News/Events

Ann Nelson
Daughter, mother, grandmother, business manager

Baby Boomers are sometimes considered the sandwich generation facing different pressures from those who have preceded them.

Often they have to consider meeting the aged care needs of their parents while balancing the learning and career demands of their own children. At the same time, many of them face their own employment pressures and the desire to work towards a happy and sustainable retirement.

Ann Nelson has managed that balance well. With three adult children and two grand children, Ann is able to enjoy a busy family life across generations. At the same time, her role in the workplace has many demands as a senior manager in a biotechnology company.

Ann’s family recently gathered for the 60th wedding anniversary of her parents, Chas and Beth Muller, who are residents at Life Care’s Reynella Lodge aged care facility.

"It was such a happy occasion that brought generations of my own family together, and it helped me to realise that Baby Boomers of my age do have particular challenges," Ann said.

"We have to give our children opportunities while pursuing our own career and lifestyle interests. At the same time, many of us face the prospect of helping our parents into aged care.

"This can be a daunting process that requires fast learning about processes and availability. We had such a happy outcome through Reynella Lodge, but the process of finding aged care for loved ones does have its challenges.

"My parents have had a wonderful life and that continues today in terms of the quality of life they enjoy at Reynella Lodge and the interaction they continue to have with family and friends.

"But it is worth considering that the planning we put into our own lives and those of our children should also be applied to meeting the care needs of loved ones as they age. The earlier that people can do this, even when their parents are still healthy and independent, the better."

Sixtieth wedding anniversaries are cherished occasions. For Chas and Beth, it brought greetings from The Queen, the Governor-General and the Prime Minister and other State and Federal MPs. But the most precious greetings of all were from their own loving family.

Eleanor Chiew
Life Care’s Norman House

Eleanor Chiew has come to aged care relatively late in her career, but it has been a most satisfying move.

"I enjoy the company of others and being able to share stories and life experiences with them," says Eleanor, who made a new life in Australia after leaving the Philippines more than 40 years ago.

"I was a nurse for 17 years specialising in obstetrics and midwifery, and I then joined my husband, Michael, in running a Japanese restaurant in Adelaide for almost 25 years.

"When I decided to move back into a caring role, aged care appealed because I’ve always found older members of the community so welcoming and engaging. I am constantly inspired by the honesty, grace and intelligence of older people."

Eleanor recently became a carer at Norman House at Everard Park, where Life Care operates a defining model of overnight and day respite care.

"People who care for loved ones at home have great responsibilities, and they make many sacrifices," she said. "At Norman House, they are able to have a relaxing break to do the things they enjoy while we look after the people normally in their care.

"Norman House brings together a fascinating range of people, and I enjoy the opportunity to have time with them and contribute to their well-being."

Eleanor’s gentle nature is further illustrated by her role as President of the Adelaide Chapter of Ikebana International, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

"It is a relaxing art form designed to appreciate how a flower arrangement can be a living thing where nature and humanity are brought together," she said.

"Humanity is also a key word in caring and that is important to me."

Jo Hackett
Therapy Services Coordinator, Life Care

Jo Hackett believes she was always destined to work in the care of older people.

"I had a very close relationship with my grandmother who was an aged care nurse," Jo explained. "She was a big influence on my life from a young age, and I realised very early that caring for older people was my interest and my destiny.

"I am a strong believer in having the right people for specific jobs, and this particularly applies in aged care. I feel I have a responsibility to make a positive difference in people’s lives as they come to rely on care and support."

A mother of four, Jo was a personal carer, lifestyle and client services coordinator prior to her appointment with Life Care’s Therapy Services.

"We offer a multidisciplinary approach to support older people living in the community by assisting them to maintain or improve independence and quality of life through therapy and educational programs," Jo said.

"We also run specific support programs for people with Parkinson’s disease and on falls prevention measures.

"Our objective is to generate wellness, strength and vitality to allow people to live in their own homes for as long as possible.

"Older members of the community have so much to offer in terms of experience and expertise. They are pillars of our social stability.

"By helping them to remain healthy, active and independent, they can contribute to the well-being of the community as a whole."

The great enjoyment for Jo is to see people enter a therapy services program and emerge at the 'other end' with a bright new outlook on life.

"That is the most fulfilling part for me," she said. "By engaging people in this way it will have a wonderful influence on them, their families and their friends."

Alan Young
Director, Life Care

For Alan Young, life has been a continual curve along which he seeks to make each day dawn with new discoveries.

A career teacher, principal and schools superintendent, Alan retired five years ago to a life that remains remarkably active, vibrant and enlightening.

"Life is to be lived to the fullest," he says. "It is fun to meet people and learn new things, and I believe that outlook should not change as you get older."

Apart from being a career educator in Australia, Alan, 63, also worked through AusAID in impoverished schools in Indonesia.

Upon retirement, he turned to being a driver and guide specialising in tours across Australia for retirees. This has opened up countless opportunities to meet people and reflect on their life stories, achievements and enduring ambitions.

An active member of the Blackwood Church of Christ for the past 25 years, Alan has also recently joined the Board of Directors of Life Care. In this role, he brings extensive governance, policy and human relations expertise to the organisation that provides residential aged care, retirement housing, community and therapy services and specialist respite care.

Alan also continues to serve as a Deputy Member of the Non-Government Schools Registration Board reviewing curriculum and program delivery in schools.

He and his wife, Margaret, who works at the University of Adelaide in population studies, have three children and four grandchildren.

"I’ve spent most of my life in a learning environment with young people, but there is no doubt that you are never too old to learn," Alan said. "I have a great interest in people and helping them to provide new life to stories and experiences that lay dormant within.

"We can learn so much from the life experiences of other people because they have wonderful knowledge of things from the past that have contributed to the way we live today.

"It is so important for people to share their stories because it can make a positive difference in their lives, and provide meaning and understanding among others. This becomes even more important as we grow older."