Defibrillator available for free public use
Giant Leaps Speech Therapy, said they noticed the need for such a fund through their work and began discussing what they could do to make a change.
‘‘As private practitioners we are very aware of families who need to access paediatric therapy for their children, but are unable to,’’ Lawless said.
‘‘This can be due to a combination of reasons including lengthy wait lists, financial barriers or ineligibility for public services. ‘‘
They were advised to approach the Aoraki Foundation which has infrastructure in place to support trusts, they said
The fund aims to make services such as sessions with counsellors, speech and language therapists, play therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, accessible.
In an effort to save lives a Timaru business is offering the free use of a defibrillator for sporting events and to community groups.
Businessman Todd Mudie said he bought the $4000 Automated External Defibrillator (AED) about two years ago and carried it in his work vehicle in case it was needed. It has never been used.
He has now decided to offer it to the public for free and said if there was enough demand he would purchase a second AED as part of his company’s community-giving programme.
The device can be used to restore a normal heartbeat with an electric pulse to the heart when a person has a lifethreatening cardiac arrest.
Preferring to go under radar, Mudie said it was about getting kudos.
As St John Timaru area committee chair and a former member of the now disbanded AED committee, he knows how important such a device is.
In 2011, the AED committee the not organised fundraising, purchased and placed 28 AEDs in South Canterbury businesses and buildings which were recorded on a St John register.
He said the AED was easy to use with a recording talking people through each stage.
Just over a week since community access to the AED was launched, he has received multiple inquires and one five-day booking in the new year .