Rainycrest Long-Term Care in Fort Frances is getting some new equipment.

Provincial funding of over $13 thousand will buy specialized equipment for residents with complex needs or mobility issues.

Administrator Tara Morelli says their focus was on bariatric needs.

“Because we have had accessibility issues in the past where we didn’t have the equipment to accommodate everyone, so people that require the bariatric lifts and specialized beds and wheelchairs. We’ve now been able to purchase those with this funding,” says Morelli.

Other equipment includes a specialized chair that fits in a tub, a bariatric wheelchair, a bariatric bed and specialty mattresses for residents who spend most of their day in bed.

Riverside Health Care received over 185 thousand for similar equipment in other facilities.

The money was part of an announcement by Northern Development Minister, Greg Rickford. Facilities in the Kenora area are also receiving funding.

“The ability to improve the quality of life of residents in different alternative level of care facilities by providing as many and as much support program services where they live. Today’s announcement reflects a commitment to the kind of support and infrastructure for people with decreased mobility where they might otherwise have to be transferred somewhere else for a specific service or program and can be done right here at Rainy Crest and other facilities in the region,” says Rickford.