A donation from the Royal Canadian Legion will help some Cassellholme residents have a better night’s sleep. On February 23rd the Ladies Auxiliaries Charitable Foundation presented a cheque for $7,195 to Cassellholme administrators to help purchase some new speciality air mattresses.

These aren’t the air mattresses you pick up at your local hardware store, but are high-end mattresses that help alleviate strain on one’s skin. The mattress top has been described as a type of cross between an air mattress and a waterbed, and the result is a more comfortable night’s sleep for those agitated by traditional mattresses.

Lindsay Dyrda, Cassellholme’s director of care, added that these mattresses are very good for people who have lost mobility, and adding them to the home “helps people maintain their dignity, while ensuring they are comfortable.”

The cheque presentation happened at the West Ferris Legion, Branch 599. Laughlin “Red” Trowsdale was there on behalf of the Legion, and he mentioned that “this money is for all members of Cassellholme,” adding that it would also be nice if a Veteran or a family member of a Veteran would be able to use one of those mattresses someday if needed.

After all, “the Legion was founded to look after Veterans and Veterans’ families,” and some of these people now call Cassellholme home, or soon will. “Cassellholme is very good,” Trowsdale said, “it’s a home for the aged, and that’s probably where a lot of us will end up.”

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca