Finding the right people to light up their lives with friendship and fun was the key to wedded bliss for teenage sweethearts Brian and Del Dromgold. Here is their heartwarming story.
“I was 19 when I joined the police force in Sydney,” says Brian, now aged 82. “They put me on the horses because I came from a farm. I wanted a motorbike, but I was stuck on the horses. I was engaged to Del at the time. She was in hospital far away and my sergeant wouldn’t give me time off to see her. So I said, ‘That’s it’, and I quit.”
Over 60 years later, Brian and Del are still besotted with each other. But while time hasn’t dulled their love, it has claimed some of their independence.
“Everything became a muddle,” says Brian, “And we had trouble keeping things tidy and cooking food.” Soon, Brian and Del were respectively assigned a level two and level four Home Care Package. But the muddle was just beginning.
“We tried one company and we were not happy,” Brian says. “They would talk down to us, or at us, but I owned my own business for 40 years. You can’t tread on me… we tried another mob and they were no good either.”
“Thankfully, we got on to Mercy Health. Nadine [our care advisor] respects us. Sue [our service coordinator] is kind and gentle and caring.”
To Mercy Health Care Advisor Nadine, care at Mercy Health is about listening to clients and their families. Through this, you can understand a client’s needs and goals, then work as a team to make the client’s day the best it can be.
“Brian was very isolated being Del’s primary carer, and Del needed social interaction. Brian was at home and he needed the company of other men,” Nadine says.
“I suggested a lot of different ideas. I noticed too that Del never has a hair out of place, her makeup is always done and her house is gorgeous. We arranged for a community care worker to take Del out to get her hair done every week, and for Brian to visit the Men’s Shed,” Nadine says.
According to Nadine, the key to happy clients lies in successfully matching clients with community care workers. “Good outcomes are about teamwork. If I have concerns, ideas or questions, I’ll discuss it with the team… needs, preferences and personality are important when matching a care worker with our clients.”
Brian and Del agree—they couldn’t imagine their life without their regular care worker who help them do the shopping. “If we’ve left something off our shopping list, she tells us. She knows us so well because she has been with us for so long,” Brian says.
“I rarely have a bad day,” says Del. “The services Mercy Health arrange help. Our house cleaner is a whiz. I hate an untidy house. We have someone who makes the bed, then has a cuppa and a chat with us. We’re so spoilt.”
