the lookout for volunteers, and welcomes anyone interested to apply.
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