Retirement home in Bendigo considers changes to the way they assess whether people are able to live independently
The Bendigo Advertiser ran a story on Tuesday 4th June 2013 that highlights some issues, both positive and negative, for those living in, or planning to live in a retirement home.
An 87 year old man named Alan had only just moved into a retirement home with his wife, Evelyn. Late on Saturday afternoon, Alan went missing. Evelyn, along with the rest of the staff and residents at Bendigo Domain Retirement Village, were very worried, as Alan suffered from dementia as well as other medical conditions.
Retirement home and residents commence search
The retirement home and its residents immediately sprang into action. A search was made of the complex and surrounding suburbs. The SES and police were involved and the police helicopter was searching. The helicopter used heat-seeking technology as it was getting dark and starting to get very cold. There were grave concerns for Alan’s welfare.
As it turned out Alan wasn’t found that evening, and he braved temperatures as low as 4 degrees during the night. He was finally found the following morning at 9am when a member of the public noticed him.
The person who found him thought it unusual for an elderly man to be in the middle of a paddock at that time of the morning. Fortunately for Alan, they contacted the police.
Alan was picked up eight kilometres from the village. It turns out he was trying to walk back to the house that he and Evelyn had only moved out of that week.
Now, there are some general points I would like to make in relation to this story.
1. Firstly, in Australia there is often a misconception that a retirement village is more like a nursing home, where there may be locks on the doors and less independence. Clearly, from this story, this is not the case.
A retirement home offers independent living, where the residents are free to come and go as they like. And as such Alan was able to go for a walk when he wanted to. Although it wasn’t the type of walk that any of his family or friends would like him to take, it was his choice to do it.
2. Secondly, remember that the freedom offered by a retirement home comes with responsibility. Often Australians move into a retirement village too late in life to be able to make the most of the facilities or to enjoy the freedom and lifestyle the village allows. They may require more care than the retirement village can offer.
3. Alan and Evelyn may well be contemplating whether moving into a retirement home like this was the right move. They will be concerned, no doubt, about how to stop Alan going on walks like this in the future.Thirdly, one of the positives I got from this story was the sense of community portrayed throughout the story. As soon as Alan was discovered missing, the whole retirement home pulled together to help. Living in a retirement home can be like having a whole lot of friends living right next door. There is comfort in knowing that if you need help, there are plenty of people nearby that are willing to provide support.
4. And finally, a retirement home may offer some technology solutions to help people like Alan. Safety and security facilities, such as emergency panic buttons or tracking devices, can provide peace of mind to residents and family alike. If residents fall or hurt themselves, panic buttons allow them to summon help straightaway. Alternatively, for people suffering from dementia, tracking devices can be utilised. Small tracking devices are placed in the clothing of residents. If they wander away from the retirement home, they can quickly be tracked and returned to safety.
Thankfully Alan was found safe and well. However, is a retirement home the right place for Alan? With the use of technology, Alan may well be able to enjoy more time in the retirement home with Evelyn.
At retirementvillageinfo.com.au we talk about the importance of choosing the retirement village that meets your individual needs, both now, and for the foreseeable future. There are several important questions to ask yourself when moving into a retirement home. To find out more, go to retirementvillageinfo.com.au.
The information retirement village residents wish they had before they bought their retirement homes.
