Love in Action Aids Senior Wellbeing

Ben Mack visits Wellington Community Ministries in Newtown to find out about their ministry of supporting seniors, an example of God’s love in action.

Kath Johnston knew something needed to be done.

The Senior Services coordinator, based out of Newtown, was contacted by a member of the public delivering Meals on Wheels who was concerned about an elderly woman living in squalor.

The woman needed help. Among other things, her home did not have a working toilet, bathroom or kitchen. ‘Her house was uninhabitable,’ Kath recalls. The woman was living as a recluse and reluctant to receive support from any services.

Kath knew that life could change for this woman. She was determined to see her housed—a journey that took 10 months of building trust and strengthening relationship.

‘It was a long and sometimes frustrating path connecting her with other services that are required for access to residential care. In this, The Salvation Army was an essential bridge and strong advocate. As we worked to successfully relocate her into care, I was able to draw on lots of the resources available at Newtown through Salvation Army Community Ministries—everything from food assistance and clothing to counselling and budgeting. I don’t have to do this all myself; I have a team that helps me.’

The woman is now adjusting to living in residential aged care. ‘For the first time in over 40 years she is now showering regularly, is warm and comfortable, has all new clothes, is eating nutritious meals and has access to the medical and social care she deserves.

‘It’s my view that no one in society needed to live in the conditions she experienced,’ adds Kath. ‘She had fallen through the cracks and was essentially overlooked by society. It seemed as if everyone had walked away because her situation was so complex and just too hard.’

Teamwork and community connections

Major Christina Tyson, Wellington South corps officer (leader) at the Newtown Centre, applauds Kath’s longstanding work in the community. ‘Kath is so tenacious that while no one else could get through this woman’s front door, Kath could. That’s what made the difference for this woman, just as it has for so many others.’

Kath has served in her role for almost 15 years. She says all her clients are treated with the same dignity and respect—with time taken to get to know them, their whānau (families) and their unique situations. ‘For some, we might only need to journey with them for a few weeks. But others I’ve worked with for 10 to 11 years. These are special relationships that often only end when they pass away. And then it’s my privilege to attend their funerals.

Christina says one of the reasons Kath is so effective is that she has strong community partnerships that she can draw on to help people. This includes social workers at hospitals, contacts at medical centres, legal advisors and many contacts within the aged care sector.

Currently, Kath and her team of 13 volunteers work with 25 to 30 elderly people each month, visiting them in their homes, connecting them to social support activities and advocating for them. Kath organises around 11 social outings a year, with diverse activities, such as a special tour of Government House in Wellington and visits to garden centres and museums. Each month, a ‘Navigating Senior Life’ group is held at the Newtown Centre with various speakers. A recent addition has been sign language lessons from one of the group members who is deaf herself and a qualified sign language teacher. ‘This has been really popular with members,’ says Kath.

For around eight years, Kath has partnered with a local Kilbirnie lawyer for a monthly pro bono ‘Lawyer’s Clinic’ focused on low-income seniors. This assists around 20 people per month— alongside helping people with wills and enduring power of attorney.

Looking to the past and the future

For a number of years, the trend in society has been to support people to stay at home for as long as possible. ‘Back in 2004, The Salvation Army exited from its aged care residences, with funds being redeployed into services such as the one Kath runs and, for a time, in-home care,’ says Christina.

‘Although our ways of supporting seniors have evolved and changed over the years, as needs and funding realities have impacted our work, The Salvation Army remains strongly connected and committed to seniors in the community,’ says Christina. ‘Across Aotearoa, this work is happening in a myriad of ways ... what we’ve seen at Newtown though is that having a dedicated and passionate coordinator gives focus and purpose to some of our work.

With Aotearoa’s population ageing—as is the case in almost every country in the developed world—and people living longer than ever, services such as those at Newtown are more important and the numbers support this. According to Stats NZ, about 897,300 people in Aotearoa (17.3% of the total population) are over 65 in 2024. By 2060, that number is expected to nearly double, to 1,636,400 people (25.7% of the total population). What this means is that as New Zealanders age, services for seniors will become even more important than they already are.

Kath attests to the growing need for support for seniors in the community.

‘Seniors are going to be everybody—one day, they will be us. My fear is that they are being forgotten and lost within society. Yes, they are resilient, but they are also vulnerable. Alongside likely physical decline, many of them are not in the same secure financial position as our own parents and grandparents were in the past. They are experiencing more isolation and depression. Certainly, we are seeing more people coming in who are in housing despair and who are spending the majority of their pension on rent, with very little left over for other basic needs. As a society, we need to do better for them. This is what they deserve,’ says Kath.

‘Everyone deserves human dignity and loving care, no matter how old or young they might be,’ says Christina. ‘And no matter what their religious beliefs are.’

Kath has the final word: ‘You know that you’re getting old when you can’t reach your feet to put your socks on. And that’s going to be pretty much all of us at some point. So let’s help each other along the way. Strong relationships and a sense of humour are what will get us through.’