With a penchant for poetry and a definite way with words, Bob thrives on the camaraderie, community, and connection on his regular outings through AnglicareSA’s social activities program.
Bob and his wife Pam, who has dementia, first became customers of AnglicareSA’s Home Care Services when they relocated to Adelaide from Queensland to live closer to family.
Two years ago, Pam was moved into a care home due to her worsening condition, and while Bob continues to receive services from AnglicareSA, the social activities and groups have become an important part of his routine.
“Oh, it’s the company really,” Bob said. “There’s a couple of guys who are regulars, and we have a good chin wag about things, plus there’s Tash (Social Activities Coordinator) who leads the way and looks after us very well.
“It’s very important to me because I’m on my own with Pam and her dementia, so to get out of the house and talk with other people about similar problems, it’s good for me.”
Bob not only gets involved in the Garden Club hosted every fortnight at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Plympton, but he’s also now a regular at social outings.
“Tomorrow we’re going for an outing to the West Lakes Hotel, so that will be good, but other times we might visit an op shop or other things like the time we went to the Planetarium.
“We have lunch together which is great because again you’ve got the company and you’re talking about similar problems and lot of things about the past.
“There’s always a lot of stories to share.”
On the topic of sharing tales, Bob is in fact quite prodigious, penning at last count, 71 poems on various subjects about life, love, and more recently his 90th birthday.
“I think most of them are about the fact that we’re getting old, and my wife is getting worse with the dementia,” he reflected.
“That’s all very sad, and of course, a lot of the poems are sad, but I think it’s probably just a bit of relief for me to write down what I think about it all.
“I’m up to 71 that I’ve got recorded on the voice recorder, and there are others that are partly written, but I’ve never finished.
“I try to share my poems as much as I can.”
AnglicareSA’s Social Activities for Older People
For more information about how to get involved with Anglicare SA’s Social Activities, please contact 8209 6626.
Costs of Social Activities vary depending on your government funding package and the specific group activity, with co-contributions ranging from $1.50 through to $14.50 – still great value for a day out all expenses included.