Meet Keith and his wife Jenny!
When Keith experienced a serious health crisis, it was expert support from Five Good Friends, a strong sense of purpose, and caring support at home that helped Keith, and his wife Jenny, find their way forward.
From ballroom dances to village life
After 61 years of marriage and 16 years living in their retirement village, Keith and Jenny know what it means to build a life together, and to adapt when life doesn't go to plan.
"We're very happy here, and now since Five Good Friends have arrived, we're happier," says Keith with a smile.
The couple met decades ago at a dance in Heidelberg. “It was an old-fashioned dance with ballroom upstairs and jazz downstairs”, explains Keith. “I couldn't dance, but it was a good way to meet girls”, he adds with a grin.
"He asked me to dance," recalls Jenny.
“She hasn't accepted since," Keith jokes, sparking laughter between them.
From a hands-on apprenticeship in welding and boiler making, including a stint in underwater welding, to a successful career in sales, Keith's working life was defined by hard work and steady determination. In 1957, at the age of 18, Keith was called up for national service. His time in the Air Force was an experience that left a deep imprint.
"Two things I learned in the Air Force: discipline, and that there are people in this world besides yourself," he reflects.
An unexpected health crisis
Unfortunately, life threw an unexpected curveball two years ago. "They opened my head four times... to play with my brain," Keith says frankly, describing the major neurosurgery that changed everything. "From there, I noticed my health had changed dramatically. I wasn't the same person."
They had already made modifications to their home - handrails, a walker, a bathroom update - but it wasn't enough. “Even though up until then we had done a lot for ourselves, I needed help,” Keith explains.
How home care advocacy makes navigating services easier
That's when they met Mietta, a Five Good Friend’s Care Concierge who provides expert care advice across several independent retirement villages.
Mietta helped Keith navigate the My Aged Care process. “She did everything to get me a package,” explains Keith.
According to Jenny, expert guidance makes all the difference. "We didn’t know much about it at all," she says. "Mietta’s been a wonderful advocate. She made the process so much easier.”
Once Mietta helped Keith to get his package approved, everything started to happen quickly. “Mietta rang on a Monday and said, I've got good news for you, you got the package. That afternoon we got the first phone call, then the emails started coming in. Wow, it was just bang, bang, bang - it all started to fall into place. Five Good Friends acted so quickly,” says Jenny.
Finding the right support
Now in their eighties, the couple are deeply grateful. Not only for the guidance through the complex aged care system but also for the quality of care. Thanks to well-matched Helpers and a care plan that is tailored to his specific needs, Keith now receives services like cleaning, gardening, podiatry and chiropractic care, and has a monitored personal alarm. “Since I got my package, it has made my life easier,”says Keith. “We’re very, very impressed with Five Good Friends.”
How the right in-home support improves everyday life for seniors
For Jenny, the support provided by Five Good friends has also helped her to recover from a misdiagnosed hip fracture.
"I couldn't clean the shower, and it was getting me down. Then our Five Good Friends Helper, stepped in. “She scrubbed it until I could see the grout again,” said Jenny, smiling widely. “She's a lovely girl and such a hard worker."
The couple now also use the retirement village's commercial kitchen for prepared meals, subsidised under Keith’s home care package - a simple but important convenience.
The support from Five Good Friends also stands in sharp contrast to past experiences.
Unfortunately, the couple experienced poor communication and disappointing services from a previous provider. When Five Good Friends came to the village that was the start of things changing.
“Five Good Friends are the ones,” says Keith sincerely. “They have done everything they said they would do, and you can't ask for more than that.”
Finding purpose in retirement: giving back
These services restore independence and dignity and allow Keith and Jenny to keep showing up for what matters most.
For Keith, that’s his veterans’ advocacy work and tending to his succulents. “My belief in our armed services is probably the biggest thing I believe in,” he says. “Every Monday I load up the car with donations for veterans. This week, I’ve been up four days out of five.”
Jenny supports him every step of the way. “He comes home with a huge lot of stuff, and I help sort it, label it, and load the car,” she explains. When life changes, you must lean on something that matters and for Keith and Jenny, that's helping others.
Four years ago, Keith introduced ANZAC Day commemorations at their village, organising a heartfelt service, sausage sizzle, and a moving display of military memorabilia. “We’ve got medallions, a gas mask from WWI and my service medals,” says Keith.
"We now get over 100 people attending," adds Jenny proudly. It’s become an important community celebration that many residents look forward to.
Jenny explains how her dad was wounded in WWI and the lasting impact it had on his life. "Dad was wounded the day after his 21st birthday,” she says. “He never spoke about it, but I’ve got a book about his battalion, and I now know what happened on that day. It was one of the fiercest battles against the Germans, and Dad then spent six months in a military hospital in London.”
Keith and Jenny share a deep respect and empathy for what Australian soldiers endured. “What they went through was dreadful,” says Jenny, sadly.
For Keith, this understanding along with his own experience in national service, continues to drive his purpose to this day.
Having a plan to grow older well helps you to age in place
Keith advises that moving into a unit in an independent retirement village was the best decision for himself and Jenny. "Today you can walk, tomorrow you can’t,” he says. Choose a place that works for your future.
With the right setup and caring support at home, Keith has been able to age in place comfortably and with confidence.
"It’s like a small-town community here," Keith says. "We’ve got a pool, a bowling green and a commercial kitchen.” Now Keith and Jenny have the help they need to enjoy it all.
Advice for older Australians: don’t wait to ask for help
Keith and Jenny’s story highlights how in-home supports can improve quality of life. Keith advises other seniors to get help early, rather than waiting until a crisis hits. “As you get older, you're going to have complaints. It's worth a phone call to Five Good Friends,” he says. “We were lucky. We struck Five Good Friends and from that first conversation, everything started falling into place.”
Interested in finding out more about in-home supports that help you stay independent and connected? Enquire today.
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