New senior in-home care options emerges in Brisbane

A leading operator of aged care communities in Queensland is now offering its highly customised service to seniors requiring in-home assistance.

Tall Trees are supported living neighbourhoods that adhere to the concept of ‘ageing in place’, which allows seniors to move into a feature-packed apartment within one of their developments and receive whatever level of care is right for them.

The company’s newly expanded Community Care has been designed to help seniors that need extra care on top of any assistance they may already be receiving government subsidised services.

Phil Usher, director of Tall Trees, says they set up their Community Care service after recognising an increased need in the marketplace for in-home assistance.

“There is a lot of emphasis currently being placed on the idea of ageing in place, as it allows seniors to live happier and more independent lives while taking pressure off the already overburdened nursing homes in Australia,” Mr Usher says.

“While we’ve been providing this service to residents living in our communities, we believe it’s of enormous worth to other seniors in the community to have high quality but affordable in-home care.

“Not only does it help to ensure that individuals are receiving the care that they require; it also means that pressure is being taken off partners and families who may be struggling to look after their loved ones.

“Our experienced carers have honed their skills both at Tall Trees and a number of other prior care roles and are very experienced at delivering tailor-made solutions in a home environment.”

The Tall Trees Community Care service encompasses a wide variety of facets, including nutrition and hydration management, medication administration, dementia management and disability care.

Egg hunt to see kids, parents, grandparents involved in Easter spirit

Three generations will congregate at Tall Trees Tanah Merah on 16 April for the supported living community’s inaugural Easter event.

The Apia Easter Hunt is an opportunity for children from around the greater Logan area to participate in a free hunt for hundreds of chocolate eggs that will be hidden around Tall Trees.

In addition to the hunt, there will be a number of door prizes, a photo competition, a sausage sizzle, refreshments and other surprises throughout the day.

Tall Trees director Phil Usher says the Apia Easter Hunt is an initiative primarily to encourage interaction between generations.

“We have always welcomed guests of all ages to visit friends and family, and this event in particular encourages the young and old alike to get involved with the Easter spirit,” Mr Usher says.

“One of the most important things about delivering a high-quality aged care service is ensuring that there is no sense of disconnect or separation from the public.

“We see activities such as this as a great way to ensure quality ongoing relationships are built and maintained with the local community.

“Not only this, but it’s a great way for us to give something back to people in the local area while having some fun in the process.”

Part of the new guard of accommodation for seniors, Tall Trees aims to provide customised care services for their residents whilst offering an environment that’s more like a village than an aged care facility.

Mr Usher says there has been considerable interest in the event from local businesses and organisations.

“This has been a fairly big undertaking for us, and the support from the community has really been instrumental in helping to get it off the ground,” he says.

“Both My Fitness Studio and White Lady Funerals have been outstanding in their assistance they’ve given us for this event—we couldn’t do this without them.

“Additionally, we’ll be getting help on the day from both the Logan Ladies Business Lions and Logan Women clubs, who’ll be serving up some barbequed meals as well as selling hot drinks.

“Places to this are going to fill up quickly, so we’d encourage anyone that’s interested to book their spot as soon as possible.”

The Apia Easter Hunt at Tall Trees will run across three one-hour sessions on Saturday 16 April.

The sessions start at 9:30am, 11:00am and 12:30pm, with each having a maximum capacity of 20 children.

To book or register your RSVP visit www.talltrees.net.au, or for more information call 1300 304 413.

 

Stage Two Construction gets in gear at Tanah Merah

The construction of the second stage of Tall Trees Tanah Merah is now in full swing, with stage one just a few apartments away from being sold out.

Tall Trees are supported living neighbourhoods that adhere to the concept of ‘ageing in place’, which allows seniors to move into a feature-packed apartment within one of their communities and receive whatever level of care is right for them.

l-r: Tall Trees director Alan Powell, builder Peter Hanlon, site foreman Andy Brice and Tall Trees director Phil Usher

Stage two of the Tanah Merah neighbourhood will see an extra 30 fully-featured units added to the development, with three different designs of 64.72 sqm, 72.86 sqm and 81.75 sqm.

Of these, 16 of the units will have one bedroom and 14 of the units will have two bedrooms.

All units and walkways will be wheelchair-friendly, with a lift providing easy access to the second level.

In addition to expanding the number of rooms in the development, stage two will also include a greenhouse where residents will be able to look after their own orchids, flowers and ferns.

The construction of stage two is due for completion in mid-2011 and will have cost a total of $10 million, with the units having a combined market value of $12 million.

Phil Usher, director of Tall Trees, says this is the latest phase in what will be a four stage development.

“We’ve had a great level of success with the completed Tall Trees neighbourhood at Rochedale, as well as the first stage of our Tanah Merah development,” Mr Usher says.

“With stage two, the company is at a point where we’re ready to take the next step in our history.

“The first stage is nearly sold out, and with that we’ve seen a really palpable sense of community grow with the residents we already have here.

“This latest development gives us a great opportunity to build on this.”

Part of the new guard of accommodation for seniors, Tall Trees aims to provide customised care services for their residents whilst offering an environment that’s more like a village than an aged care facility.

Mr Usher says it’s a model that has already started delivering on its potential.

“Seniors have a couple of choices when they start requiring care: they can move into a nursing home, where they will be largely bed-ridden in a tiny room; they can move into a split-level facility, where they will be shuffled around between locations as their needs change; or they can stay at home and receive some help from in-home carers,” he says.

“Tall Trees, on the other hand, allows seniors to move once and receive any level of care they require, allowing them a high level of freedom and dignity that I believe would be hard to find elsewhere.

“We’ve seen great results so far for our residents, and I anticipate this continuing into the future as we build the service through Queensland and around Australia.”

Octogenarian handyman a testament to the virtues of hard work

One employee at Tall Trees is proving that age is no barrier to getting your hands dirty.

Rochedale groundskeeper Frank Parker.

Frank Parker, 80, has worked at Tall Trees Rochedale for over two years doing grounds keeping, general maintenance and odd jobs for residents.

He says he came to like manual work from a very young age.

“When I was four, I remember watching tradesmen build our family home and being fascinated by it,” Mr Parker says.

“Ever since then, I’ve really enjoyed working outdoors and doing physical jobs.”

Mr Parker obtained a master’s degree in agriculture when he was young and had plans to buy a farm, however, when this fell through he migrated from Berlin to Australia in 1957.

Prior to working at Tall Trees, he worked as a taxi driver throughout Brisbane and the Gold Coast for 25 years.

Out of all the aspects of his job, Mr Parker says he enjoys being able to help people.

“I like lending a hand to anyone that needs it, but I do take particular pleasure in assisting some of the widows we have here at Tall Trees,” he says.

“There is a strong community here where everyone makes their own different contributions, and I consider being an active part of that to be a very important part of my job.”

Pauline Williams, Resident Liaison Officer at Tall Trees Rochedale, says that Mr Parker is a testament to the benefits of physical fitness.

“He really is amazing – there are people half his age who wouldn’t be able to work half as hard as he does,” Ms Williams says.

“You’ll see him around the grounds and he’s always doing something, whether it’s cutting down and mulching tree branches or helping residents with their gardening.

“Frank looks much younger than he is, and I think that is largely due to the fact that he’s very fit and spends plenty of time out in the fresh air.

“He’s always willing to lend a hand to both the staff and residents here – he’s a really valued member of our community.”

Singing seniors hit the road on local tour

Seniors at supported living neighbourhood Tall Trees are preparing to hit the stage for the first time publicly since forming their own community choir.

The Treetops Singers performing at Tall Trees Tanah Merah

The “Treetops Singers” consists of 12 residents from the neighbourhood’s Rochedale address, where Resident Liaison Officer Pauline Williams has been busily coordinating the group in preparation for their first shows.

The group is currently putting the finishing touches on renditions of popular music and Christmas carols, which they’ll be performing at the Salvin Park Nursing Home tomorrow.

After that date, they’ll be lighting up the stage at a special Carols by Candlelight function at Tall Trees on 8 December.

Ms Williams says that the singers are thoroughly looking forward to this run of performances.

“We’ve been preparing songs and arrangements for a while now, and to be able to perform them in front of real audiences is going to be a big step for us,” she says.

“Our group did a preliminary show at the Tall Trees Tanah Merah neighbourhood, but the date at Salvin Park will be our first to members of the public.”

The singing group is now looking to book more performances around the local area.

“Our singers are all very excited about the prospect of being able to make more appearances in the future,” Ms Williams says.

“The Carols by Candlelight at Rochedale is going to be fantastic – we’re hoping to get another show in before Christmas.

“We’ve learnt all these festive songs so it would be great to get some more mileage out of them!”

Supported living is a new paradigm in the broader spectrum of aged-care, where seniors are able to move into an apartment within a complex or gated village and receive a personalised level of care.

Tall Trees Rochedale is a complete supported living neighbourhood for seniors, allowing residents to live in their own apartment and receive whatever level of care they require.

The neighbourhood has a swimming pool, library with computer facilities, neighbourhood vehicle, and full catering facilities, as well as having the assurance of a registered nurse on staff.

Please contact Pauline Williams at Tall Trees Rochedale on (07) 3341 4166 to enquire about booking the Treetop Singers.

Queensland’s nonagenarian racing fans brace for cup

One of Queensland’s oldest married couples is gearing up for the annual Melbourne Cup, having spent their life together as avid racing enthusiasts.

Jack Robinson, 93, and his wife and Olive, 90, have followed the horses and attended racing events over the course of their 71 year marriage.

Jack and Olive Robinson

They live together at supported living community for seniors Tall Trees at Tanah Merah, where the staff will be organising a Melbourne Cup event for the residents.

Jack says horseracing is still something that they’re passionate about, with the upcoming Melbourne Cup featuring quite heavily on their calendar.

“We’ve been to Flemington Racecourse a number of times during our marriage for the Melbourne Cup, and though we’re not going to be able to make it down this year, we’re looking forward to the day nonetheless,” he says.

“It’ll be great to be able to enjoy the races on the big screen at Tall Trees, alongside Olive and all our friends here.

“Last year’s Tall Trees Melbourne Cup event was fantastic, and I think this year’s will be even better.”

Jack and Olive married in 1939, with Jack coming from a family of horse enthusiasts, while Olive’s family were strictly opposed to gambling.

She’d never put down a bet in her life before meeting Jack.

“My family were non-gamblers,” Olive says.

“No way could we have anything to do with gambling, until I met Jack – we used to go the races twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“I used to live in Victoria, and when I moved up to NSW to marry Jack I became a little bit lucky.

“They used to call me ‘The Quinella Queen’.

“All of the men around us would ask Jack what my picks were for the day.”

Despite their age, Jack says they still get out to the track when possible, attending their most recent meet a month ago for a charity event at Eagle farm.

“Four of us from Tall Trees went down, and we had a marvellous day,” Jack says.

“I didn’t have a win, but Olive got her quinella up.

“We can’t make it down to the track as much these days, but she’s still got that amazing luck.”

Siobhan MacDonald, neighbourhood manager at Tall Trees Tanah Merah, says Jack and Olive are a unique couple.

“They’ve got to be some of Queensland’s oldest racing fans – that’s for sure,” Ms MacDonald says.

“Going to the races was quite a popular pastime in their day, but they’ve shown true dedication to the sport by still attending events when they can.

“While we think most of our residents here at Tall Trees are looking forward to the Melbourne Cup, I don’t think anyone is as much as Jack and Olive are.

“I think their enthusiasm for racing will make the day that little bit more exciting.”

After spending much of their lives following the horses, Jack says there’s one simple piece of advice that he’s stuck to, and suggests young punters do, too.

“Bet within your means – enjoy it, don’t try to be a millionaire,” Jack says.

“It doesn’t matter then, if you win you’ve had a lovely day, if you lose, you haven’t done any harm.”

Seniors grab tools and get to work in dedicated ‘men’s shed’

Seniors at supported living communities Tall Trees Rochedale and Tanah Merah are

Tall Trees Rochedale resident Neville Sparks

 sharpening their tools and taking to the timber in their very own community ‘men’s shed’.

An initiative that encourages seniors to continue or take up manual woodcraft, men’s sheds also provide an opportunity for men to spend time together and interact with one another in a familiar environment.

They are aimed at helping men maintain vital motor skills, while giving them an opportunity to congregate with other men to talk about personal issues they may not feel comfortable discussing with a counsellor, nurse, or doctor.

67-year-old Neville Sparks, a resident at Tall Trees Rochedale, can often be seen in the neighbourhood’s dedicated men’s shed where he happily drills, nails, saws and sands his timber creations.

Over his life, Mr Sparks has built many items from wood, including toy trucks and train sets, hobby boxes and pieces of furniture.

Since living at Tall Trees, however, his repertoire has expanded to include playing card holders for fellow residents with arthritis, as well as bedside tables and dollhouses.

“I’ve been doing woodworking of some kind since I was 12 years old – it’s been a lifelong hobby,” Mr Sparks says.

“Having a shed here at Tall Trees is fantastic, as it means I can continue on building like I was before moving in here.

“What’s more, residents have encouraged me to make some new items, like playing card holders, which I might not have attempted before.

“It’s a great addition to our neighbourhood.”

Currently, residents at Tall Trees Tanah Merah are driven over to Rochedale when they want to try their hand at woodworking. A dedicated men’s shed will be built at Tanah Merah in the next stage of the development.

Tall Trees are supported living neighbourhoods that adhere to the concept of ‘ageing in place’, which allows seniors to move into a feature-packed apartment within one of their communities and receive whatever level of care is right for them.

Traditionally, aged care has been split up into high and low care; a dichotomy which can needlessly force seniors from home to home and cause problems for married couples who are in different states of health.

Part of the new guard of accommodation for seniors, Tall Trees aims to provide custom care services for their residents whilst offering an environment that’s more like a village than an aged care facility.

Pauline Williams, Resident Liaison Officer at Tall Trees Rochedale, says that the men’s shed is a valuable tool to ensure that residents integrate successfully into Tall Trees.

“Where a lot of traditional aged care facilities will have arts and crafts sessions for their seniors, we think it’s important to have diversity in our creative activities,” Ms Williams says.

“Providing comprehensive care requires us to think outside the box and beyond the services that are commonly provided at nursing homes.

“Woodworking is not only something that many of our residents enjoy – it’s a great way for them to hone their hand-eye coordination.

“We see the shed as an important way make our residents’ transition from their last home to their new home as smooth as possible, particularly as many of them would have been avid woodworkers before they came here.

“Aged care shouldn’t be about compromise, and that’s why we’ve done everything we can to make living at Tall Trees as much like living in your own home as possible.”