Handicare President hits the road to transform Eastern European care home
On a mission to transform an unfit-for-purpose care home in Eastern Europe, Handicare’s President EU/RoW, Clare Brophy, is rolling up her sleeves, getting her HGV licence and hitting the road.
On 26th March, Clare and Handicare engineer Julian Olivier-Myall will volunteer with registered charity Yorkshire Aid Convoy. Embarking on a three-day journey to Eastern Europe, they will take DIY-SOS to the next level as they set out on a humanitarian effort to deliver aid and renovate a care home in just four days.
Handicare will donate straight stairlifts, and its trade partners are also showing support through gifting mobility equipment. Mobility Scotland and TPG DisableAids, providers of home care equipment, disability aids and mobility solutions are donating profiling beds, air alternating pressure care mattresses, rise and recline chairs, daily living products and specialist footwear.
President EU/RoW at Handicare, Clare Brophy, said: “There’s a saying: ‘do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, for as long as you can’.
“And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. The care home we’re going to transform is currently unfit for purpose; it’s so sad to see how the residents are living. Travelling to Eastern Europe is my small way of helping to making their final years more comfortable.
“Every day, we see first-hand what a difference our products make; we know how they change lives. I want to extend that impact even further.
“We’re still looking for mobility equipment – new or reconditioned – that we can take with us and welcome any donations to support our efforts. What might seem like surplus to us could transform someone’s daily life.”
Billy Finnie from Mobility Scotland said: “This is an incredible mission to support, and I wish the whole team success. What a difference this will make! We are proud to be associated with a cause that will see our equipment used by people that wouldn’t ordinarily have access to it. We are all in this business to make a difference, and this takes that aim to the next level.”
Alastair Gibbs, Managing Director at TPG DisableAids commented: “We’ve been sending equipment to Eastern Europe for well over a year now – around 250 wheelchairs, some powered scooters and rollators, and a selection of daily living aids and commodes. We feel privileged to be able to support another mission for such a worthy cause.”
Yorkshire Aid Convoy was founded in 2002 with the objective of collecting, transporting, and distributing humanitarian aid throughout Eastern Europe. It conducts an annual distribution mission, with many organisations in Eastern Europe relying solely on this support to ensure they can continue providing basic healthcare and education services to their communities.
Handicare is a global provider of straight, curved and outdoor stairlifts and has been providing mobility solutions since 1886. It was acquired by Savaria Corporation in 2021, following Savaria’s acquisition of Garaventa Lift, which provides custom-made platform lifts for mobility and accessibility in homes and public locations, in 2018.
The firm recently announced the appointment of Jason Skelding as UK Trade Sales Director following his 10-year tenure with the company.
