New bus for aged care residents

THANKS to the 2020 Christmas fundraising appeal donations, Ballarat Health Services have purchased a new accessible bus for its aged care residents.

In addition to hundreds of contributing donors, additional funding was also offered from the Ballarat Health Services Foundation to collectively raise over $102,000 for the new vehicle.

Ballarat Health Services executive director of aged operations Jodie Cranham said the new bus would replace ‘Joyce’s bus’, which is the old vehicle funded by community donations in 2002.

“We sincerely thank the Ballarat community members who generously donated to provide a new bus for our aged care residents,” she said.

“The bus will enable us to get the residents out and about and with last year being a really restricted year with COVID, it’s important for us this year to get out into the community using the bus.

“There is a bit of excitement both from the residents and their families about having something that is a going to be super modern, accommodating and comfortable.”

BHS Foundation chair Lindsay Florence said her group was thrilled to contribute to the funds donated by the community to the new bus.

“There was a funding short fall so the Foundation, who usually support Ballarat Health Services, guaranteed the balance,” he said.

“The role of the Foundation is to raise funds to support the Ballarat Health Services and support the hospital and in turn make it a better place for the community.

“It gives us great pleasure to support the facility and the purchase of the bus for better opportunity for the aged people to get around and visit places and make use of the asset.”

The new aged care bus has been ordered with additional capacity, wider seats and easy access is expected to arrive in August.