Woman’s Day New Zealand – August 05, 2019

CS25168

05/08/19

ADV2019

F

romgrowingup

inabigfamilyin

Christchurchtobeing

happilymarriedfor

63 years,Alma’shadplenty

ofcompanythroughout

herwholelife.

Sowhentheoption

tomovetoaSummerset

servicedapartmentcame

up,Almaandherdaughter

Mareewerenaturallyalittle

nervousitmightbeabit

onthequietsideforher.

Butsincethemove,

they’vediscoveredit’s

beenanythingbutquiet.

“Idon'tthinkyou'dever

needtofeellonelyhere.

It'sjustlikeabigfamily...and

there's[always]something

goingon,”saysAlma.

Whenshefirstarrived

at her serviced apartment,

Alma had her husband by

her side. Sadly, he passed

away shortly afterwards due

to ongoing health issues.

“I thought it might take her

a little while to deal with

the loss of dad and... the

new surroundings, but

it was quite amazing really

howquicklyshesettled,

andIthinkthatwas

downtothesta„,”

recallsMaree.

SURPASSING

EXPECTATIONS

Whilethemovewas

abigdecision,thewhole

familyfeelsthatAlma

has“blossomed”andhas

becomemoreherself

again.“She’sinvolved

herselfinthingsthatshe

hadn’tdoneforyears...

choir,exercising.She’s

justtakenitwithboth

handsandmade

friends...it’sallbeen

justamazing.”

MareeandAlmaboth

admitthatthestigma

ofretirementliving

putthemo„forlonger

thanitneededto.

“IthinkMumwas

justsodelighted

whenshecamehere....

andrealisedhow

welcomingandhow

well-run[theplacewas]

andwhatcarewashere

forher.Ithinkitwas

aneye-opener,really.”

SUMMERSET IS A

HIVE OF ACTIVITY

A self-professed “fussy”

person, Alma was also

delighted with the high

standards of the sta„.

“They do all the cleaning

and upkeep. Everything

is just how you’d love

ittobeifyouwereathome

orwithfamily.”

HavingAlmalivingat

homewithherwouldhave

been a dream for Maree, but

with the reality of working

all day, she worried her

mum would be very bored.

But Alma hasn’t had time for

boredom at all since moving

to Summerset. “There’s so

much to keep you occupied.

Music. Happy Hour twice

a week. Little outings.

Summerset living allowsAlma

to stay active and thrive

For more information about

Summerset Retirement

Villages Serviced Apartments,

call 0800 334 442 or

visit summerset.co.nz/

servicedapartments

It’s a lovely place to be.”

Alma also fi lls her

time with a cheeky bit

of cleaning, even though

she doesn’t need to lift

a fi nger. “I don’t think she

eaves a lot for the sta„

to clean, but that’s Mum,”

aughs Maree.

“It’s a relief for us to know

that she’s taken care of.

Dad would be so pleased to

see she’s in a place like this.

It’s just been a godsend.”

A home where

MUM CAN

BLOSSOM!

‘ There’s so much to

keep you occupied.

Music. Happy

Hour twice a week.

Little outings. It’s

a lovely place to be’

Alma and Maree appreciate

how welcoming Summerset

has been. Left: Alma with

Maree as a toddler.

WOMAN’S DAY + SUMMERSET