When Maree returned home from hospital after breaking her shoulder, it was Royal Freemasons who gave her the In-home Support she needed to cope with everyday living after her operation.
That was more than ten years ago and Maree, now 84, is still living independently at home with the help of our team. They are an integral part of her routine, providing support every two weeks with washing, cleaning and making her bed, and assisting with shopping. Maree also receives help with meals.
Now recovering from a recent hip replacement, Maree couldn’t live without the help she receives from Royal Freemasons through her Support at Home package. “It would be difficult for me to cope without the home care,” she says. “It has a lot of benefits. Physically it helps me to get things done – getting up and down the stairs when I couldn’t use my hip much, and the transport help is very valuable because I wouldn’t normally have anyone to take me.”
Importantly, the support enables Maree to keep living at home and doing the things she loves like her weekly craft group and playing the keyboard with her music therapist. “I like to be independent,” says Maree. “I like to decide what I do with my time.”
To Maree, it’s not just the practical help she gets from the team that makes a difference but also the emotional support. “The office staff are lovely and Annie, my case manager, is very, very supportive, and I feel as though I have a family again. I do feel I have someone with whom I can chat. The whole service is physically and emotionally helpful.”
If you would like to know more about our In-home Support Services, visit royalfreemasons.org.au/in-home-support/
