Why (even with a loving family) Margot came to aged care

Margot and her husband Oscar travelled a lot – New York, Dubai, London.

They had a life full of travel.

So, when I started chatting with Margot, it was no surprise to notice a pair of prints on her wall from her travels; the London Underground and the British countryside, both of the early 1900s.

But those prints hanging on the walls weren’t just there on a whim. They were there because their children married into a family in England. In fact, besides the prints, the walls were filled with photos of kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews.

That was Margot and her husband Oscar – always surrounded by loving family. Even prior to aged care, they both had the kids helping out around the house, buying groceries and doing whatever they could to help. But eventually, even surrounded by a loving family, Margot and her husband Oscar needed to move to aged care.

And for Margot, it was a simple decision:

“That was the only thing I'd fallen a couple of times. Oscar was pretty good, but I was trying to shower him even though he was older. I had to rely on the family to go and get things. So, you don't want that. They've gotta live too. You know, and the boys were very good, but we knew we had to come [to aged care].”

Once the decision was made that Margot and Oscar needed to move, their sons and daughters went to work finding the perfect place. They searched all over Brisbane with all different providers. And while searching for the right place for your parents is never easy, Margot and Oscar’s kids finally found St Vincent’s Care Corinda.

"They thought there was no comparison, which suits us beautifully, you know? So yeah. We're very lucky."
“I'm very content and the family are so happy that I'm happy."

In the six months that Margot’s been living at Corinda, it’s the accessibility that stands out for the move along with plenty of things to keep life entertaining.

“You don't have to cook. <Laugh> Don't have to shop."

"[In a normal house] We can sort of walk around the house and go from here to there. Whereas here now you see, I can walk downstairs and I can walk around and go to activities. You've got cards and bingo and all that sort of thing. And that's, that's all fun.”

“They take people shopping and they have movies and all of that and they try to do their best to entertain people.”

"One of my sons says, ‘Mum, you are never in your room,’ which is not quite true.

But what stood out to Margot the most in chatting with her was the community at Corinda. And not just the community of residents but the community of staff too.

"It's very nice, you know. Cause if somebody doesn't see you at lunch or something, they'll say, oh, I haven't seen ‘so and so’. And so they check in with you."

“I'd have to say they [staff] really have been lovely. They're very caring, you know, and they seem to try to put you with the same staff that know you.”

For five months, Margot and Oscar enjoyed their time together at Corinda. But after 64 years happily married, Margot’s husband Oscar sadly passed away. He’d lived an extraordinary life. And at 97 years, it was obvious from the way that Margot talked about Oscar that she was happy to have had so long with her husband.

“And they [staff] were very good here. You know, they he'd been to the hospital, but they let him stay here in palliative care. It was only a few weeks, but I mean, it was very nice for him just to be here. He was right next door. So, you know, we were very lucky.”

“But I tell you what, we just came at the right time. Because otherwise it would've been not good.”

But while Oscar has now passed away, Margot has the support of family, new friends and staff to make sure she’s doing ok.

"They [staff] are lovely. There's a Sherry who is just wonderful and she's up this end and, but we have different ones helping if you need be."

"So, they're all very good too."

"There's a couple of the fellows that looked after Oscar when he was here and they were very good too. The staff are lovely. They really are all very good."

There’s no shortage of loss in aged care. People pass away. People leave their homes. But in all of it, residents like Margot make the best of it.

They make the communities of aged care that so many people call home. And that’s something that everyone wants for anyone they love – a place to truly call home.

Need help with aged care?

If you’re at the stage where you’re considering aged care for your loved one, you can send us an email or call us on 1800 778 767.