Autumn 2021
Celebrating life in all its fullness There’s a big difference between really living your life and just being alive, isn’t there! I recently overheard that comment, and there is a powerful message in it. Life Care’s mission is to create communities where people embrace life and Live Every Day. Life Care’s chaplaincy team is inspired by the good shepherd Jesus, who proclaimed: “I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10, GNT). Our chaplains continue to support older people living in Life Care’s residential care homes by developing caring relationships. This includes offering emotional support, celebrating the good things in each person’s life, facilitating conversations about spirituality and meaning, and helping people reconnect to sources of inspiration and expressions of faith.
Last year I got to know a resident called Royce, who in his younger years had been an accomplished church organist. Sadly, his declining health meant he had not been able to play a keyboard for more than 20 years prior to coming to live at Glenrose Court. With the support of a close friend, and the encouragement of another resident who shared his love of hymns, Royce was able to sit down at our chapel keyboard and play again. His passionate engagement with church music became an important part of a renewal of his faith in what would be the final months of his life. This year our chaplaincy team will be exploring further opportunities to support the spiritual dimension of well-being for people Life Care supports in our home care and retirement living services. May Easter stir in each of us a renewed passion to embrace life in all its fullness as we follow the one who laid down his life to show us the love of God. Nigel Uppill, Coordinating Chaplain
What matters most to you is what matters most to us The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has made 148 recommendations aimed at ensuring the expectations of older, vulnerable Australians are truly met. This inquiry exposed complex and challenging issues emphasised by the fact that the commissioners themselves could not agree on some of the matters upon which they were asked to deliberate. However, the recommendations do present a landmark opportunity to make a generational change to the standards upon which aged care is delivered in the interests of older Australians and their families. Life Care hopes the Federal Government will seize this opportunity so that the needs of our older citizens are properly addressed and funded in the decades to come.
Life Care is immensely proud of its culture of quality care, but as a responsive and progressive organisation our services will continue to evolve. Our mantra of “what matters most to you” reflects Life Care’s commitment to address the specific needs of each person in our care so that we can deliver services and support to make a positive contribution to their lives every day. It motivates and inspires us to be the best at what we do on behalf of our residents and clients and their loved ones. The new assisted living environment created by the Gaynes Park Suites at Joslin is the latest example of Life Care’s innovation and lifestyle investment to support the independence and well-being of seniors who need some extra support in their daily lives. It is a premium example of the benchmarks that Life Care is setting for itself to make the daily lives of older people we support easier and happier. Allen Candy, Chief Executive Officer