Our Story
We would love to enhance the lives of our residents here at Carinya with the purchase of a Paro robotic seal. It would allow this fabulous, therapeutic tool to be at hand 24/7, to engage and comfort residents with dementia when required.
A Carinya staff member with a sister living with dementia saw the Paro in use when she recently visited a nursing home in Holland. Back home she shared her experience with colleagues, describing how effective the Paro seal was in dementia care. We were all excited to hear about the instant, comforting and calming effect of the Paro. This encouraged us to assess the benefits a Paro would provide for our facility.
Sometimes when residents with dementia are in distress, activity staff may not be available to assist and divert the resident. Having the Paro readily accessible would allow all care staff to use this aid to help calm and redirect distressed residents at any time. Paro therapy is particularly beneficial to reduce the behavioural and psychological symptoms associated with dementia.
Why we need your funding
Our facility has recently undertaken major building work and renovations. Therefore, funds available to make this type of purchase are significantly reduced.
Staff, with the support of management, have decided to seek crowd funding in order to purchase a Paro robotic seal for residents. We are passionate about dementia care and want to do all we can to improve the well being of our residents!
If many people make small contributions, we can make a difference to the quality of life of our residents living with dementia. We thank you in advance.
We can’t let the price deter us
The ‘Paro’ may appear to be an expensive one off cost to purchase. However the cost will become more acceptable over time as the number of residents who reap the benefits of it’s calming and soothing presence increases. The benefits far outweigh the price when you consider the improved well-being of our residents with dementia. These are people who may already be, (or become in the future), your loved ones, family members or friends.
The size of the dementia ‘epidemic”
Current Alzheimer’s Australia statistics show:
There are more than 353,800 Australians living with dementia
This number is expected to increase to 400,000 in less than five years
Without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to be almost 900,000 by 2050
There are approximately 25,100 people in Australia with younger onset dementia (a diagnosis of dementia under the age of 65; including people as young as 30)
Three in ten people over the age of 85 and almost one in ten people over 65 have dementia
An estimated 1.2 million people are involved in the care of a person with dementia
Dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia and there is no cure
On average symptoms of dementia are noticed by families three years before a firm diagnosis is made.
Dementia will inevitably touch everyone’s life in some way, at some point!How great would it be to comfort your loved one with a Paro?
Here’s what we’re doing about it
A group of dedicated staff members have banded together and are working with the local community to gather support.
Our aim is to visit local service clubs with a Paro seal to share our knowledge and show the value of our cause.
This is not something we can do alone !
Any donation to help contribute towards the purchase of a ‘Paro’ for residents living with dementia in our facility are welcomed. The benefits of this unique ‘tool’ to calm and settle a person experiencing distress cannot be overstated.
Once we have purchased the initial Paro, we plan to continue raising money to purchase more Paro seals for other wings of the facility. As an aid those suffering the effects of loneliness and agitation in adjusting to life within an aged care facility or the grief of losing a partner or a beloved pet, the Paro seal would also be invaluable.
Please join us
To help raise $10,000 to enable us to purchase our very first PARO robotic seal and ensure we have the support of ongoing maintenance and servicing. All donations, however small are beneficial.