Helping Hunter seniors live the life they love
Since launching across the Hunter region earlier this year, Focus Home Care has been helping a growing number of seniors to stay engaged and active in their local community.
When Focus Home Care launched earlier this year in the Hunter region the company’s chief executive Christina Harlamb knew there was a need for its highly personalised aged care services – she just didn’t realise how big that need was. Ms Harlamb says she’s been touched by the positive response from the Hunter community to Focus Home Care, which emphasises one-on-one care that keeps seniors connected to the people and activities they love and to maintain the quality of life they deserve. Jean is one of the many seniors across the Hunter making the most of the company’s individually tailored aged care, paid for via the Federal Government’s Home Care Package program.
Three times per week, one of Focus Home Care’s specialist aged care workers, Pauline, visits Jean to help with household tasks, assist with grocery shopping, or just spend some quality time together. Jean particularly likes to use her time with Pauline to go on drives to nearby towns in the area, visit local art galleries or get a hand to maintain her lovely garden by visiting local nurseries to see what plants and flowers are in season.
Indeed, on one recent day out together, Jean and Pauline visited Poppy’s Home & Garden in Gateshead where the pair caught up over morning tea, looked for some new leafy additions for Jean’s garden, then had some fun choosing the perfect pots to house them in. For Jean, Pauline is more than just someone paid to assist her, she’s a real friend who’s willing to go above and beyond when it comes to her care. Pauline has been known to bring Jean homemade baked treats, and her husband has even given Jean a beautiful plant from their own garden. Pauline, too, is thankful for the personal connection she’s made with Jean since she started as her care worker in January. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than supporting people like Jean to live independently at home. We really have become great friends,” she says over morning tea with Jean at the Verandah Café.
“If you’d asked me what I’d like to be doing as a job it’s exactly what I’m doing now. The Focus Home Care philosophy of caring for everyone, based on who the person is as an individual, is something that fits with what I believe.”
Pauline, home care specialist at Focus Home Care
On this day out, following morning tea and choosing some plants and pots, the pair head back to Jean’s house to pot the plants then plan their next trip out together. For Focus Home Care’s Ms Harlamb, Jean and Pauline’s story is an example of what the company’s presence in the Hunter is all about. “We believe in high quality care, with an emphasis on maintaining a meaningful connection to community and a fulfilling lifestyle,” she says. “What really sets us apart is that we handpick each and every care worker based on their skills, warm personality, compassion, and their dedication to going above and beyond for our clients.”
For more information visit www.focushomecare.com.au
