The refurbished Palliative Care Room.
In a heartwarming display of community spirit, local charity organisation Can Assist has stepped forward with a generous donation to fund a much-needed upgrade to the palliative care room at Adina Care, residential aged care facility.
The room, which provides end-of-life care to residents and their families, has undergone significant improvements to ensure greater comfort, dignity, and tranquillity during one of life’s most sensitive times. The upgrade included new furnishings, enhanced lighting, soft furnishings, and an outdoor space to create a more welcoming and peaceful space for both residents and their loved ones.
Can Assist, known across New South Wales for its commitment to supporting rural and regional cancer patients, said this donation reflects its broader mission to give back to the communities that support them.
Can Assist spokesperson Colleen Flynn said, “Upgrading Adina Care’s palliative room allows us to extend that care in a meaningful way within our own community.”
The charity, funded entirely through donations and community support, said it saw the project as a way to say thank you to Cootamundra that has supported its fundraising events and outreach programs for many years.
“This is one of the older rooms that just needed a big refurbish, a big spruce up. So they contacted us and asked us, if would we be prepared to pay for the refurbishment.
“After discussions with our committee and our volunteers, although we have always mainly been involved with people suffering from cancer, we figured that this would benefit not only our clients, should they become so unwell that they needed that care, but it would also be a contribution back to the community because the community is the only reason we exist and we figured that if we could get this room up and going again, that it could, in fact, be a big assistance to the wider community in general.
Board), Ghaffan Khan, (Adina Care CEO) and Roger Bailey (CGRC General Manager).
“With the volunteers and committee’s blessing, we went ahead. It was initially asked that we pay for the refurbishment but we weren’t happy because the refurbishment was going to be taken over by a company out of town and we said we would only do it if it could be done within town. If we could, we would be happy to do it. We were happy to purchase everything that was required but only if we could use local businesses to do that and they agreed to go ahead and do it that way.
“They also agreed with us that the room needed to be warm and comforting like a home rather than a hospital room and they gave us their blessing.
“We agreed that we would do it within that budget and with the help of local businesses, they were very generous with their discounts and just their help has been amazing, we were able to hand it over on Monday to Adina Care with our blessing and as much as we hope no one needs to use the room, we know that it will be used along the way.
“It’s a really cosy, homely, warm feeling instead of being a hospital environment and let me just qualify that by saying there’s nothing wrong with the hospital environment, but at that point of end of life, the comfort and warm and cosy feeling of something more like your home is perhaps desirable.
“Thank you to the community as always, because they, in fact, have paid for this room. We are the ones that have been able to translate those funds happen.”
Staff at Adina Care have expressed deep gratitude for the support. Ghaffar Khan, CEO of Adina Care, said, “We are incredibly thankful to Can Assist for this generous contribution.
“Palliative care is about compassion, comfort, and connection. The upgraded room will provide families a space where they can feel supported and close to their loved ones in their final days.”
Local residents have also praised the initiative, with many commenting on the importance of compassionate spaces in aged care facilities. The upgrade has been completed, with a community ceremony to celebrate the room’s reopening, with attendees including Adina Care Board, Can Assist committee members, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council General Manager and members of the local community.
As the region continues to face challenges in accessing equitable health care, especially in end-of-life services, Can Assist’s donation stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when community spirit and compassion come together.
-Jack Murray
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