Carinity

‘Model’ residents star in new aged care campaign

Four Carinity Brookfield Green residents were models for a day when they featured in a professional photo shoot for Carinity’s new aged care promotion.

From the make-up chair to camera flashes, Don Smith, Jim Chadwick, Joan Bell and Maud Harbort were treated like stars during the photo shoot at the aged care community in Brisbane.

“Our residents really enjoyed this new experience of being ‘on set’ and had a ball being photographed,” Carinity Brookfield Green Activities Officer Nicola Zuvich says.

“The smiles on their faces were genuine. True happiness like that isn’t something that is easily faked.” The photos have been used in Carinity’s new “Living with Purpose” advertising campaign with images of the vivacious seniors featured on posters in shopping centres and bus shelters around Brisbane.

Promoting inclusiveness and purposeful activity, Living with Purpose highlights the stimulating experiences and activities offered to seniors living in Carinity residential aged care communities across Queensland.

“Far from being places where people go to exist, our aged care communities are where people go to live,” Carinity Aged Care Executive Manager Valmae Dunlea explains. “Carinity understands that the difference between really living, and just enduring, lies in the richness and variety of meaningful experiences.

“We recognise each person is unique. We passionately believe everyone deserves to feel loved and supported, whatever their life’s circumstances.”

Discover more about how Carinity is supporting Queensland seniors to live their life with purpose at carinity. org.au/living-with-purpose.

Carinity assists droughtstricken farmers

“You will never understand how much this means to me and my children.”

Amanda Park and her family are some of the thousands of Australian farmers experiencing the worst of a drought that is crippling rural districts around the country and driving families to breaking point.

Resourceful staff at the Carinity Brownesholme retirement community near Toowoomba have done their part to help desperate local farmers like the Parks.

“We had the idea to harvest our unused paddocks for hay as many local farmers are struggling with the drought and the extraordinary increased cost of feed for their animals,” Carinity Brownesholme Village Manager Garry Slik explains.

“I found a local farmer who was kind enough to harvest the hay. He supplied all equipment and fuel and manpower.”

The Carinity Brownesholme site consists of around 120 acres of which the retirement village covers around 30 acres – meaning there was a lot of grass to harvest.

Two harvests resulted in around 320 hay bales being distributed to six farming families in areas such as Highfields and Goombungee.

Amanda, who runs a horse farm, expressed “extreme gratitude” for the free livestock feed. “With paddocks bare, water tanks almost empty, the price of hay almost tripled and hungry animals… we have had to face this drought alone,” Amanda says.

“If only you could have seen the relief on my 11-year-old son’s face when he came home that afternoon and there was hay to feed his beloved sheep, some of which were bottle-fed orphans.

“He had mentioned to me that he would understand if he didn’t get

presents at Christmas, as long as he could have a bag of chicken feed and a bag of sheep feed.”

Garry is delighted to “help others with a resource that has in the past gone to waste”.

“It was a wonderful thing for Brownesholme to do and it certainly aligns with Carinity’s core values – helping others in need,” Garry says.