Co-op helps FAB dream come true
Medical centre gets cash for new wheelchairs
The Friends of Aberfoyle and Buchlyvie Medical Practice (FAB) have successfully completed a project in conjunction with the Co-op Community Fund to provide wheelchairs for patients of the practice.
They have been able to raise the funds for a range of wheelchairs in various sizes that can be borrowed by patients and visitors to the Trossachs.
The Co-op gives one per cent of customer spending on selected ownbrand products and services to local community projects.
Co-op members can choose which cause they wish the money to go to, and since September 2016 more than £20 million has been raised across the UK.
FAB successfully submitted a proposal for the wheelchair project to be included in the local fundraising initiative and received £1459.08.
This is just the latest project completed by FAB.
Over the years, the patient group has provided equipment for the practice, including cautery machines that allow minor surgical procedures to be carried out at the surgery, resuscitation trolleys that allow emergency drugs and equipment to be moved quickly to where they are needed, and INR machines that monitor patients on anticoagulant drugs to ensure that treatment for serious conditions is effective.
Many of these enable rural patients to be treated locally, without the need for a lengthy journey to hospital.
FAB has also helped initiate and organise health promotion events including Heart Start courses and quit smoking.
Community defibrillators have been supplied across the Trossachs, and working with Trossachs Search and Rescue, the current project is “Defib in 5”, which aims to have a defibrillator available to anyone in the vital five minutes after a heart attack.
Catherine Love from FAB said: “Living in a rural area brings many challenges. Supporting good local healthcare is a vital part of ensuring good quality of life for rural communities. You never know when you might need a wheelchair.
“The sight of fit, athletic people enjoying sports at very high levels whilst using wheelchairs is now a familiar one. The chairs are sleek, fast and manoeuvrable and with the expertise of the sportsmen, the activity looks easy and enjoyable.
“Living in a rural area, where pavements are few and tracks can be rough and pot-holed, having to use a wheelchair is a bit more challenging.
“Accidents, reduced mobility and infirmity can affect any of us, so having access to a robust wheelchair is essential.”