In the beginning...

Let me 'splain....

No, there is too much; let me sum up:

I work in a residential aged care facility. This is a strange place for me, as I spent 27 years as an IT person. In that time I did a variety of different jobs: programmer, consultant, web designer, technical writer, help desk, you name it.

Seven years ago I was retrenched from my job, and decided I needed a sea-change. I needed to find a place where I could actually help people that needed my help. A place where I could make a difference. I ended up in aged care. What a roller coaster ride it has been, and continues to be.

Every day I see amusing stories, and heartwrenching ones. Every day brings me something new to understand or solve, or simply cope with. All too frequently I see families who are struggling to come to terms with having to put their loved ones in care.

What I hope to do is share some of these stories (suitably anonymised, of course!) so that people can understand what it is we do in aged care, and hopefully see the funny side of the tragic concatenation of circumstance where failing bodies and failing minds are clinging to the last vestiges of "normal". The stories are true. Only names have been changed, to protect the innocent.

Maybe you know someone who works in aged care. Maybe you do, yourself. Maybe your mother, father, aunty, uncle, wife or husband is in an aged care facility. Whatever your interest, I hope you enjoy this blog about Adventures in Aged Care.