The festive season is well and truly upon us and the residents at Holy Spirit Casula are looking forward to celebrating their very first Christmas!
"To mark our first Christmas at the Home, I have created a special Christmas display for residents where they can have their photos taken with Santa," says Lifestyle Coordinator Maria.
"We would normally include family members, too, but we've had to tweak this a little because of COVID-19 restrictions.
"So instead, I will organise to print and frame the photos, and present them as Christmas gifts for the residents to share with their families," says Maria.
This year's Santa is volunteer Pat, husband of (the late) Julie, who used to work for Catholic Healthcare.
Julie was well known in the Catholic Healthcare community. She joined Catholic Healthcare in 2005 as Residential Manager of Holy Spirit Croydon where she was highly regarded for her leadership and work in the Home. In her later years, she transitioned to Manager, Care Excellence, and continued to be involved in the Clinical Governance Committee after she retired in 2019.
"Julie had a tremendous impact and was pivotal in improving quality and care outcomes at many of our Homes, including Gertrude Abbott Aged Care, The Sister Anne Court and Bodington," says Residential Care General Manager, Andrew.
Pat was introduced to Maria through Mary, Sales Manager at the Home, who was also a former close friend of Julie's.
"Pat has been an absolute gem and is such a kind a caring person who has generously donated his time to our residents," says Maria.
"We have all had such a great time listening to Christmas carols and reminiscing about our childhood Christmas experiences. We are so looking forward to Pat (Santa) making a special appearance at our upcoming Resident Christmas party!"
For more information on Holy Spirit Casula call 1800 225 474 or visit
https://www.catholichealthcare.com.au/residence/holy-spirit-casula/
(Top of page): Pat dressed up as Santa Claus, and resident at Holy Spirit Casula