Esme has always loved dancing. But the 87 year old doesn’t do much of it these days. Even walking is very difficult and she often relies on her motorised scooter to get around.
However at the ‘Christmas in July’ event at Wesley Seniors Living Centre Central Coast this year, as the classic Elvis and Dean Martin ballads played, things were about to change. Wesley Home and Carer Support Executive Manager Susan Cann was at the event and, kicking off her shoes, offered a supporting arm to Esme and encouraged her to dance. Esme took the opportunity to rise to her feet and start to dance.
“I can’t walk but I can dance,” she grinned.
For Esme it’s about the friends and good times. “We have a good laugh,” she said. “That’s the main thing.”
Esme describes herself as a “bit of a rolling stone”, having moved a few times since her husband passed away. When she moved to a retirement village on the Central Coast she looked for new friends in the neighbourhood. One day at the supermarket, Esme saw an ad on the back of a shopper docket for Wesley Seniors Living Centre Central Coast and was eager to check it out.
Esme has now been going to the centre each Wednesday for the past six months and the self-described ‘Scrabble freak’ can often be found having an enthusiastic board game with new friends from the centre, especially Triominoes, a variation of dominoes. Staff from the centre pick Esme up from the retirement village and drop her home in the afternoon. For Esme the best thing is the great attitude of the staff who always provide the warmest welcome.
“The staff are absolutely beautiful,” she said. “They’re so caring.”