Local Partnership Brings Smiles to the Faces of St John’s Residents

A special project driven by our team at St John’s aged care home in Wangaratta, Victoria, and the local Men’s Shed is having a uniquely positive impact on the lives of residents living with dementia. 

When team members of the home’s Memory Support Unit were in recent discussions with Dementia Australia, they decided they wanted to increase the opportunities for residents to engage in ‘life skills’ as part of their regular calendar of daily activities. 

As Corrine Hough, St John’s General Manager, explains: “We’re always reviewing what we can do to provide our residents with the best quality of life possible. So, drawing on our discussions with Dementia Australia and their recommendations, we were keen on purchasing and installing a ‘mock’ kitchenette for residents to engage with. 

“Not only do mock units like this help residents living with dementia and memory-related issues feel at home, but there is research to suggest that engaging regularly in general life skills can also benefit their wellbeing and support treatment.” 

However, after doing some research into suitable display units available to purchase for the home, there were limited options at a reasonable price – leading Corrine and her team to reach out to one of their close community connections. 

“We have such a fantastic, long-standing association with our local Men’s Shed here in Wangaratta. For years, they have been such a great support, donating furniture and other items that have improved our residents’ daily lives,” she says. 

“And they were only too happy to help us out! We showed them a picture of what we were after, and the group came up with a wonderful plan to build it for us.” 

Thanks to the generosity and hard work by members of the Wangaratta Men’s Shed, the mock kitchenette was recently donated and installed at St John’s, and Corrine says it was quick to delight McDonald House residents. 

“We are thrilled with the kitchenette… the fellas absolutely out-did themselves and it has already brought so much joy to our residents, who have loved engaging with the new space,” she says. “So many residents will benefit, now and in the future, and we’ve already decked it out with new equipment and started running activities.” 

More generally, Corrine says that community partnerships, like between St John’s and the Wangaratta Men’s Shed, are hugely beneficial for residents as well as the home. 

“It allows us to stay connected with local groups and individuals and ensures our residents can continue to feel a strong link with the region,” Corrine says. 

“A big thank you the Men’s Shed for being so generous and staying connected with our home and our residents. It really means a lot and we’re all so grateful.” 

Respect actually enjoys a historical connection with the Australian Men’s Shed Association and its network of more than 1,200 sheds across Australia.  

The very first Men’s Shed began on the grounds of Tongala Memorial, another of our homes in Regional Victoria. Named in honour of Dick McGowan, a Victorian community leader who identified the need for somewhere local men could go and find someone to talk to and something to do, the Tongala Men’s Shed birthed a legacy that has blossomed into a national movement.