To combat the grief, loneliness, failing health and memory loss faced by many older people, a new movement to record seniors’ stories is gaining popularity. At Baptcare’s Orana Day Centre, long-term client Dot McHugh is enjoying telling her tales to dedicated volunteer Greg McCulloch.

 “I’m really starting to feel as if I’m rather an important person,” Dot said. “I’ve been very lucky, I’ve lived a fairy tale life and it’s been wonderful to look back on—I had a great childhood and I loved my job as a teacher.”

“I lost my husband ten years ago, I’ve always talked about him to keep him with me and now it’s written down for my grandchildren to see.”

Greg McCulloch has worked in the social care sector all his life and believes as people age, it’s important to know they have a voice and how they’ve lived has value.

“I really look forward to our sessions and getting Dot to focus on the happy times in her life,” Greg said.

“I’m a bit older, and I’ve done a lot of reminiscing with individuals living with dementia. I feel it’s important to make care more meaningful. Dedicating time to really communicate with someone whose sight is failing and who perhaps has hearing impairments is vital.”

“It’s been a treat getting to know Dot, to learning about times gone by, the history of the local area and learning what a kind, caring and feisty lady she is.”

Find out more about the mission and work of Baptcare at: http://www.baptcare.org.au

Crossway LifeCare was incorporated in 2010 and the first staff came on board in 2012, operating out of modest counselling offices located within the main church facility. 2012 also saw the formation of a steering committee to start concept design of a purpose-built LifeCare Centre. Demand for the core services grew consistently and, true to our vision, LifeCare was soon ready for the new building that at that stage existed only as an idea. The new centre would provide more meeting spaces for counselling, room for our growing number of counsellors and psychologists, larger spaces for volunteers to prepare food parcels or share skills, and even a dedicated space for community gatherings.

Crossway’s founding generations had the foresight to plan for “something greater” and we were blessed with ample land at our main Burwood East campus. What we didn’t have was the capital to construct and fit out the LifeCare Centre. In 2013 and 2014, Crossway held major fundraising drives, enabling construction work to begin in 2015. Provision for LifeCare has always been met by the congregations and supporters of Crossway as an extension of their commitment and giving, and this enabled us to raise the majority of the required capital outlays. After discussions with a range of potential lenders, in 2015 Baptist Financial Services was selected because they understood churches and, in particular, understood the Baptist Church constitution with regards to property. As well as that, the rates were competitive and the borrowing process was relatively uncomplicated. 

Around a year later, construction is complete. A Certificate of Occupancy is currently being sought and commissioning of the building is underway. At this stage, it is anticipated that the Centre will be ready for operations in October 2016. With ministry space soon to be freed up in our main facility, we are also planning to embark on the refurbishment of our main church building. We are excited about the future use of repurposed spaces and are planning to again seek the assistance of BFS on that journey. Our vision for LifeCare was always going to depend on God for success. Through the provision of our faithful congregation and supporters, and the helpful team at BFS, LifeCare is positioned to grow and bless our community well into the future.