Rotary Lodge is a special place in the grounds Port Macquarie Base Hospital which provides accommodation for the entire community, including patients and their families, and the good news is that it’s expanding.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The accommodation is provided for the primary purpose of allowing family, relatives and friends of seriously ill or injured people to be close to their loved ones, while they are treated at the base hospital. It’s also for the use of cancer patients attending the hospital for short-term treatments, along with their family, relatives or friends.
Initially six rooms were built, and as the hospital has grown, the need has grown. The number of rooms has now reached 24, and with the expansion of the hospital, Rotary began planning to build another 24 rooms.
Paula Johnson from Rotary Lodge says 12 will be completed and operating in the first quarter of this year, with 12 more later down the line.
Every hospital should have this. We’re very lucky.
- Paula Johnson, Rotary Lodge
“Generally, patients getting oncology treatment are here with a carer. Every night, we give two to four rooms to the hospital, to cater for what happens during the night, for example car accidents. We have maternity mums down here. If you don’t need to be in hospital, you can be close, or your family can. Every hospital should have this. We’re very lucky,” said Paula.
Patients, families and friends from all over New South Wales stay at Rotary Lodge, and Paula says it’s a safe haven, a home away from home. Family members can visit the wards, then come back to the lodge and rest and recuperate.
Phil Perry from the Rotary Lodge board says the local Rotary clubs come in once a month and put a meal on, which the lodge residents really appreciate.
“It breaks down barriers and when you’ve got people here from one to nine weeks, they then become a family and support each other,” said Phil.
Visitors to Rotary Lodge range from children – some waiting for procedures – through to seniors. In cases when, for example, a family has a car accident and some end up in hospital and others are in the Lodge, the staff and volunteers there provide practical help, like food and clothing to tide them over
Each motel-style unit has its own ensuite bathroom as well as a kitchenette, dining table and chairs and a flat screen television. All units have two beds. Some units are two doubles, others are a double bed and a single bed.
There is a guest lounge on both levels, with comfortable sofas, a large flat screen TV, a dining area, outside deck, barbecue area and fully-equipped kitchen. There is also a shared guest laundry and onsite parking.
Phil says one of the toughest things to deal with is when families are awaiting a bereavement, and Rotary Lodge staff give them support.
There are good news stories too – for example, when people recover from cancer, and when patients get cochlear ear implants and are then able to hear.
Rotary Lodge is managed by the Port Macquarie Hospital Lodge Association Inc, an independent body with formally appointed representatives from each of the 5 local Rotary Clubs.
The lodge charges very reasonable rates and any profits are ploughed back into it. Their website is www.rotarylodge.com.au and the phone number is 02 6581 1076