Sometimes life throws curve balls that knock us well and truly off our feet.
Living with her husband in a retirement village, Dorothy is surrounded by love and support from her local community and family. To celebrate Dorothy’s life her family booked a South Pacific Islands cruise to spend time together. At 84 years of age, this trip would be an opportunity for Dorothy to comfortably travel away from home with her daughters, two nieces and her sister. The trip was booked 12 months in advance. Ten days out from the departure date, Dorothy fell and broke her arm and shoulder.
The accident dealt a crushing blow to Dorothy and the family members travelling with her. Megan, Dorothy’s daughter, knew that she wouldn’t be able to provide the full care and support her mother needed on the boat. “I didn’t know whether to cancel the entire trip or go without Mum,” recounts Megan. Dorothy had been receiving low level support from annecto as part of her Home Care Package, so Megan spoke with annecto Case Manager, Louise Mirabile. Louise suggested a support worker could travel with the family on the cruise to provide the personal care and support Dorothy needed, and that this service would be supported under the package funding. Dorothy requested her annecto Support Worker, Jan Rennie to be the support worker to accompany them. “This was the best solution, and something I hadn’t even considered,” explains Megan. “At first I thought we would not be able to secure Jan a berth on the ship at such late notice, but I knew we had to try,” said Megan. “It’s not something we do a lot of, but in this instance the solution just worked.
We knew of the family’s plans and how important it was to try and salvage the holiday, so they could experience the trip they had planned”, explains annecto’s Northern Region Manager, Despina Kavnoudias. “The memories these women would have from the trip, will last with them for the rest of their lives and this is so important.” The Cruise Liner assured Megan there was a place for Jan in a berth close to Dorothy, so she could provide the support she needed.
Dorothy’s Home Care Package funded daily support and the family paid for Jan’s travel and accommodation costs. “Jan travelling with the group allowed for the women to retain their relationships with Dorothy and have time out when Jan was looking after Dorothy’s needs,” explains Despina.
annecto can support you at any time of your life. There are times you need a lot of help and times when you need a little. With annecto’s My Support, you decide how much support you need and when you need it.
No need to wait for an aged care assessment, My Support offers you support now.
Find out more about annecto’s My Support program or call us on 1800 266 328.
Client’s names in this story have been changed to protect their identity.
