One of Melissa Court’s long-term residents, Valerie (Val) has had some wonderful surprises recently. She has received word that she will soon be able to move back to her home in Bendigo and as an even bigger surprise, Val’s family has organised a new puppy for her. Val is thrilled and eager to return home to Kangaroo Flat to spend time with the beloved sister, Beverley and also the new love of her life – gorgeous Rusty, a rust-coloured havoodle puppy. “To say Valerie is excited is an understatement,” support worker Samantha (Sam) said.
Rusty is a welcome distraction after Bev lost her beloved caboodle in 2021. Val has several framed photos of Biscuit next to her bed and she still misses him. Val has been living fulltime at Melissa Court respite house in McKenzie Hill for 11 months following a stroke in December 2020 that brought a halt to her busy, active life. She spent periods of time at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Bendigo Hospital and at Bendigo Health’s Golden Oaks nursing home over seven months and then moved to supported accommodation due to her loss of speech and mobility challenges.
Over the past six months Val has increased visits to her home in Kangaroo Flat and is looking forward to returning there to live fully with her sister Bev. Val and Bev have always been close and shared the house together for years when Val was working as a nurse with Austin Hospital. However, it has not been a fast process and Val’s loss of speech and the limited use of her right hand has impaired her progress. While she was in hospital, Val’s main goal was to return to living independently back at home and in the community and she is on the way there. Val is due to move back to Bendigo early next month (June 2022) as soon as upgrades and the installation of an accessible bathroom are completed.
Her expressions and eyes reflect how much she is looking forward to returning home. She is particularly looking forward to having Rusty with her all the time, ‘being able to sleep in’ and having her own things around her. Some of those special items are the memorabilia from past travels with Bev and the cookbooks that both used to try new dishes. Val is not a ‘foodie’, but she does like pancakes with banana for breakfast and looks forward to roast lamb with mint jelly for Sunday dinner. She enjoys being outside in Melissa Court’s beautiful surrounds and while indoors, she enjoys ‘scary’ films and TV shows.
Her dedicated support people – Sam, Rhonda, Thee Ree and Babalou – have developed several communication methods they can use these to support Val so she can be as independent as possible and make choices about her daily activities. As Val is nonverbal, her team are diligent in sharing information with other team members to ensure her choices are followed through across shifts.
Through the NDIS Val accesses medical support services, including Interchange, district nursing, podiatrist and physiotherapist visits. Val will require support with daily living and personal care when she moves back home to Kangaroo Flat, but she is determined to keep progressing. She aims to keep working on her mobility and communication issues which are the greatest barriers to reaching her goal of independent living. She is also grateful for the support and company of nieces, Robyn and Deb and their families, Carol and Graeme and nephew Michael, as well as the support of the Bendigo Stroke Survivor group.
