Opal HealthCare’s Meaningful Mates program, which matches a team member with a resident, was designed to enrich the lives of the resident. But having that extra time together has also been found to have a significant positive impact on the entire team.
Each resident is matched with a team member to be ‘meaningful mates’, so that residents always have someone in the Care Community who spends extra time with them building friendship, learning from one another and enjoying shared interests.
Norma lived at Norah Head Care Community on the NSW Central Coast
Quiet and shy when she first moved in, the team saw the sparkle in her eyes whenever she spoke about her family. Lifestyle Coordinator, Allison, would often find her outside in the sunshine with her feet up on her walker – Norma would say that she was a ‘sunshine baby’. The two quickly formed a bond, enjoying cups of tea in the sunshine while Norma shared stories of her life, her wonderful husband Wally and their three children.
In one of their chats during COVID-19, when visitors were restricted for long periods at a time, Ally discovered they shared a love of knitting.
When Norma learned that her two granddaughters were expecting daughters within a month of one another, Ally and Norma knitted them each beautiful jackets and booties. While Norma missed her regular visits from family, her knitting project with Ally gave them both comfort and something fun to focus on. Norma would then proudly show their knitting to family on Zoom calls and ‘window visits’ with her daughter.
The sweet baby girls arrived within four days of one another, and there wasn’t a dry eye in our Care Community when Norma met great-granddaughters Minty and Zoe through the windows. Norma hugged Ally tight and said, “thank you for helping me find my sparkle again”.
Although Norma’s health was declining, she and Ally continued to enjoy time together, recently celebrating Ally’s 40th birthday sharing tea and cake. Eventually, after recurring visits to hospital and nearing the end of her life, Ally was able to provide great comfort and care to Norma and her family.
With Ally’s support, the family were able to sit around Norma’s bedside sharing stories, laughter and many tears together in her precious final days.
For Ally, Norma was an unforgettable friend and someone who enriched Ally’s life, particularly during the challenges of COVID-19.
“While I miss that smile of hers, I am very thankful to have been able to care for Norma during her time with us at Norah Head Care Community. It was also a privilege to support her beautiful family as well during Norma’s final days,” says Ally.
“Our friendship highlighted to me the importance of the ‘meaningful mate’ relationship for our residents, their families and also the added blessing for us as team members. I found so much joy in our relationship, it was very rewarding for me.”
