Aug 25, 2017

Home Care Is Where The Heart Is

Aged care worker, Cindy Jordan has had the opportunity to work with a variety of special clients during her time at Envigor Home Care, but now has one very close to her heart.

In January this year, Cindy’s 89-year-old mother, Sylvia Joyce suffered a medication-related episode which landed her in hospital for two weeks. Sylvia began to lose her mobility and cognitive abilities as a result of the stroke-like symptoms.

Since this unfortunate episode, Cindy started caring for her mother professionally through Envigor, and she receives almost 20 hours of care per week.

“I enjoy looking after my Mum both professionally and personally,” said Cindy.

“She is always happy, and never complains even though she has had quite a hard life.”

After working in the aged care industry for many years, Cindy became frustrated with clients’ needs not being met, and soon after made the switch to Envigor in 2016.

“Envigor has given me the opportunity to truly meet the needs of my clients, and the autonomy to be able to work on a personal level with each client, tailoring their care needs to what they want to have in place, truly consumer director care,” said Cindy.

“This is my goal, and when I have achieved this, I can say that I am very, very happy – that is my reward.”

Cindy and Sylvia have had their fair share of hard times, but assure they are a very close family, and support one another at all times.

“We believe in being there for each other, my Mum is my rock,” said Cindy.

Sylvia spends her days gardening, and still enjoys a trip to Bunnings whenever she has the chance, in addition to singing in the local village choir, and attending weekly rehearsals.

Cindy herself has also become involved with the local music centre at Rothwell, along with her older brother.

“We often have recitals and stage shows which Mum takes great interest in, and loves seeing the footage of our performances,” said Cindy.

Sylvia was still going down to the swimming pool for her daily swim until earlier this year when her health deteriorated. Her daily ritual involved a 6am swim at the retirement village where everyone in the complex knew her, and referred to her as ‘frog’. However, Sylvia is known as ‘Nin’ to all her grandchildren (as her eldest grandson couldn’t quite pronounce ‘Nan’).

Sylvia will be celebrating her 90th birthday in October with her family by her side.

“She says that she is lucky to have me as a daughter, but I say that I am lucky to have her as a Mum as she is the one who moulded me, and I wouldn’t be who I am without her,” said Cindy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Aged care advocate to visit Bupa nursing homes

The advocate whose efforts ultimately led to the royal commission has been told he can visit Bupa nursing homes. On Monday, aged care advocate Stewart Johnston flew to Melbourne to meet with senior Bupa management, including Managing Director, Suzanne Dvorak, and Director of Corporate Affairs, Roger Sharp. According to Bupa, at the meeting it was agreed... Read More

Ngaire Hobbins, ‘What is the role of nutrition in dementia?’

Ngaire Hobbins, ‘What is the role of nutrition in dementia?’ Good nutrition is essential to the aged care experience, but a person living with dementia may struggle to communicate their needs. As care providers, it is vital to recognise their needs are being unmet, and facilitate options that ensure mealtimes are an enjoyable experience again.... Read More

Taking the first step into aged care

Taking the first step into aged care can be a daunting experience. In this episode of Grey Matters, Tracey Silvester chats to Ben Davis about how to get started. When it comes to having the aged care conversation with mum and dad, how should you approach the subject and what are the dos and don’ts... Read More
Advertisement