Stettler, Alberta residents receiving care at the local hospital and care centre now have safer equipment thanks to a major community-funded purchase. The Stettler Health Services Foundation bought five ceiling-mounted patient lifts, totaling about $122,222, for the Stettler Hospital and Heritage House continuing care.
The lifts were paid for by the 2024 Festival of Lights campaign, Stettler’s biggest annual fundraiser. They are already in place, with one in the patient bathing room at Heritage House and the other four spread through the acute and extended care wings.
These overhead lifts help staff transfer, reposition, and move patients while cutting the risk of injury for both patients and caregivers. The five units include standard and bariatric models with different weight limits, so patients of all sizes can be moved safely and with dignity.
Over the past 28 years, the Festival of Lights has raised just over $2 million for health care in Stettler. The foundation says the new lifts are a direct result of that support from donors and event participants.
Moving patients by hand is a leading cause of muscle and joint injuries among health care workers across Canada, with costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The new lifts are designed to reduce that strain and improve care for patients with limited mobility.
