Burns patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) will benefit from a new wheelchair and gutter frame (walking aid) to encourage greater mobility during their often-painful and lengthy recovery.
The equipment was purchased for the RAH Adult Burns Unit thanks to fundraising efforts during The Hospital Research Foundation Group’s Giving Day, a community fundraising campaign supporting vital hospital care and patient equipment.
The new wheelchair is one of two now available on the ward, with much-needed repairs for the second chair also funded through the campaign.
Occupational Therapist Tanja Klotz was very excited to receive the new wheelchair, which would be particularly helpful for patients with bilateral leg burns.
“It has pressure-relieving cushioning, elevating leg rests, adjustments for the back and is self-propelling. It has everything we need,” she said.
“With leg burns, patients need to keep their legs elevated, and rather than being stuck in their room all day, they can now use the wheelchair to move around and get out and about.
“It’s also really durable. Made with metal components, so we know it will last a long time.”
The funds raised also enabled the purchase of a gutter frame, already being well-used by patients on the ward.
Nurse Unit Manager Natalia Adanichkin said Giving Day was a fantastic opportunity to bring the team together to raise funds for equipment that benefits both patients and staff, strengthening care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital burns unit.
“In addition to encouraging donations, we also added a steps challenge amongst the team called ‘walking for a wheelchair’ where we tried to reach one million steps in the week.
“We raised $4,300 and The Hospital Research Foundation Group doubled it – which was great.”
