Conrad, Fabio and I used to visit a gent by the name of Alan at a local nursing home. Alan was 94 when he passed. For a few years our lives were enriched by Alan who was in frail health but always had a joke and a twinkle in the eye. He was a real character – that combination of Aussie larrikin and gentleman that you don’t see much anymore. As we parted he’d often quip: “See you when you’ve got nothing on, Luv” with a straight face.
The Mystery of Conrad and Alan
November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We love Our Elders But Not This One!
November 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It’s a nice way of exercising to take your dog with you while you do the shopping and judging by the number of dogs I see waiting outside the supermarket, staring fixedly through the window, a lot of people enjoy it.
But be warned!
According to the local police there’s a kidnapping scam going on. You find a shady spot, tie your dog up outside the shop, go in and browse, check out and return to find your dog is gone. There’s probably no worse feeling than not knowing where or how one of your dependents is. And image the distress of the dog who doesn’t know if he or she is ever going to see you again. The thieves wait for the reward to be posted and then return the dog often pretending they found him or her. However, there are some who steal dogs on impulse. This happened to a woman recently whose dog, Ollie, was stolen from outside a shopping plaza.
Thankfully, Ollie was found.
Yep, Ollie was found because people took an interest and had the community spirit to dob in the kidnapper, who, we are shocked to find out is a 65 year old man. He was charged and will appear in court soon. I reckon a fair penalty would be 100 hours community service work at an animal shelter in the role of the person responsible for taking calls and visits from people who are looking for lost pets.
What do you think?
Tea Towel Telegraph
November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In our work with the aged and disabled we come across some funny stories.
Believe it or not, at one time a telephone was a luxury. Back in the days when women were at home doing the nation’s child raising and all the other essential services some call house wifery, they were also building community infrastructure. Val, a 75 year old woman told of how she and the women neighbours developed a communication system involving tea towels and underwear.
The women in this Preston neighbourhood knew that the afternoon cuppa was on if Val had hung a tea towel out of her kitchen window. Women around the block were on the lookout at about 2PM and did the same to alert “the girls”. A blue tea towel meant scones; white meant cake; green meant “fend for yourself, we’re broke this week”. They knew things were a bit tense at home if there was a pink petticoat hanging on the washing line – this meant: “He’s off his oats today”. If the tea towel didn’t appear for a few days one of the girls would make sure she paid a visit to check up on her neighbor. Unlike electronic telecommunication, the system never failed. “Believe me”, she said, “the women knew everything that was going on in the neighbourhood. Kids wagging school, lost dogs and cats, violent husbands, rent collectors on the way – you name it. Never mind about internets and that kind of thing”
Val also told me about the time she was on the tram going into town. ‘ I usually knit or crochet on the tram. One day I noticed two young girls staring at me as if they were trying to figure something out. After awhile, one of them said: “Excuse me but what’s that you’re doing?”’ Germaine Greer, a contemporary pioneer of women’s rights, once commented that as soon as her hair turned grey she became invisible to the under forties.
But what a treasury of local history, of community unity (we call it social fabric nowadays) and skill the elderly possess. If we’d only listen and learn.
Toby and Fifi
November 2, 2011 By 2 Comments
Fifi is an 11 year old Maltese terrier who was the constant companion of an elderly woman, Mary, with no other close family except her husband who lived in a nursing home because he suffered from dementia. It wasn’t long, however, before Mary’s health declined and she ended up in hospital. Mary was lucky – she had a loyal friend who visited Fifi daily to feed and exersize her. When it became clear Mary wasn’t able to return to her home, one of her greatest concerns was the welfare of her dog. Fifi had become a one woman dog and wasn’t too friendly to other people. Bedsides that she was old – the pets most likely to be adopted are under two years old. – which narrowed her chances of finding the loving home Mary so much hoped for. Worry about Fifi was one of the reasons Mary refused to go to a nursing even though she was beyond the point of being able to care for herself.
It was decided that Fifi would stay at my place while I looked for a suitable new home for her. Mary was so happy to know Fifi had a future. But Fifi wasn’t leaving without a fight! It took about an hour to catch her and get her into the car and I was behind schedule with a hundred other things on my mind. Maybe I was imagining it but as I drove away with Fifi on the back seat in a carrier, an overwhelming feeling of great sadness filled the car. It was as distinctive as the sun going behind clouds and I’ll never forget the strength of it. Animals may be unable to speak our language but they feel pretty much the same as we do. – some might say, more than we do. Fifi was, not only leaving a happy home of 11 years but knew she wasn’t going to see Mary again.
She wouldn’t come near me, snapped when I approached her and stayed in her basket flat out lifeless. Just coincidentally, I had a call from someone whose elderly brother was looking for a dog. My heart rose and sank at the same time. A home for Fifi! But, oh boy, she’s a difficult one – not a lot of people will understand her. But let’s give it a try anyway.
After warning Toby that Fifi wasn’t friendly, in fact, was likely to bare her teeth and run, we headed for their first meeting. What followed was near miraculous. Fifi did indeed bare her teeth and run – from me. With her backside turned to me – a dog’s way of saying “Up yours!”, she wandered down to Toby’s bungalow and let herself in. By the time I got there ready to explain that she really was a nice dog if you’d just give her a chance, Fifi was curled up at Toby’s feet making eyes at him! “Friendly little thing isn’t she?” Toby said stroking her head. From that moment on Fifi followed Toby around like a love sick teenager. They fitted together like two peas in a pod and lived happily ever after. The surface of life is no where as fascinatjng as the mystery which threads its way through it. Some people call it fate. I call it a bloody big relief.
How many other Marys and Fifis are out there? An old, cranky dog and and a frail elderly woman. A family. Two lives. A simple helping hand can make a very big difference. That’s what it’s about.