As one of its first residents, Kathryn Merrett will share an important milestone with Star of the Sea Residential Aged Care in Torquay early next month.
Her arrival in aged care coincided with when the Star of the Sea – a Villa Maria Catholic Homes aged care residence – opened its doors on 7 October.
Kathryn’s daughter, Trish, recalls that one of the hardest things about looking into aged care for her mum was acknowledging that her family needed more support.
Trish says she was recovering from breast cancer at the time, had recently become a grandmother for the first time and her dad had died suddenly.
“Once Dad died it became obvious that he was actually covering for mum and there was a bit of Alzheimer’s there and she wasn’t going to cope well on her own,” Trish says.
The family was impressed with the beautiful design and interiors at the brand new 96-bed aged care residence. However, most important to them was the quality of care, food and activities on offer.
Kathryn is part of a walking group, she enjoys many different activities and staff regularly update Trish about her mum’s health and wellbeing.
“The staff communicate with me incredibly well,” Trish says. “They are very professional. I get good information from them, they know Mum really well.”
Trish says her mum benefits from the use of Montessori Practice visual aids and activities to support people’s memories as they age.
“I have seen how it helps Mum with her anxiety,” she says. “All those memory prompts are things that older people benefit from because they feel anxious without them.
“Mum’s health has improved since moving here and she loves the food.”
Learn more about Star of the Sea Residential Aged Care by calling 1800 036 377.
