Lions Club Donations Enhance the Lives of Aged Care Residents

A generous donation of $25,000 worth of equipment by the Dunsborough Lions Club to Capecare Dunsborough is set to enhance the lives of its residents.

The funds have allowed the purchase of a Tovertafel, which provides interactive play opportunities particularly for people living with dementia, along with new wheelchair-friendly raised garden beds for residents and their families to enjoy.

The Tovertafel comprises a box hung from the ceiling containing a high quality projector, infrared sensors, loudspeaker and processor that work together to project interactive games onto a table. It creates moments of happiness for people living with dementia with social, physical and cognitive benefits. It is used at Capecare Dunsborough by residents and carers to allow joyful moments of play with beautiful interactive light projections.

Construction of the garden beds will start shortly in the residential care facility’s two courtyards and will have rounded corners and easy access for up to eight wheelchairs. Residents and carers will be able to plant a garden, care for it and watch it grow.

Dunsborough Lions Club has been a long-time supporter of Capecare, committing to financially supporting the facility when it was still in the early planning stages.

President Malcolm Van Rensburg said it was important to the Club to give back to the community.

“When I heard about the Tovertafel through another Lions group, I did some research and got on to Tovertafel distributor out of Melbourne.

“As part of my research I spoke to people who are using it and thought it was really good. It’s been a project close to my heart and when I presented it to the club, they voted to make the purchase for Capecare Dunsborough.

“We donated $155,000 back to the community last year from the money we had raised from selling donated goods at the Lions Shed in Dunsborough Lakes Drive, plus the Lions markets in Dunsborough town. We do monthly sausage sizzles during summer, and the Easter Fair. We’re currently selling Lions Christmas cakes and puddings outside Coles.

Capecare CEO Joanne Penman said the Lions Club donations would have a significant positive impact.

“Generous donations like this really make a difference to the quality of life for our residents,” she said.

“Watching them use the Tovertafel is a joy.

“It is interactive, which is really important in terms of socialisation. It’s stimulating – residents don’t get bored with it because the games are changing. It helps with hand-eye coordination and is a really wonderful group activity that won’t get tired.

“And the garden beds will be a real favourite in the facility because we’ll be able to grow some of our own herbs and vegetables, thanks to the Lions Club.

“The beds will be available not only to our residents who are mobile and independent, but also to people in wheelchairs who can wheel right up and also get involved in growing produce.

Jo said there was a real opportunity for Capecare and the community to identify, in partnership with residents, what would be useful for future donation opportunities.

“We’ll target specific needs within the organisation, things that will make a difference to the quality of residents lives that are over and above the things that, as a provider of aged care, we're funded to provide.

“It would be really fantastic to engage the community's thinking around ideas for things that we could do together and involve local people,” she said.

Capecare Dunsborough is the town’s first fully integrated aged care facility and was officially opened in October 2021. Capecare has been established for 60 years and is a not-for-profit and independent community organisation, existing to serve the needs of our older people in the Capes Region.

Click here to find out more about Capecare