A reminder of home means the world to Don
4th October 2024 | 3 min read
Don lives at Murdoch Gardens Care Community in the southern suburbs of Perth, and his accent will tell you he’s travelled some way to get there. Don, who was born in Bingley, in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire is proud of his English roots – and he’s especially fond of one uniquely British institution.
“I’m a monarchist, and that says it all about me,” says Don. “I love everything about the Royal Family. The institution, the principles, all of it.”
Don’s room in our Care Community is a vivid demonstration of his pride, colourfully decorated with images of the Royal Family. And his collection of memorabilia recently grew, through his friendship with former team member and Meaningful Mate, Evalda.
Meaningful Mates is designed to nurture socialisation for residents. Our team members build personal, genuine relationships with individual residents by getting to know one another and sharing meaningful experiences. This can be especially valuable for residents who may not have family or friends living nearby.
“My friendship with Evalda means more than I can say,” says Don. “All of my family lives in the UK, so I feel lucky to have her as a friend. She has such a bright, bubbly personality and we talk about lots of things.”
“We’ve built a great rapport,” says Evalda. “Don has taught me a lot about films and actors, which are two of his favourite topics, and he loves to reminisce and share stories about his country. When I left Murdoch Gardens Care Community, I decided to keep visiting Don regularly because I enjoyed our chats so much.”
Knowing Don’s love for the Royal Family and his homeland, Evalda set herself a special mission while on a family holiday to the UK: to bring something special back for Don.
And she succeeded! The Royal Family cup and saucer set Evalda brought home for Don now takes pride of place in his collection.
“It’s not just the big things in life that count,” says Evalda. “The small things matter too.”
The sentiment rings true for Don.
“Evalda’s gift is so meaningful to me,” he says. “It was so considerate, and it’s a piece of home.”
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