As we celebrate Internationa Day of Older Persons we look back at the years in which our charity launched its comprehensive initiative to improve the conditions at geriatric and long-term care units and wards in public hospitals nationwide. Between 2013 and 2017 we bought equipment for over PLN 99 000 000 and donated it to 314 clinics and hospitals in the country.
Alarmed by the appalling conditions at geriatric and long-term care wards, which according to our research received minimal funding and were forced to rely on outdated equipment they received after it has served its purpose in other hospital wards. We decided to supply these wards with pieces of furniture, beds with bedside cabinets and anti bedsore mattresses as well as equipment which serves to facilitate the work of nurses and caretakers, such as bathing chairs and patient lifts. We have also donated ultrasonography machines, ECG machines, and rehabilitation equipment.
We decided to support not only geriatric wards but also extend our help to long-term-care units and care homes, where some of the most vulnerable older patients can rely on round the clock medical help and nursing care.
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity donated 13 642 pieces of equipment for 314 medical facilities where the staff can now rely on the modern medical equipment, including:
Another important element of our support for the geriatric wards was a publicity campaign raising awareness of how important dignified care for the elderly actually is for their wellbeing. We emphasised how respectful medical care, good equipment and state-of-the-art medical procedures can positively impact the health of older patients. Care, attention, and access to top medical care all show that we - as a society, and we as community respect our elders.
Unfortunately, there are very few geriatric wards in the country, and as Polish society grows older, the demand for geriatric care significantly overgrows the number of specialized hospitals. In 2017, when the Polish Ministry of health effectively cancelled geriatric care in the country, we decided to terminate our purchases. We hope that systematic changes will be introduced and we will see improvement in geriatric care in Poland.
Months of preparation, thousands of events around the world and hundreds of thousands of people involved. The 32nd Finale of GOCC is just around the corner! In Warsaw, the Orchestra's heart will be beating the loudest at PGE Narodowy meadows. It is here Jurek Owsiak summed up preparations for the next edition of the fundraising.
Five days before the 32nd Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, we visited the 'Pomnik - Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka' (Children's Memorial Health Institute) to ceremoniously inaugurate the first Ophthalmic Simulation Laboratory in Europe dedicated exclusively to the field of peadiatric ophthalmology.
As you already know, we play with everyone and for everyone. What is more, in Warsaw we play in a totally new location! For the first time ever the heart of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity will be beating at the PGE Narodowy meadows.
