General News
8 July, 2025
Life made a bit easier thanks to Auxiliary
For Horsham grandmother Betty Etherton it's the little things in life that make her daily activities easier.
And she is especially thankful to Wimmera Hospice Auxiliary for those items.
Betty was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019, and for the past three years she has been in the care of the Grampians Health palliative team based at Wimmera Cancer Centre.
She is gradually losing her strength and finds activities like getting in and out of bed much harder to do now.
Betty said she was grateful for the care she was receiving and for the support from the Hospice Auxiliary.
“I was supposed to be dead two years ago but here I am still living independently and the equipment provided by the palliative care team has made that possible,” Betty said.
“It’s made things a lot better for me to stay at home and I’m trying to do that for as long as possible.”
Palliative care nurse Jody Membrey said the equipment Betty was using to help her live independently was provided by Grampians Health and completely funded by Wimmera Hospice Auxiliary.
“We have a lot of equipment on hand that was purchased by Wimmera Hospice Auxiliary but the more expensive items such as lift chairs are hired locally and the auxiliary support the costs for that too,” Ms Membrey said.
“They just recently purchased five new lightweight wheelchairs for us to loan out to our palliative patients at no charge.
“Betty is mainly using basic tools of support but for her they are providing a great deal of comfort and making her everyday life much easier and more practical.
“The items she probably uses the most are a bed stick, an overbed table and an adjustable chair but she also has a wheelchair and a commode on hand when needed.”
Grampians Health acting Chief People Officer Tamara Reynolds said Wimmera Hospice Auxiliary made an enormous contribution to the comfort of the region’s palliative patients.
“This hard-working team is constantly coming up with new projects while still making the most of the regular fundraisers that they organise,” Ms Reynolds said.
“Their level of contribution in supporting our palliative team is massive.”