Independent living at 98? Graham has the secret

Having just turned 98, he is living his best life quite independently at Nubeena Retirement Village, and puts it down to a few things.

Graham has been a resident at Nubeena since 2004, but living on his own in a two-bedroom unit for the last 5 years. The staff at Churches of Christ are incredibly proud of him, particularly for how he keeps up with daily tasks, and his proficiency with technology.

Graham hails from Scotland, and came to Australia after many years in Zimbabwe. He spent the first part of his career as a dentist, before moving into farming with his family.

Daily walks, cooking, some cleaning, and using technology to keep up with life’s necessities like online shopping, is all part of Grahams regular routine, as well as going on bus trips around the local area of Toowoomba. He says his longevity is in part due to regularly walking and doing puzzles which he says is good for physical and mental health.

The other half of the secret to Graham’s independent-living success is his ability to access help from our Home Care service.

Our Service supports him with laundry, fortnightly cleaning, and transportation to places he needs to get to around town.

Churches of Christ offer a full spectrum of care from Home Care, to Retirement Living, through to Aged Care Services. The Home Care service helps people with day-to-day activities that get somewhat challenging as we age. Tasks such as cleaning, grocery shopping, some jobs around the home, and getting to activities and appointments can be taken care of by our Home Care Workers. This helps people to stay independent in their homes, and supports them to stay connected to the community.

Some people don’t realise they may also be able to access Home Care as a resident in one of our retirement villages, and Graham says it’s been a key to him staying in his unit for this long.

Visit our Home Care page to find out more.