Kirstin Nicholson, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Fondly known as ‘The Village’, the Respect Cohuna Village is the retirement home of 45 of the district’s elderly residents.

Don’t let the terms ‘elderly’ or ‘retirement’ put you off, their lifestyle is by no means sedentary. The village is a hive of activity with visiting family and friends, health professionals and volunteers who attend to treat, entertain, care for the residents and enhance their life. That was until COVID-19 came on the scene.

Since then, the village has seen a drastic transformation. Locked doors mean no visitors and no pass outs – life inside the village looks a lot different to what it did two years ago.

There is still a lot of activity though, and it is all thanks to the dedication of social carers, Julie Hore and Wendy Rae, along with the other staff who are doing the absolute best they can with the situation they are in.

Julie and Wendy are responsible for keeping the residents busy, they plan their daily activities. Lately, though, they have stepped up and added extra roles to their repertoire. Both are performing duties they never signed on to do, but are happy to do nonetheless, although their smiles are hidden behind the masks they must wear.

Usual activities would include exercise classes, card games, happy hour (as the name suggests, with a nice alcoholic beverage, some joke telling and a good yarn), Café Sylvia (using the fancy coffee machine), cooking, walking groups and bingo. In addition, there are church services, one-on-one activities and entertainment, all which rely on a large volunteer base who are no longer allowed to enter the premises. Julie and Wendy have not only ensured these activities continue, they have picked up the slack and perform many of the roles that their volunteers and visitors once did. 

With no visiting hairdresser, Julie has become the resident pamperer. While she can’t cut their overgrown hair, she has honed her skills in washing and setting hair, all while her ‘clients’ lay back in the massage chair and enjoy a chin wag. 

Wendy has been delivering the weekly church service, with the wording and guidance supplied by the regular church volunteers from the community.

Wendy says, “We’ve just got on with it, really. It’s something that needed to be done. The residents are very good about it. Of course, they’re keen to get out.”

“You come to work with a smile on your face, and if you’re positive about everything, it flows on. Mostly, the residents are happy. They do say that they can’t wait for all of this to go away.”

Physiotherapist exercise classes have continued, albeit via Zoom on the big screen, but podiatry has taken a backseat. There have been no outside walks or outings, and the new bus purchased last year sits idly in the carport. 

Visits with family have been through a panel of glass, but as general manager, Claire Fry says, it’s not the same as getting a hug. Between lockdowns and when restrictions were relaxed for a short time, some residents had the opportunity to escape the confines of the village for a short outing with family. Other families and friends keep in touch through telephone or video calls.

Wendy says that wearing masks and goggles makes it difficult to communicate with the residents. “We talk a lot louder, and they don’t see the expressions on your face, so you’ve got to do it with your eyes and the tone of your voice. I think they’ve got used to it because we’ve been doing it for a very long time now.”

Claire says that her staff are trying to make life as normal as possible for the residents, but it is hard. “We try to do as much as we can. It’s about making their lives as normal as possible,” she said. “You get to know what their worries are, and you look for that and support that in whatever way you can.”  

“These staff are amazing, they pulled together and got on with it,” Claire said. “Every day it’s something new – do this, do that, wear masks, face shields on, face shield off. They have sore hands from washing their hands a million times a day and using the hand soaps to keep the residents safe. 

“I’m just amazed how awesome the staff are at looking after these residents. They’ve got their own families to look after, they’ve got their own concerns, and yet they come in here day after day and give 110%. Julie and Wendy are amazing – they’ve got the hardest job in lifestyle, not constantly trying to keep someone entertained, but sane. It’s so hard, you’ve got to think of things to do all the time, and they all do an absolutely fantastic job. Nobody wants for anything when they’re around.”

What have the residents missed the most? “Different faces, visitors, that’s what they’ve missed the most,” answered Wendy. “We’re doing a pretty good job, but it’s not the same as having volunteers, and it’s not the same as having family and friends visiting.”

It is something Julie believes too. “I can’t wait for the day to come for our residents to interact with our volunteers. They need that.”

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 9 September 2021.