RESIDENTS and staff at an aged care facility in Nundah have celebrated Queensland’s Seniors Week by giving a helping hand to Papua New Guinea’s rural hospitals. 

 Zion Lutheran Home staff and residents have donated a container of goods including 30 beds, wheelchairs, walkers and clothing to help improve villagers’ lives.

 The donations will be distributed among remote hospitals in PNG, in places like Bulolo, where there are shortages of beds and other equipment.  

 Queensland’s Seniors Week 2011 will be celebrated from 20–28 August. The theme, Positively Ageless, reinforces the countless benefits of having a positive attitude to life at any age.

One-hundred and one-year-old Zion resident Mary Black said Seniors Week was all about enhancing community connections and inter-generational relationships.

“This donation of furniture is one example of helping the community by giving sick people in this isolated community a bed, a place to rest in hospital for them to get better so they can live a long life,” she said.

“Younger and older generations will benefit from this care to get back on their feet,” said Mary, her favourite pastime as a lass was rambling through the Scottish countryside hiking up to 30 miles a day.  

The idea came about because Zion upgraded their facilities and General Manager Maria Mulheran thought PNG would be a great cause to support registered nurse and long-time PNG resident Janet Thavung who coordinated the effort.

Maria said this donation was just one example of the valuable contributions older Australians make to the community.

“All Zion residents have shared and contributed toward something important and special through this donation,” she said.

“PNG were really in need of beds for labour wards in rural health services so this shipment will make a lot of difference to patients and will have huge impact on the service providers.”

In 2011, community groups will hold more than 50 Seniors Week events across the state.