A Horsham aged care facility resident wants recognition given to the care she has received during COVID-19.
Retired school teacher Margaret Rigby is a resident in Wimmera Health Care Group’s low care facility Kurrajong Lodge. She has been heartened by the level of care she received during the pandemic and she wanted to write to the media to make sure everyone knew.
Here is the open letter as Margaret dictated to WHCG support worker Alison Briggs-Miller:
6/11/2020
Dear Sir/Madam.
I am writing to you to share my perspective as a resident of Kurrajong Lodge in Horsham. I have not seen any comments coming from those in my position and I would like to share my experience.
Firstly, I would like to recognise the wonderful, balanced care we have received (and continue to receive). Throughout the Covid situation I have felt cared for. As they go about their daily tasks, the staff have been calm. There has been no sense of panic, and for us everything has seemed to be the same (even though it wasn’t). I have never felt that anyone was worried.
The staff here are so well trained, and this has been demonstrated over the last few months. Young staff were guided and steered through, with the staff in charge setting a controlled and caring tone. I would like to offer my recognition to those in teaching positions, who imbue the next generation of staff with the correct skills and attitudes.
Finally, I feel that we have been kept in the knowledge of what is happening both within the centre and more broadly. We have been given just the right amount of information. I have felt listened to, with staff taking the time to hear and feel what we are saying.
Due to the wonderful staff here, this situation has not felt overly challenging. There have been changes (such as limits on family visits, and face masks and goggles) to adjust to. But everything has run smoothly, and I am so grateful for it. I hope that choosing to share my feedback goes some way to giving staff the recognition they deserve, from those whom they serve so well.
Yours sincerely,
Margaret Rigby
NB: Margaret grew up in Horsham and at 17, won a Commonwealth scholarship to Melbourne University where she studied teaching. She taught at Balmoral for several years and in between raising a family, she was a substitute teacher for many Wimmera schools.
There is also a video of Margaret talking about this available on the YouTube link:
https://youtu.be/-e7stXvNzcI