Putting smiles on faces at Lumino
Lumino Dentists in Rangiora opened its doors on Saturday morning to offer free treatment to carers.
This was the first time the store had taken part in Lumino Day, now in its fifth year nationwide, as the Rangiora clinic is new.
With just three staff members: one dentist, one assistant and one receptionist, all staff were required to volunteer for the morning so they were able to take part in the initiative, which allowed for half hour check ups and simple dental procedures such as fillings.
Rebecca from Kaiapoi, who is full time carer for her identical twin sons, 18, said when she heard about Lumino Day she jumped at the chance to get a free check-up as she was sure she needed fillings and it was a great opportunity to save money.
‘‘You needed to be a registered member with Carers NZ and fill in a survey. It’s an excellent promotion and good timing for me because I have had a bad tooth since the day we moved down from the North Island in February.’’
This was the second time the initiative had supported Carers NZ. Last year more than $165,000 of free dental treatment was provided to over 400 family carers.
This year’s goal was to treat 600 patients at more than 50 Lumino practices across the country. More than 420,000 people in New Zealand look after a family member who is sick or has a disability.
Lumino head of marketing Kerry Dunphy said the day was aimed at giving back to those who may not always have time to focus on their own wellbeing.
‘‘We couldn’t think of a better organisation to partner with, or people to open our doors to,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s our way of giving back to our communities and saying thank you to family carers for the selfless work they do.’’
Carers NZ is a not for profit organisation which provides information, advice and support to more than 50,000 carers in New Zealand.