T
he Department of Health has received a number of generous donations including iPads, DVDs, DVD players and much more from the Jack Quirk Renal Care Fund.
The fund, which was set up in 2008 in the memory of Jack Quirk who was a patient of the Renal Unit, has donated numerous items over the past few years, including:
- Digital wheelchair weighing scales
- Two dialysis chairs
- Lo Zone comfort cushions for all the dialysis chairs in the Renal Unit following a generous donation to the Fund from the Peel Charity Shop
- Three iPads
- A Netbook
- DVD’s
Jean Quirk, wife of the late Jack Quirk, purchased pictures and DVD players for the Renal Unit, with donations in lieu of presents for her 80th birthday.
Member for Health, Dudley Butt MLC said:
'The Renal Unit team is extremely grateful for the donations from the Jack Quirk Care Renal Fund, which will ensure that our patients can occupy their minds whilst undergoing dialysis. All the donations - including Mrs Quirk’s - are exceptionally generous and it goes to show the dedication of many individuals to ensuring that patients can receive their care in the most comfortable and well equipped surroundings possible. Dialysis can often be required multiple times a week, with each lasting a few hours – so little things like having an iPad or a DVD to watch can make a real difference in passing the time and make patients more comfortable.'
Renal units offer dialysis treatment, which effectively replaces many of the functions of the human kidneys when they begin to fail, such as filtering blood, removing waste products collected as part of normal bodily functions, and removing excess water from the body. Kidney failure occurs when the kidneys have lost around 90% of their filtering ability and if left untreated, the amount of waste products in the blood will build up to a dangerous level.
Dialysis is a critical treatment for those experiencing kidney failure and is the only option available to replace the functions of the kidneys apart from a kidney transplant, for which there is a long waiting list. The Island currently has one Renal Unit at Noble’s Hospital, but the Department of Health is planning to open a second unit at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital to meet the increasing demand for renal services.
Pam Makin, Senior Sister, Intensive Care and Renal Services at Noble’s Hospital said:
'The Jack Quirk Renal Care Fund has offered invaluable support to the Renal Unit by providing equipment and patient entertainment systems. This gives the patients something to do whilst they are being dialysed which can take a minimum of four hours, three times a week. On behalf of the team I’d like to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has so generously donated.'
Noble’s Hospital’s Renal Service, in conjunction with the Jack Quirk Renal Care Fund also held a series of events earlier this year to raise awareness and to mark World Kidney Day. The aim was to highlight the facts about kidney disease and educate people on the risks of developing chronic kidney disease. Events included a bag pack, health promotion displays at Noble’s Hospital and the Strand Shopping Centre in Douglas, and a traditional afternoon tea at Promenade Methodist Church.
