KUCHING: The Lions Nursing Home Kuching (LNHK) at Jalan Stutong Baru here currently has 57 salaried staff to look after its 50 residents.
The number of beds in the nursing home has been reduced from 80 beds to only 60 as required by the Ministry of Health, said LNHK chairwoman past Lions International director Datin Ellis Suriyati Omar.
“Having 60 beds is more manageable for us as we can have almost a one-to-one ratio of staff and residents, thus providing the latter with more attention and care,” she said.
She hopes to see the development of a bigger nursing home with better facilities in future.
“The biggest challenge of running this nursing home is we have to always be vigilant and careful when handling our elderly patients.
“Most of them are immobile and some are even bedridden so we have to be very careful when moving and shifting them from one place to another,” she said.
All residents of the nursing home are being taken care of under the direct supervision of matron Cecilia Lim and matron Tie who oversees the daily operations. They are assisted by staff nurses, assistant nurses, physiotherapists, attendants, cooks, clerks, gardeners and security guards.
The nursing home, which is based on the concept of a professional care residence for the elderly who are incapacitated by non-infectious illnesses and whose families are unable to look after their needs, was founded in 1992.
Firmly believing in the Asian value of caring for the extended families, the Lions built the nursing home in hopes of providing basic nursing care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation to the debilitated elderly.
The non-profit organisation has survived for the past 27 years with the support of corporate bodies, public contributions and the commitment of Lions and Leos towards their annual food fair.
The professional care provided by the nursing staff is augmented by the active participation of volunteers drawn from the Lions movement and the Leo programme as well as other service organisations.
Volunteer doctors, assisted by physiotherapists, also provide complimentary medical care through consultations.
Ellis said some of the residents stayed for a few months while others up to 10 years or more.
The Lions Nursing Home is currently affiliated to the Faculty of Health Science and Medicine of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) as a teaching unit for undergraduate nursing and medical students in geriatrics.
