BaptistCare home care helps 90-year-old Marie stay busy
From fit-ball classes, books and meditation, to spiritual groups and spending time with the family, 90-year-old Trigg resident and Baptistcare Home Care customer Marie Lewis is rarely short of something to do.
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04 December 2020
News
| Home Care
From fit-ball classes, books and meditation, to spiritual groups and spending time with the family, 90-year-old Trigg resident and Baptistcare Home Care customer Marie Lewis is rarely short of something to do.
This tech-savvy nonagenarian can usually be found streaming exercise classes for seniors or attending online church services in Canada.
“I discovered I could join Mass in places such as Santa Fe in New Mexico and Boston, Massachusetts. It was marvellous,” Mrs Lewis said.
But bubbly Mrs Lewis says it’s the support of her home care team from Baptistcare that helps keep her active and independent on a day-to-day basis.
Like many older Western Australians, Mrs Lewis takes advantage of a Government-funded tailored home care package through Baptistcare.
Twice a week, one of her four regular support workers comes to her house to help with chores such as cleaning, laundry, changing the bed and shopping.
“Having help around the home is such a blessing,” Mrs Lewis said. “It means I can stay living at home, enjoying all the things I enjoy, including being independent.”
Baptistcare began lending Mrs Lewis and her late husband Darrell a hand around the home when Mr Lewis became gravely ill several years ago.
After Mr Lewis died in 2015, the not-for-profit maintained support for Mrs Lewis so she could continue living actively and independently at home.
Home for Mrs Lewis is a modern apartment, designed for her by one of her four daughters.
“It has its own front door, beautiful views of gumtrees, high ceilings, big windows and lots of light. I call it my beautiful space,” said Mrs Lewis, who also has two sons, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“I am very grateful for the ladies from Baptistcare. Their support has always been important to me and I am very fond of all four of them. I trust them as I would my daughters.
“Two of the ladies have known me for years now. They know me so well. My home care manager at Baptistcare, is a beautiful human being who really listens.
“I think it’s vitally important for old people – and let’s face it, I’m one of them – to not only have support, but also that sense of continuity; that one-on-one rapport.”
Mrs Lewis, who was born in 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression, says she loves a sense of the ridiculous and being able to “laugh at ourselves.”
At the end of the week you’ll often find the busy senior winding down with a piccolo prosecco outside on the deck with her daughter.
“I do feel blessed. Life has been vastly different recently, but it’s beautiful too and it’s still good,” she said.
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