A donation from the Anne Marie Bailey Foundation has allowed Hospice Muskoka to buy a state-of-the-art bladder scanner for Andy’s House.
The Foundation is based in Burnaby, B.C. and is run by Michael Simard, the husband of the late Anne Marie Bailey.
Donna Kearney, executive director of Hospice, says Bailey grew up near the Muskoka Airport in Gravenhurst. She adds Bailey died in a plane crash in 2006.
“She and Michael never had children so he set a foundation in her memory because she had always wanted to,” says Kearney, adding the goal of it is to support organizations that provide healthcare services for children.
Christine Degan, medical director and nurse practitioner, says the scanner allows them to support residents of the Port Carling palliative care home who may deal with “significant pain” if not for the device.
“A bladder scanner is a noninvasive, portable ultrasound device that allows trained nurses to accurately measure the volume of urine in the bladder,” she explains. “Urinary retention (not being able to fully empty one’s bladder) can cause significant pain and urinary tract infections leading to delirium and other negative outcomes.”
Degan says having the scanner means they don’t have to do more invasive, uncomfortable work to determine what the problem is.
Kearney adds the scanner costs $16,000 and is the third time the Foundation has supported Andy’s House. Previously, she says they donated furniture for the palliative care home’s pediatric room and education material for staff.
“Donations to Andy’s house help to provide the best quality of palliative care possible without having to leave Muskoka,” says Kearney.
