GIANNA Luccitti befriended aged care resident Ethel to give her the gift of companionship and in return, Ethel shared three simple wishes that stick with her to this day.
Gianna – a team leader for the aged care team at the Department of Human Services, befriended Ethel – who was living with dementia, while visiting her elderly mother at an aged care facility.
Ethel was living in a room next door and after hearing from a staff member she had not had a visitor in two years, Gianna decided to start visiting every day when she came to see her mother.
During one of her visits, Gianna asked Ethel if she could have three wishes granted, what would they be?
Ethel responded that she would wish for acknowledgement of her existence, to be respected and to keep her dignity
“Her response stuck with me. If you ask most people that question, they’ll say something like a holiday or to win the lottery,” Gianna said.
She said people living in aged care were vulnerable and often had no one to speak up for them.
“Not long after Ethel had passed away, I was helping an elderly aged care customer with their payment and it dawned on me – as an organisation, we’re granting Ethel’s three wishes to millions of older Australians every day,” she said.
“We acknowledge their existence by having a relationship with them, we respect them by helping provide the payments they need, and this in turn gives them dignity as they are able to use this to access the right care to comfortably live their life.”
September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day, which also coincides with Dementia Awareness Month, an opportunity to look at how to best support loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.
Gianna said she had three tips for people looking at care options for a loved one living with dementia.
“Choose a nursing home close to family or those important to you,” she said.
“Not all nursing homes provide the same level of care, so it’s important you select a residence that caters specifically to patients with dementia.”
“Also make sure you check the accreditation status of the nursing home.”
“All aged care homes receiving government subsidies need to meet quality standards.”
An estimated 425,000 Australians are living with dementia.
For more information about aged care support, click here.
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