A benefit night at the pantomime and a day of fun at a Christmas Fair will help an important new project that is aimed at making life easier and happier for some of Bermuda's elderly people.

Proceeds from the December 5 performance of `Mother Goose' by the BMDS at City Hall and the annual Fair held in the Pitts Bay grounds will go towards the cost of building an Extended Care Wing at Westmeath Retirement Home.

"We are very grateful to BMDS who have offered us the second night of their pantomime as a benefit,'' says Westmeath trustee Angela Grant who is organising the fundraiser with co-board members Barbara Lee and Don Joliffe.

"There will be a champagne reception afterwards where the audience will be able to mingle with the cast. Mr. Joliffe, who is very involved with BMDS, has also invited our residents to attend tonight's dress rehearsal.'' The proposed new wing, which will accommodate between 12 and 16 people in single and double rooms, will mean enable residents who require special nursing care to stay on at Westmeath instead of transferring to another home or to the hospital.

"This will remove a big fear for some of our residents,'' explains Westmeath matron Jennifer Gibson. "They worry about what will happen to them if they become ill or are no longer able to look after themselves. After all, Westmeath is their home and they obviously don't like to think they may have to move out. It will be nice to be able to give them peace of mind and the idea that they can end their days somewhere that's familiar and where they are happy. This, in turn, should assist the whole community as it will relieve some of the pressures on the hospital and Lefroy House.'' At present, the 25 or so residents have to be self-caring and of sound mind.

"They must be able to dress and bathe themselves and carry on a normal conversation,'' says Ms Gibson.

Fundraiser for Westmeath "Unfortunately, at the moment, if they become immobile or incontinent they have to be transferred to a nursing facility -- although we do welcome them back if they recover.'' Noting that one female resident has already been at Westmeath for 14 years and is 93 years old, Ms Gibson says there are several residents in their 90s who are still very fit. Two residents still volunteer as `Pink Ladies' at the hospital and three still drive their own cars. Volunteers also take residents into Hamilton and wait a couple of hours for them to shop or window-shop before bringing them back. They are also taken on regular `field trips' to places such as Dockyard or St. George's, to museums and galleries, and theatre dress rehearsals. "It is part of our policy to keep people as busy and as involved in the community as possible,'' she says.

"We have a very good activities programme, wonderfully run by our Activities Manager, Elizabeth Wingate. At the moment,'' she adds, "she's very busy, of course, doing the costumes for `Mother Goose' and some of the residents are helping her! We believe it's beneficial to keep people as fit and as independent as possible, so we have a full slate of exercise sessions, newspaper readings for those who don't see too well, and at the moment, a lot of them are busy making crafts for our Christmas Fair.'' This takes place this Saturday, when there will be a Fun Castle (for kids -- not for the residents!), a Santa Claus, crafts, plants, baked goods, assorted childrens' games, tombola and a `Human Fruit Machine', which will be run by the girls of the Bermuda High School.

"We decided,'' says Mrs. Grant, "that this year's proceeds from both the panto and the fair would go to our Building Fund.'' Mrs. Gibson reveals that the new eight-room extension will be built at the back of the property, joined on to the two existing wings. "We are now working on the interior plans and deciding what equipment and fittings we shall need. We hope to break ground early in the spring.'' The provision of an extended care section will mean that if a person breaks a hip, or a limb, or becomes bed-ridden, they will be able to receive full care.

Noting that Roderick Ferguson Sr., a long-time and generous friend of Westmeath has worked especially hard as a fundraiser, Ms Gibson, a registered nurse herself, says she is glad to have another R.N. -- Mrs. Grant, along with general practitioner Dr. J. H. Woolf on the Board of Trustees. "It such makes a difference to have people who also understand the practical and medical needs of our residents.'' Because Westmeath is not a nursing home, Ms Gibson is able to run the residence with the help of one fully qualified assistant matron, and nurses' aides at night, along with two domestics, cook and relief cook and a laundress.

"All of our staff are long-serving and very devoted,'' says Ms Gibson who has been matron for nine of her 12 years at Westmeath. "We are really all like one big happy family here. Everyone gets on so well -- we never have any problems. When people come here to live, we like to encourage them to bring at least some of their own furnishings along, so that they feel at home from the very beginning. It helps their mental state to be surrounded by familiar things.'' Plans for a happy time during the festive season are already well in hand.

Besides the Christmas Fair, residents will be able invite a guest to share a full Christmas Luncheon just prior to Christmas. "A few residents will be here on Christmas Day as they have no family to visit. But the community is always very kind in providing those extra touches, such as a Christmas tree, or some nice wine, and we always have a lovely day,'' says Ms Gibson.

The BMDS Benefit Night of `Mother Goose' in aid of Westmeath will take place at City Hall on Friday, December 6 at 8 p.m. $100 Patrons tickets (for two people) or individual tickets at $30, children $16 (both of which include the champagne reception) may be reserved by telephoning Barbara Lee at 292-3173 or Mrs. Grant at 236-8375.

The Westmeath Christmas Fair takes place on Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m.

to 3 p.m. Any offers of help with the Fair, or with any other aspect of Westmeath Retirement Home would be most welcome. Anyone interested is asked to telephone Mrs. Gibson at 295-2451.