Shannon’s Bridge seeks storage space

IN the last year, Creswick palliative care charity Shannon’s Bridge has redistributed just over five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of equipment to patients in need.

General manager and director, Jeremy McKnight said his organisation’s service provision has boomed in 2020, especially in the pandemic climate.

“It’s been a challenging time, but what we do has gone through the roof,” he said.

“Supplying equipment went ballistic. Some people can’t be released from hospital without a piece of equipment coming home; a wheelchair, a hospital bed. Normally, that can take days, weeks and months, but that time was being stretched even further.

“Working with so many aged care facilities and hospitals, we receive equipment, check it, clean it, and give it out to whoever needs it. The mainstays are wheelchairs, four-wheel walkers, shower and bath chairs, commodes, hoists and hoist swings.”

During the harshest lockdown period, Shannon’s Bridge received 120 donated hospital beds in one go, which were redistributed across Victoria. Some went overseas with the assistance of Rotary and Lions clubs.

“The area we’re working in has expanded. Other organisations are calling to ask if we need more equipment. We’re getting calls almost daily from people and services across Australia requesting equipment they need.

“In some countries, because of COVID, people were being helped health-wise by lying on the beach or the ground because there were no hospital services, so we sent some overseas,” Mr McKnight said.

Not only has Shannon’s Bridge sent equipment off, they’ve continued to send their staff, including director, Dr Claire Hepper and volunteers out to patients where possible, and offer varying support to those in the palliative care community.

Mr McKnight said end-of-life care can be a lonely experience for some, but add in COVID-19 restrictions, and it’s tougher than ever.

“We’ve just had to rethink things. We did a lot of online stuff; art and music therapy. We’ve been calling people to say g’day, because palliative care isolates you anyway, outside of the pandemic.

“Working within the COVID boundaries, Claire, myself and volunteers have seen people where we could, and Zoom video got a hammering,” Mr McKnight said.

“Some of our volunteers were in a high-risk age bracket and self-isolating, so we had less people available there, but others have stepped up too.”

Shannon’s Bridge links terminally ill patients with palliative care services. Where gaps exist, they build new supports and hope to change community perspectives on dying and death, increasing compassion.

At their End of Life Care Hub in Creswick, they are in need of additional storage.

“We’re literally running out of space. We are trying to find people who might have a two metre by two metre space, like a shed, who would be happy to store equipment.

“That’s what we’re looking for at the moment,” Mr McKnight said, “Because we’ve got a lot more offers for equipment which we don’t want to turn down.”

A community-led sensory garden is in development at the back of the Care Hub, to service current and former Shannon’s Bridge clients needing emotional support, and a safe, pleasant, non-medical escape… If only for a moment.

“We’re always looking for the public’s input, and anything they may have that would be good in the garden,” Mr McKnight said.

“We’ve had a wind sculpture, chairs, and a fountain donated. Lots of it, like a labyrinth that’s been made, is in memory of someone, which is really cool.”

Visit shannonsbridge.com.