A Unique Project Supported by Salvos Home Care

“I really enjoy supporting older people and helping them to live independently, fully and with dignity," tells Salvos Home Care Community Support worker, Melanie. “I believe that the social connection and relationship I share with my clients is very important in helping to maintain their wellbeing.”  

Melanie has been with The Salvation Army for approximately 14 months and finds immense reward in her role. “I get just as much from my clients, as they do from me,” she explains. “It’s a really fulfilling job. I enjoy the one-on-one rapport and helping with tasks that make a genuine difference to their quality of life.” More recently, she has been working on a unique project with her client, Denis, to help him find satisfaction and achieve his goals.  

“Lately we’ve been working on getting Denis’ aviary up and running,” Melanie states. “We talked about what sort of birds he wanted to keep and what we would need to do to make it happen.” Denis is an avid bird lover and so Melanie was eager to bring this project to life. “Denis was keen to try his hand at breeding finches, so we did our research,” she says.  

“This project is on-going and has been a rewarding experience for both of us in many ways. We have learnt a lot and are still learning, and the best part is, we now have baby finches! To say we were excited is an understatement!” she chuckles.  

For Denis’ wife, Kerri, she notes the profound impact that Salvos Home Care has had not just on Denis’ life, but on their family’s life on a whole. When speaking of Melanie, Kerri affirms the positive influence she’s had on their family. “We most appreciate and look forward to Mel’s visits,” she says. “She is always upbeat and smiling and singing. This is contagious and as a family we always feel more relaxed after Mel leaves.”  

Kerri notes the positive impact of Melanie in helping Denis to achieve a goal with the aviary project. “With Denis’ deteriorating health at the moment, he is unable to look after any pets. So, Mel has gone out of her way to help with bringing the birds into the aviary and caring for them when she is here. This has made Denis feel that he has something of his own,” she says.  

When reflecting on what has been most rewarding regarding their Salvos Home Care journey, Kerri affirms it has been the positive influence Melanie has had on their family’s life. “The most rewarding thing about getting to know Melanie is that she fully gets us. She has a caring and nurturing nature that is not something learned, but a quality that is inbuilt.”  

For anyone who may be considering Salvos Home Care for themselves or their loved one, Kerri happily sings the service’s praises. “I would most certainly endorse someone considering Salvos Home Care to apply, by the level of support that Melanie goes to, providing the most caring support.”