Whenever I think about family, it always seems to revolve around food and walking through the streets of the neighbourhood, when life seemed a lot simpler.
My family, especially the two remarkable matriarchs, passed their generational wisdom and many learnings that I hold close today, under the guise of cooking.
My first memories are standing at the kitchen sink after coming home from the market, helping my Grandmothers prepare the food ready for cooking. It was a ritual that had a place for everyone involved. It was where we connected and talked.
We each brought to the table our life experiences, we were united by our differences. Because of this, I am a melting pot of cultures that I am proud of.
So many of these weekends and afternoons were spent walking and talking while wandering with my Grandparents through their local streets. Streets they’d known longer than I do, even now. The role they played in shaping their community was a passion only second to family. I still stand in awe of what they invested.
Another thing I’m thankful for is the time they invested in me. The bond between Grandparent and Grandchild was always so special to me, I still recall as if it was yesterday.
I was one of the lucky few to have known all my Grandparents. All of which influenced my life immensely. As they passed one by one, over the 20 years, it reframed my connection with my parents, my wife and my children. In a way that galvanised their importance and my investment in family.
Life seemed to travel so much faster once my Grandparents started to leave this world. Without their timeless perspective, I had to consciously slow down to find mine. With their legacy, that I use as my yardstick, I am learning to do exactly that.
In 2007, my Grandfather had a fall at home and ended up in a hospital. When he was ready to be discharged, my Grandmother, at the age of 91, was faced with the task of finding support so that he could come home. For the first time, I saw my grandmother lost. She had no idea who to turn to for help. With the support of family and a few false starts, we eventually found a wonderful carer who was with the family for 10 years, through my Grandfathers passing and my Grandmother passing at 101 years of age. The journey for such adept and stoic people was one they navigated the way they always had; with pride, courage and positive resolve.
Our struggle to find the right care at the right time, got me thinking; how do families find care when they most need it? Who can you trust to turn to for advice and assistance?
The more I learned about the journey of aged care, the more I saw an industry that was, for the most part, doing its best to meet the needs of families, but needed to move with the times.
I saw a real need for information to be provided that put people first, for guidance and support when it came to navigating the complex aged care system.
Every person and family has their own journey when it comes to aged care; medically, financially and emotionally - like we did as a family. My commitment to finding ways to make the aged care journey better drives me every day. It's an honour to those who I care for so much, and for those who are no longer with me. This is the reason I founded DailyCare.
We believe in the power of stories to illuminate and educate. Through sharing our experiences of getting older and caring for those around us, we can help each other navigate the challenges we will all face at some stage in our lives.
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