Donations to help people stay connected

Sometimes our caring hands push trolleys full of telephones and you may find yourself phoning a friend and asking “why?”

Well, we are here to tell you that the gift is in the giving, which is why this week we are donating unused telephones, computer hard drives and monitors to help others stay independent.

In this case, it is the team at Technology for Ageing and Disability WA (TADWA) who are receiving this trolley full of telephones, plus much more technology not pictured.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Nicky Howe said the donation was part of Southcare’s purpose of being a proactive connector, contributor and carer.

“We use our caring hands in lots of ways every day and while pushing this telephone trolley might look a little different, the benefits the donation brings (or rings!) are certainly engaging!” Dr Howe said.

All the equipment donated by Southcare is in good working order so TADWA can use it as is or they can repurpose parts to build new creations to help other people with customised items that will help them live the way they want to.

“TADWA has a lot of similarities to the work we do – they were founded two years after us in 1984 and they exist to help people’s independence, particularly those with disabilities,” Dr Howe said.

Southcare’s Senior Administration Officer Arif Abdul Mushir (pictured) said Southcare’s Information and Communications Technology team has done a lot of work moving the business to be “handset free”, meaning we all use headsets for calls in place of traditional phones.

“We’re donating our phones, computer monitors, cables and hard drives and how great is it to see that they can be used to help others stay connected and independent,” Arif said.

“And, because we use headsets when talking to people, it also frees up our caring hands meaning we can do more to help others!