Residents and caregivers at the New Dawn Senior Citizens Nursing Home have received an early Christmas lift – literally – as the Democratic Labour Party’s New York Branch donated a new lift to improve mobility and care at the facility.
The donation of a Hoyer lift is expected to significantly ease the physical demands placed on caregivers, while improving safety and comfort for residents who require assistance moving around the site.
Speaking during the presentation, president of the Friends of Barbados DLP New York branch, Andrew Rawlins, said the donation was part of the group’s ongoing commitment to giving back to Barbadian communities at home and abroad.
“This machinery that we have here is part of what we normally do throughout our contributions of giving back, whether it is here in Barbados or in the United States,” Rawlins said. “Of course, we’ll be looking to do more in terms of assisting facilities and homes here with the elderly and with equipment and such like. So from us in New York, we want to say thank you.”
Owner of the New Dawn Senior Citizens Nursing Home, Ronald Nurse, expressed gratitude for the donation, noting that the facility will celebrate a major milestone next year.
“We were established in May 2006, so next year we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary,” Nurse said. “As you can see, New Dawn is a nursing home that was purpose-built. We designed it and built it from scratch.”
Nurse explained that his decision to enter nursing care was deeply personal.
“My grandmother raised me, and I had a great love for the elderly,” he said. “When we came into the nursing care business, there was some bad press, and we came in ready to raise the bar.”
His wife retired from her previous job to help manage the facility, bringing years of management experience both locally and overseas, he added.
Nurse also thanked the DLP New York branch and its local affiliates for their continued support over the years.
“I would really like to thank the Friends of Barbados, New York, Democratic and the officials and affiliates here in Barbados who have been generous to us before,” he said. “I would also like to thank all those who contribute in any way to the gifts they are able to give generally.”
He said the donation would make a meaningful difference to daily operations at the home.
“My residents would appreciate this, and it would make life easier for my staff,” Nurse added.
(SB)
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