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14 December 2018
On Thursday 6 December 2018 a representative from each department of Atlas Professionals in Perth visited Opal Aged Care in Carine for a morning tea. They handed over the Christmas gifts and cards written by the office staff and provided company to the elderly for whom the Christmas period might a particular lonely time of the year. Four staff members share their experiences.
Lauren Jakson, Training Indigenous & Compliance Advisor
For many, Christmas is the happiest time of year. For some, it is the loneliest, with a quarter of our population not having any plans or anyone to spend Christmas Day with. While we cannot help every lonely person at Christmas (I wish we could), for the past 2 years we have been able to bring some cheer to over 160 Perth aged care home residents and donate over $1000 worth of gifts.
Our visits to these homes have been heart-warming and humbling. Walking through the home and meeting the residents and having a laugh, finding out about their past and seeing them open the customised cards written by our office staff was most rewarding. It’s difficult to put into words how it feels to give to people a small gift of joy and the knowledge that they are not alone at this time.
We would not have been able to bring some cheer this Christmas without the support of Atlas Professionals’ management and the involvement of all office personnel, and it makes me proud to be a part of a team like Atlas.
Leona Witzig, Senior Accounts Receivable Officer
Whilst it was an emotional visit to Opal in Carine, it had lots of light-hearted moments. Barb (Manager at Opal Carine) and her team are super caring and they know all residents and their little quirks. Very special to me was the fact that I met some of the people I had written Christmas cards for, which I read to them. There were hugs, pecks on cheeks and lots of wide smiles, from residents, their visiting relatives and us alike.
Barb very obviously loves what she is doing, even though this can’t be an easy job. I found very interesting when she told us that there are not many care facilities that take on patients with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) due to specialised care needed, that patients with MND may not be of high age but also that it may only be 12 months from diagnosis to demise. There is no cure and the youngest person has just been diagnosed in WA at the age of 17.
She also explained that there are not many care facilities accepting LGBTQI people. Opal is open to providing all that much needed specialised care. Our visit was a fantastic experience and I can highly recommend to get over that initial hurdle that might hold you back from visiting care facilities such as those. These people love to have visitors and it definitively put a smile on their faces.
Ian Marshall, Business Development Manager
It was a very first for myself to visit an elderly home and to have the opportunity to bring Christmas gifts and cards along with my work colleagues. It was absolutely amazing and satisfying to do so. I realised that Christmas can be a lonely time for some seniors.
Some of the residents don't have families so just having someone to bring them a Christmas card and read it out to them could really make their day. It seemed that some of the residents got a kick out of having us around and we could see the smiles that it brought them.
I was super proud to have met with the last remaining Florence Nightingale nurse who was 96 years old. She still had zest for life and a great story to tell. It made me personally reflect on my life and my achievements. It also made me decide to personally volunteer to visit in my own time to try and make a difference where possible.
Hayley Borissow, Project Coordinator – HUC
I chose to take my son Connor (18 months old) to visit the aged care home with my colleagues. Connor seemed to have a heartening effect on the residents we visited. Possibly because many of them hadn’t actually seen their own grandchildren (or great grandchildren) in some time, or they didn’t have any.
Norma and Bill (a couple residing at Opal together, indefinitely) were particularly taken by Connor and his cheeky smile. They couldn’t take their eyes off of him and said they thoroughly enjoyed meeting him. I think that Connor brought some uplifting Christmas cheer to the residents but he too benefited from the visit (pockets full of chocolate and lollies aside); I think even at his young age, he understood that his smile, wave and giggle could provide joy to strangers.
