The Honda Foundation Helps Lift Spirits At St. Hilarion

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – October 21, 2010: The Honda Foundation and Nordic Honda in Adelaide have donated $8,800 to St. Hilarion Aged Care Home in Seaton, to be invested in new lifting technology.

The lifting equipment will benefit staff by providing a safer work environment and residents with peace of mind in their personal safety and mobility.

Mr. John Tobin, Director of Business Development at St. Hilarion is thrilled with the new equipment. “Without safe lifting equipment, staff are at a higher risk of straining their backs. This can lead to a high staff turnover. It is important for our residents to see familiar faces. This new lifting equipment ensures the safety and wellbeing of our team.”

Chairman of The Honda Foundation, Mr. Lindsay Smalley, said it was important to make the workplace a safe and happy one. “Our senior citizens are some of the most vulnerable in our community and the staff at St. Hilarion work very hard to ensure they are given the best care. This equipment will go a long way to assisting the staff and, in turn, the residents, so they have a better quality of life.”

Back strain and injury is one of the most common workplace injuries in the healthcare sector, particularly in aged care, where residents suffer from varying degrees of immobility and require lifting and moving to complete their daily tasks.

For residents, falls can have a dramatic impact on their health with decreased levels of functionality, leading to poor health and occasionally, depression.

The Honda Foundation supports Australian organisations that focus on the disadvantaged, disabled and suffering, along with humanitarian bodies that provide relief to natural disaster victims and those that promote innovation, technological development and the preservation of Australian culture.

It draws funding from Honda Dealers and Honda Australia, who donate $15 ($5 and $10 respectively) for every Honda car sold.