You’ve been with us 9 days visiting your mum from New Zealand. Have you enjoyed your time here?
We’ve had an action packed week. Mum loves to immerse herself into activities, so it starts off with a quiz at morning tea time, and then we move on to either bowls or some action packed adventure and then in the afternoon, of course, mum’s favorite bingo, which lasts a good amount of time, and she’s always winning lots of prizes, which is just great. So it makes her smile.
What outings have you been on?
I’ve been able to go on the bus with mum on two outings, the first being a coastal scenic bus trip. We grabbed some ice creams and we did a little beach hop. She could even smell the sea air, which was just amazing. And the following day, we went out to Wauchope Country Club and went out for lunch there, which was just incredible. And I was privileged to go along.
We run Virtual Travel Adventures each week, what does Gloria enjoy about the Virtual Reality Adventures?
Where to begin! Mum has poor vision, but she is able to see the travel experience through the virtual glasses and she loved the snow and the safari adventure too. So definitely keen to do that again.
What is your experience with the care team at Garden Village?
100% they treat the clients with dignity, and that’s really special. Everyone is an individual. And I’d like to make a big shout out to Vaughan. Oh my goodness, he is unbelievable. And Brad too, they just go the extra mile. Cheryl was amazing too, with all the activities. Lyndal the Wintergarden nurse talked through mum’s care plan and was very kind. So in fact, I’ve got no qualms about the staff they are all really lovely, really, really kind. Honestly, it makes mum feel like she’s in one big, happy family village.
How was the Admissions Experience at Garden Village?
Well, initially we went and we shopped around, and the first place we went to just didn’t feel right. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving mum, so we came here, and straight away, we loved Eileen. She was very interpersonal. We just connected. And she took us to Wintergarden, and we just watched the staff and how lovely they were, and the place just feels really inviting, and we just knew it was the right place for mum.
Living in New Zealand how do you and your sister feel about your mum living in Australia at Garden Village
Australia is her home and we love it. Honestly, initially mum was thinking that she might come home and be closer to family, but she’s loving it so much. She’s loving the activities and the friends she’s made and she’s decided to stay, and we are fully supportive of that, and we’ll just come and visit her more often. Thanks so much for eveything. I had so much fun with mum! If I lived here I would definitely apply for a job at Garden Village!
