For 10 years Reed House—Wishlist’s affordable accommodation facility
in Nambour—has given more than 16,000 patients and families a place to stay
when they need to be close to hospital.
Today the ‘house’ turns 10, marking a decade of amazing service to its
community. The real heroes however, are the volunteers who give up their time
to ensure everyone who stays at Reed House is made to feel welcome and at
home.
Toowoomba couple, Tony and Judy Brown, have praised the facility and
the kind-hearted volunteers that run it, as they enter their third week at the
accommodation.
In early March, the Brown’s rushed to be with their 57-year-old
daughter, Michelle James, at the sunshine Coast University Hospital, without
any plan or thought about where they were going to stay once they got to her.
Judy and Tony Brown
“Our son called us to say that Michelle had suffered a stroke
following her surgery. We spent ten minutes throwing a few days’ worth of
clothes in a bag before we were in the car driving to the Sunshine Coast. We
didn’t have time to think about anything except getting to our daughter.
“That was more than three weeks ago. We’ve been at Shelley’s bedside
every day and there is no indication of when we might be able to go home,” said
Mr Brown.
Tony and Judy spent the first few nights at a hotel near the hospital
but said it was far too expensive for them.
“Our son ended up paying our bill at the hotel but we weren’t sure
where to go from there. Luckily, a social worker at the Hospital told us about
Reed House.”
Within hours, Tony and Judy were on their way to Reed House—neither of
them knowing how long they would be there for.
“We were met by the most
caring, lovely people – we immediately felt like we were among family,” said
Mrs Brown.
“The compassion and empathy we were shown on arrival, after what had
been a very stressful few days, was just amazing. We were so grateful and
couldn’t believe these wonderful people were all volunteers!
“They greet you as family. They have so much empathy and are just so
caring. And they know when to ask how things are going and when to let you have
your privacy. They’ve even brought their own book collections in because they
know we love to read,” she said.
The elderly Toowoomba parents agreed that the facility and its
volunteers had been their lifeline.
“Without Reed House, we would not be able to stay close to our
daughter when she needs us most. And being able to wash our clothes and cook
and generally feel at home, has made all the difference.”
The 10th anniversary of Reed House comes just one week
after Member for Fisher
Andrew Wallace announced $12million in funding for Wishlist towards future emergency
hospital accommodation to support the Sunshine Coast University Hospital
(SCUH).
Wishlist and Ausmar Homes have also commenced work on The House The
Coast Built—a six-bedroom home near SCUH to help more families stay together
while their loved-ones receive life-saving treatment at the Hospital.
Wishlist CEO, Lisa Rowe, said the need for affordable accommodation
are only going to increase.
“As our health service grows, so too will
the need for affordable accommodation. We’re thrilled to have provided
accommodation to thousands of families and patients through Reed House, and we
look forward to providing more accommodation resources to families from the
Sunshine Coast and beyond.
“Today we celebrate Reed House and the amazing team of
volunteers who make it home for everyone who needs a place to stay close to the
hospital,” said Ms Rowe.
Reed House offers affordable accommodation for patients and their
families, receiving ongoing or emergency treatment at SCUH, Nambour Hospital,
Selengor or Genesis CancerCare.
Patients who live outside a 50km radius of
public specialist medical services may also be eligible for a subsidy to assist
with the costs of travel and accommodation.
A
night’s accommodation starts at $60 but the Patient Travel Subsidy may mean
both the patient and a loved one stay at the facility, beside Nambour Hospital,
at no cost.
