Aging

Allora Homestead residents have been busy over winter making blankets and beanies for the Warwick Hospital. A wonderful effort by Judy, Kay, Laisa, Rae, Jess who have made these items with love and care for the new born babies.

Nita was lying awake in bed at 2am in her unit in Casino. She was waiting for the radio to come on. She looked up and a figure was standing by her bed. He wore a hoodie, was barefoot and looked about 16, Nita said. He fled when Nita screamed. “I’ll never forget it,” Nita, 86, said ... They used to steal things out of the garage and off the porch but now they are coming into our homes, she said.

Developer wants seniors to take root on land that used to be farmed. A 2.5ha property at Geneva on the edge of Kyogle may be rezoned to allow six units for seniors to live in ... The proposal includes keeping the existing house as a hub and creating six residential lots targeted towards seniors.

Ali Bohn ... My loved one has dementia and they have no bloody idea who I am at the best of times, but add this freak show costume and it’s an impossible situation. But I am Covid-19 negative, so why am I wearing all the paraphernalia?

Ally Scholl is looking for a general practitioner for her family but hasn’t been able to get any appointments yet. Laura Anderson Parker said she finally found a decent GP but then “they are gone again. And repeat”. Sheryl Nielsen said it took weeks to get in to see a doctor.

Dhelkaya Health is setting up a new committee that will work behind the scenes to help people maintain their health and wellbeing for longer.

Personal stories keep coming in about elderly people stuck in hospital beds because they can’t get signed out to go into a nursing home. A major issue for people is finding a GP to sign their relative out of hospital.

Four years ago, a local group was established to offer support, social interaction, and plenty of fun, laughter and friendship, to Clarence Valley residents living with dementia ... it expanded to include locals affected by memory impairment, and senior citizens with limited opportunities to socialise. Together, they sing, they dance, and they enjoy being in each other’s company.

The founding members of Regional Community Vet Clinic (RCVC), Dr Yvette Berkeley, Robyn Slattery and James Mack, were delighted to receive official confirmation from State Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, on the success of their grant application ... RCVC, as a Not-for-Profit community veterinary clinic, will support the elderly, socially and financially disadvantaged in our community, by providing them with access to affordable preventative veterinary care for their companion animals. This will enable the most vulnerable to continue to live in their own homes with their pets.

Geoff Helisma. The joy of training is Tom Hancock’s secret when it came to taking on all-comers at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships held in Brisbane from April 1 to 4. The 85-year-old won every event he contested in ‘throws’ events for 85 to 90-year-olds.

Music is the food of life someone famous once said and that is for sure -  for people of all ages. Music has been proved to be powerful in the management of dementia and related issues ... With over 40 years of broadcasting experience, Gary Thorpe OAM developed Silver Memories in 2007 to address social isolation in the aged in the community. And now it is going stronger than ever.

Four senior citizens and Charles Sturt academics have chronicled how their time in multiple COVID-19 lockdowns and isolations have restored their faiths.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook has officially opened Carnarvon's $19.9 million Gnullingoo Mia residential aged and palliative care home. This new aged care home has been integrated with the existing hospital to ensure residents have access to skilled aged care assessment, older patient initiatives and subacute programs, education and telegeriatrician services, while feeling comfortable, supported and at home.

Kirstin Nicholson. Cohuna Neighbourhood House treated 28 people to a ‘Bush Bash Tour’ as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival ... Local Aboriginal elder, Aunty Esther Kirby, explained the historical significance of the Gunbower Forest to the local Aboriginal people and discussed items of cultural significance.

Kirstin Nicholson. 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.