A HammondCare Home Care worker has been honoured with a prestigious award for her extraordinary effort to keep a client living with dementia comfortable and calm in freezing conditions on the New England Highway during a marathon police siege.
Specialised carer Jenny Ruming, 65, from Scone, was returning from transporting her client Dian Synnott and twin sister and carer Evelyn, both 85, to an orthopaedic appointment in Tamworth on August 1 when they hit a seven-hour traffic jam a few kilometres north of Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter.
The women, both of Aberdeen, had between them a few bottles of water, six cold chicken nuggets left over from lunch and Jenny’s stash of chewing gum for sustenance.
Jenny’s resourcefulness included making a makeshift roadside toilet for Dian using a walking frame and some Personal Protective Equipment to ensure her privacy and dignity with stationary vehicles stretching ahead and behind them.
Later, Jenny secured accommodation and meals in Tamworth with the help of the HammondCare Home Care Scone team led by Syl Eastwood when the group were directed by police to return there at 10pm.
The total journey in Jenny’s Mazda CX-30 was 26 hours when they finally arrived in Aberdeen at lunchtime the next day.
Jenny was awarded a HammondCare Mission in Action award at a ceremony on November 19 for her “calm and considerate” approach to managing the situation.
The gridlock was triggered by Hunter Valley Police District officers attending a home on Mayne Street, Murrurundi following reports of an alleged domestic violence incident. After a 13-hour standoff, a 41-year-old man was later arrested and charged.
Jenny, who has been providing home care for Dian for two years, recalled the hours on the highway. “I said to them we are safe and nothing bad will come to us. We just need to be patient,” she said.
The three passed the time telling stories, looking at cloud shapes and listening to the radio for updates.
At one point, Evelyn lost her false teeth in the backseat, causing much amusement as the women went searching. Dian was disorientated at times, sometimes believing they were on a train journey.
Evelyn said she and Dian, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease several years ago, were delighted that Jenny was given the accolade. “I can’t say enough about what a lovely caring person Jenny is,” Evelyn said.
She added that while Dian was officially Jenny’s client “I know she was actually caring for me too.”
HammondCare Executive General Manager Home Care Marcela Carrasco said Jenny’s unwavering commitment, problem-solving and client-focused care exemplified HammondCare’s Mission in Action.
“Jenny’s calm and considerate approach transformed a stressful and exhausting situation into a safe, reassuring, and even positive experience for her clients,” Ms Carrasco said.
