Belinda Morgan is living as independently as she can thanks to the support she receives from a cleaner, gardener and other health workers as part of a home care package from Ballarat Health Services.
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The 76-year-old lives with the after effects of a serious accident, sight issues, balance issues and a 'benign shake' but the home care package support allows her to live in her own unit and continue the activities she enjoys.
Her sense of humour allows Ms Morgan to see the lighter side of some of the challenges she faces but she admits to the darker times when she needs a helping hand to come up with solutions that will let her do what she wants.
Ballarat Health Services Home Care Packages has been offering home care support for over 30 years, and Ms Morgan has had her support in place for about four years.
It means you are not deprived of doing the things you love when you can't always do the physical things you used to.
- Belinda Morgan
"Initially when I went through the preliminaries with a view to getting a package I was a little uncertain about how it would work and what the benefits would be ... but I had had a major accident and been extremely unwell.
"I thought I should go ahead because I could see as time went by that I was going to find more and more things difficult. I had a big garden which I couldn't manage, a lot of things I couldn't do."
Although she has since moved in to a retirement unit, the support has continued.
She receives several meals a week that go in to the freezer for when she doesn't feel up to cooking, and has a cleaner and gardener. She also has her shopping done for her, but walks to a nearby IGA when she feels like it to get smaller items.
"It's about knowing the backup is there. I can do what I want but know it will get done if I can't."
The package even extends to recently remodelling the back door of her unit to allow access to the garden. Previously she had been unable to get her walker out the back door, now it's been enlarged and a ramp gives easy access to the garden.
"Before I hardly ever used it but this makes me feel more confident, more independent, freer to be aware of what I really can do ... and in the process of having all this support I've happened to meet some delightful people.
"It means you are not deprived of doing the things you love when you can't always do the physical things you used to."
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