Wattleglen Community Shows True Colours for Daffodil Day

Staff, residents, and their loved ones from our Wattleglen community stepped out in style last week – donning yellow in support of a very special cause: Daffodil Day and life-saving cancer research. 

The fundraising event, which included a memorable morning tea, continued a busy Autumn of fun-filled activities for residents of our Sale home. 

Across each of our homes, including Wattleglen, social care teams curate a wide range of regular events and activities which inspire participation, promote inclusion, and give residents an opportunity to stay connected with each other, as well as the community, in a fun and positive way. 

Donna Quine, a Social Care Coordinator at Wattleglen, said residents were excited to fundraise for Daffodil Day and welcome their friends and family from the wider community into the home to join in with all the colourful festivities. 

“Our residents were really excited about our Daffodil Day activities because they love giving back to the local community and making a difference to the lives of others. Nearly everyone knows someone who has suffered with a cancer of some sort, but the day was also a great way for our residents to feel like they were being part of a bigger community initiative. 

“We even had one resident who couldn’t be here on the day but who still donated $200 just because it’s a cause they wanted to support. 

“A lot of our residents, prior to joining Wattleglen, loved to get involved with and support local campaigns. In the past, they would have cooked for stalls, got involved and helped out where they could, so for them to be able to still contribute to local fundraising through Daffodil Day… they are all feeling very privileged.” 

Donna says preparations for the home’s much-anticipated Daffodil Day activities began earlier in the week, with residents participating in special arts and craft sessions to make unique decorations and signage ready to welcome visitors. 

“All week residents have also been discussing what they could wear on the day. We had one lady who lives with us who went out and bought crepe paper because the male residents don’t tend to get involved in dress-ups as much, so she is going to be making them yellow bow ties so they could join in on the festivities also.” 

Research has long shown being part of a community can have significant health benefits, particularly for mental and emotional wellbeing. As a community-focused organisation, Respect recognises how integral a ‘sense of belonging’ and social connectiveness is to positive ageing.  

At Wattleglen, our team members are committed to ensuring every resident can reconnect with, and remain active members of, the Gippsland community in which they are proud to call home (many of which have for several decades). 

“We believe that creating a robust calendar of activities and events go hand in hand with providing our residents with engagement, creative outlets, and opportunities to improve their health and wellbeing,” said Donna. 

“For some people, it isn’t always easy to transition to an aged care home and they can sometimes feel a bit isolated as they get used to such a big change. But our Wattleglen community loves supporting them, and we like to think having such an active and popular social calendar helps them fit in, get active and involved with others, and improve their social wellbeing.”