Superintendent's Comment

Contact Details

Wesley Mission's Senior Adult Residential Facilities

Alan Walker Village is a 188 unit retirement village at Carlingford. Stage 5 of the village (24 additional units) commenced in February 1999 with completion scheduled for April 2000. Within the village, Community Care Packages have enabled residents to stay in their own home for longer, thus delaying the move to hostels or nursing homes. Flexicare (short-term care) is also provided to help residents maintain their independence. A computer with Internet access is regularly used by residents. During 1998/99, 27 residents were additionally assisted enabling them to stay in self care accommodation.

Frank Vickery Village at Sylvania is the largest Uniting Church aged care facility in NSW, consisting of a 67 bed hostel, 70 self-care units, and 179 resident-funded self-care units. There is a two-year waiting list, with 340 residents at the village whose average age is 85 years. Construction works due for completion in mid-2000 will add 36 self-care units, a 300 seat auditorium, an expanded self-care dining room and maintenance workshop, 10 additional hostel units with en-suites, a remodeled hostel kitchen and additional resident lounge areas.

Hoban House is a 47 bed hostel for the frail aged at Pagewood. Over two-thirds of the residents are financially disadvantaged with the aged pension their only income. Persons seeking admission tend to be more frail and thus require the delivery of a larger number of personal care services.

R.E. Tebbutt Lodge is a low level aged care facility at Dundas, providing accommodation for 66 permanent residents including an 11 bed respite unit. Many of the residents have no family or visitors. The staff are skilled at meeting the variety of residents needs and deal with many emotional issues.

R.J. Williams Lodge is an 83 bed, low level aged care facility in Glebe with an average age of 74. Many residents have little support from family and friends. They need help with personal laundry, shopping, appointments and the many small problems which crop up as part of daily living. Many are depressed and lonely so the Lodge provides stimulating and meaningful activities.

W.G. Taylor Village, located on Sydney's northern beaches, provides a combination of 64 hostel, 2 respite and 44 self-care units. Demand for all types of accommodation continues to be strong with long waiting lists. The Village has a policy of open access and participation in activities.

Charlie Woodward Lodge is a frail aged hostel for 20 homeless men and women, 60 years and over. The Lodge provides personal care services to residents in five inter-linked yet separate houses, each accommodating four residents.

F.H. Rayward Lodge is a 93-bed nursing home at Harbord providing high level, 24 hour care, for frail aged people and younger people with disabilities.

H.C. Foreman Lodge is a 44-bed nursing home at Miranda providing high level, 24 hour-a-day, seven days a week nursing care.

For further information on Wesley Mission's Pastoral Services, contact:
Rev Dr Tony Chi on (02) 9263 5555
Senior Minister

For further information on Wesley Mission's School for Seniors, contact:
Richard Chambers on (02) 9285 6048
Coordinator, School for Seniors

For further information on home care and home maintenance services for older persons, contact:
Sandy Weule on 9874 8144
Manager, Wesley Home Care

For further information on homelessness, contact:
Rev Noreen Towers on (02) 9361 0981
Manager, Homeless Persons Services

For further information on employment services, contact:
Ken Moore on (02) 9724 6677
Manager, Wesley Employment Services

For further information on volunteering, contact:
Alan Bates on (02) 9263 5555
Coordinator for Volunteers

For further information on, or counselling for, suicide issues, contact:
Randall Pieterse on (02) 9874 2111
Manager, LifeForce

For information on the Strategic Planning & Development Department, contact:
Sharon Hoogland on (02) 9285 6976
Manager, Strategic Planning & Development

For further information on financial issues, contact:
Betty Weule on (02) 9951 5544
Manager, Creditline Financial Counselling Services

To receive financial counselling, phone:
1800 808 488

For further information on Wesley Mission's telephone counselling services, contact:
Anne Lenehan-Jones on (02) 9951 5577
Manager, Lifeline

To receive telephone counselling, phone:
13 11 14 - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

For further information on mental health issues, contact:
Bernard McNair on 9716 1400
Operations Manager,
Wesley Mental Health Services

For further information on residential
placement contact:
Brian Horlock (02) 9285 6971

For further information on aged care research and development contact:
Tracy Carr on (02) 9673 5662
Manager, Aged Care Research and Development

For further information on aged care accreditation contact:
Alexandra Davis on (02) 9837 3512
Manager, Aged Care Accreditation

For further information on Wesley Mission's Aged Care Facilities, contact:
Judy Hilder (02) 9858 4855 - Manager, Alan Walker Village
David Bentley (02) 9574 0058 - Manager, Frank Vickery Village
Margaret Williamson (02) 9349 3550 - Manager, Hoban House
Rhonda Thomas (02) 9858 4999 - Manager, R.E. Tebbutt Lodge
Christene Hobbin (02) 9522 6181 - Director of Nursing, H.C. Foreman Lodge
Catherine Telford (02) 9660 0177 - Manager, R.J. Williams Lodge
Greg Baynie (02) 9913 7040 - Manager, W.G. Taylor Village
Eliana Echeverria (02) 9757 4433 - Manager, Charlie Woodward Lodge
Marion Cohen (02) 9939 2666 - Director of Nursing, F.H. Rayward Lodge

References

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• 6 Suter, K.D. (1995). Can We Afford the Elderly? Impact - The Magazine of Wesley Mission, Winter Issue.
• 7 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (1996); cited in Tongue, A. & Ballenden, N. (1999). Families and ageing in the 21st century. Family Matters, 52, 4-8.
• 8 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1998); cited in Tongue, A. & Ballenden, N. (1999).
• 9 Lawrence, M, (1998, December 14). Retirees get little government support. Business Review Weekly, p.96.
• 10 Boomers not saving for later. (1999, June 16). The Sunday Telegraph, p.37.
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• 12 Gittins, R. (1997, October, 8). Early retirement for lump-sum leisure. The Sydney Morning Herald, p.15.
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• jobs1.html.
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• 19 Olsberg, D. (1997). Ageing and Money: Australia's Retirement Revolution. St Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
• 20 MacKay, H. (1998, March 30). Who will pay when the boom times end? The Sydney Morning Herald, p.1.
• 21 Davis J. A. (1994). Older Australians: A Positive View of Ageing. NSW: Harcourt Brace & Co., p.305.
• 22 Tongue, A. & Ballenden, N. (1999). Families and ageing in the 21st century. Family Matters, 52, 4-8.
• 23 Neuhaus, R.H. & Neuhaus, R.H. (1982). Successful Aging. New York: Wiley, p.235.
• 24 Davis, J.A. (1994).
• 25 Brocklehurst (1987); cited in Davis, J.A. (1994), p.35.
• 26 Neuhaus, R.H. & Neuhaus, R.H. (1982), p.237-8.
• 27 Office for the Aged, Aged and Community Care Division, Department of Human Services and Health (1994). An Optimistic Future: Attitudes to Ageing and Well-Being into the Next Century. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
• 28 Ageing and Disability Department (1998).
• 29 McGregor, A. (1999, February 9). Boom in not-so-retiring retiree's. The Australian, online at www.news. com.au/national/4243596.htm.
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• 31 Old age should not be lonely (1999, April 26). The Age, online at www.the age.com.au/daily/990426/leaders.html.
• 32 Horin, A. (1999, February 6). Male hearts broken in the golden years. The Sydney Morning Herald, p.45.
• 33 Wesley Mission (1999). Suicide in Australia. Sydney: Author.
• 34 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1995), p.35.
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• 37 Philanthropy Journal Online (March 1998). Available at www.pj.org/volunteers/seniorvol0325.cfm.
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• 41 Office for the Aged, Aged and Community Care Division, Department of Human Services and Health (1994). An Optimistic Future: Attitudes to Ageing and Well-Being into the Next Century. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
• 42 Ageing and Disability Department (1998).
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• 46 Carers Association of NSW (December 1998). Personal communication.
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• 48 Brough, J. (1997, November 21). Costs for aged care about to blow out. The Sydney Morning Herald, pp.9.
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• 51 Davis, J.A. (1994).
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• 53 Braithwaite, V.A. (1990).
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• 55 Ageing and Disability Department (1998).
• 56 National Data Collection Agency (1997); cited in Council to Homeless Persons (1999).
• 57 St Vincent de Paul Society, Sydney City Mission, the Salvation Army, Wesley Mission and the Haymarket Foundation (1998). Overview of Down and Out in Sydney. Sydney: Authors.
• 58 National Data Collection Agency (1997); cited in Council to Homeless Persons (1999). Elderly homeless people. Family Matters, 52, 40-41.
• 59 Hanlon, M. (1994). Homelessness in Australia: Causal Factors.
• 60 Porcino, A. (1999). Exploring the links between housing and homelessness. Parity, March.
• 61 Older People in NSW - The Facts.
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• 63 Kavanagh, K. (1997). The Battlers: Elderly People Residing in Insecure Housing. Sydney: Mercy Family Life Centre.
• 64 Ageing and Disability Department (1998).
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• 66 Carers NSW, Inc. (1993).
• 67 Tongue, A. & Ballenden, N. (1999). Families and ageing in the 21st century. Family Matters, 52, 4-8.
• 68 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1997). Older Australians at a Glance. Melbourne: Author.
• 69 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1997).
• 70 Brocklehurst, (1987) pp.40-41.
• 71 Clarkson-Smith & Hartley (1989); cited in Santrock, J.W. (1995). Life-span development. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark, pp.541.
• 72 Sweet, M. (1997). Weightlifting an alternative to pills. The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August, p.5
• 73 Carers NSW, Inc. (1993).
• 74 Tongue, A. & Ballenden, N. (1999).
• 75 Davis, J.A. (1994).
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• 77 Idler, E.L. (1987). Religious involvement and the health of the elderly: Some hypotheses and an initial test. Social Forces, 66(1), 226-238.
• 78 Paloutzian, R.F. (1996). Invitation to the Psychology of Religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Some Inspirational Facts

• At 77 years, American John Glenn became the oldest person in space, flying The Shuttle Mission for a duration of eight days and twenty hours.
• At 89 years, Arthur Rubinstein gave one of his best performances at New York's Carnegie Hall.
• Between 85 and 90 years, Pablo Picasso completed three sets of drawings.
• At 76 years, Anna Mary Robertson Moses took up painting. As 'Grandma Moses', she became internationally famous and staged fifteen one-woman shows throughout Europe.
• George Bernard Shaw won a Nobel Prize when nearly 70 years of age.
• Benjamin Franklin produced some of his best writings aged 84.
• At 66 years, Colonel Sanders lost his business and commenced living on Social Security. It wasn't enough, so he moved around the country, trying to sell his recipe for fried chicken. He was turned down 1,009 times before someone said "yes"! He went on to become a multi-millionaire at an age when most people are quitting.
• Michelangelo was still composing poetry and designing structures in his 89th birthday. He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on his back on a scaffold at almost 90 years.
• Verdi at 74 years, produced his masterpiece "Othello", at 80 years "Falstaff", and at 85 years, the famous "Ave Maria", "Stabat Mater", and "Te Deum".
• Daniel Auber wrote his "Dream of Love" in his 80's and said: "I am not 80. I am four times 20."
• Asked which of his works he would select as his masterpiece, architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the age of 83 replied, "My next one."
• Billy Graham is still preaching internationally, at 85+ years.
• Moses was 80 when God called him. Although he gave many excuses, old age was not one of them.
• John Wesley at age 83 was annoyed that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at 86 years was ashamed that he could not preach more than twice a day. He consistently rose at 4.00am each morning to begin the day with two hours of prayer. After his 86th birthday, he complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5.30 in the morning.