You don’t have to worry about being cared for in a place like this. There are beautiful, beautiful people who really and truly love us and look after us – and that’s what it’s about. I consider this to be my family.

The kids were upset that we were leaving our last home, but they’ve been so grateful over the last two years. They are so glad that we’re here with help from Southern Cross Care.

I oversee everything that happens in the kitchen. We work closely with our residents, so they get a lot of input into the planning of our menu. Why do I do it? Because I love it.

I like going on outings with Julie because we have lots of fun and we have lots of laughs. I love getting out of my unit and having a coffee at Gloria Jeans where I also know the staff and say hello.

You don’t lose anything by doing this. You gain a lot. We haven’t lost anything at all. We’ve gained more friendships and more time for ourselves and the things we enjoy. We can choose to do as much as we want to.

What interests me is giving back to the community and getting to know our residents. The work we do with our residents is really special.

We should have made this move years ago, we have so much more time to spend enjoying the things we love to do and just relaxing together.