Dawson Creek Hospital Auxiliary halfway to goal in Tovertafel fundraiser

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Dawson Creek Hospital Auxiliary is already halfway towards its goal of buying a Tovertafel for dementia patients.

Fern Hansen, the auxiliary’s president, spoke on the March 28th episode of This Week in the Peace about her organization’s fundraising campaign to purchase the specialized equipment for the Rotary Manor long-term care home.

The machine is a specialized computer with a built-in projector screen, meant to shine down on a tabletop with games dementia patients can interact with, maintaining and improving their motor skills and cognitive ability.

“They can ruffle leaves with their hands, they can chase fish in a little creek, they can make music by touching music lines,” Hansen explained. “It’s an absolutely wonderful thing.”

The machines cost $19,500 each. The hospital auxiliary began raising money to purchase one on March 19th.

According to Hansen, since then, roughly $9,750 – half the money to purchase one machine – has been donated.

“[The campaign] has really touched everybody’s hearts, because we all know someone, or we have known someone, or we hope not to be the someone that’s in Rotary with dementia. It’s going extremely well.”

Hansen added that any excess funding after the costs of a single Tovertafel unit will be used to buy more.

“We’re hoping, if this goes really well, we’re going to get two or three,” she said. “Then we can have one in the dementia ward, one in the regular part of the home and maybe even one for the second floor of the hospital.”

Donations can be sent via e-transfer to dcaux@pris.ca; cheque to 11100 13th Street, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 3W1, payable to Dawson Creek Hospital Auxiliary; or cash by visiting the hospital’s gift shop.

Tax receipts will be issued for donations greater than $20.

“We appreciate every nickel that we get,” Hansen said.

Members of the Dawson Creek Hospital Auxiliary will also be collecting donations in person at the Dawson Creek Mall on Saturday, April 5th, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

To view the full interview with Hansen, look below.