For the past 30 years Don lived a quiet life near Noojee. “I had been managing motels in Bright, Port Macquarie and Frankston and after that finished I wanted to get away from all the busyness.
“We moved to a dead-end road in the most beautiful countryside. It was a great place to live.”
Don was born in Mildura but his family moved frequently, following the demands of his father’s work in the air force. At 15 Don left school and embarked on a building apprenticeship in Ballarat, leading to several decades of work in construction.
Despite always working hard, when he moved to Bright to run a motel Don was dismayed at how puffed he felt walking uphill. Determined to remedy the situation, he started running at the age of 43 and kept at it for the next 40 years.
He ran marathons, entered trail running events and was an early competitor in the Alpine Climb, requiring participants to run up each of Mount Bogong, Mount Porepunkah, Mount Feathertop, Mount Hotham and Mount Buffalo over five successive days.
His running years are behind him, but Don continues to believe in the power of staying active, and takes a walk from Amberlea around the pretty streets of Drouin every day.
“ I enjoy being here, and the food is very good, but I’m not really a people person, so I keep to myself and do my own thing.”
His wellbeing practice also extends beyond the physical. “I meditate for between one and one-and-a-half hours every day. The meditation has been a long term thing. It is so subtle. You look back on yourself, there are things that have just dropped away, and you may not have realised that was happening at the time. It’s fascinating.”
Wide reading is another of Don’s great pleasures. “I have always been interested in spirituality, and still enjoy reading things towards it,” Don said. He has several books by Carl Jung close at hand in his Amberlea room.
“I’ve read them for years but still can’t understand them,” he laughed.
He revels in the access to the trove of books at Amberlea, and also spends time at the library, with Australian history and bush literature favourite categories, as well as the occasional Agatha Christie.
While Don enjoys his own company, he is also delighted that his room is next door to an old friend, Lesley.
“[Lesley and I] spend a lot of time together, go for our walks, and it is so special to have that connection with someone who has known you for a long time,”
Individuals have always lived their lives in different ways, yet there has been a long-standing false assumption that everyone should spend their older years in a similar fashion.
Acknowledging that ageing lifestyles are diverse and that agency and individualised experiences are important is the philosophy that underpins Baptcare’s Living Well Together model of care. It is also exemplified in Don McLennan’s individual and meaningful lifestyle at Amberlea.
Community news
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Personal Alert Victoria | Enhancing safety and independence
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
- 29 Jul 2024
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Faces of Baptcare | Meet Durham Smith
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
- 27 Jul 2024
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Enjoying the comforts of home: Lynette and George
Lynette is 75 and her husband, George, is 70. With a little help from home care, they're able to live healthily and happily together at home.
- 21 Jun 2024
