21 May 2021
Meet Barb Crosbie, one of our enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers at Regis Sunraysia who’s been part of our Regis family for over four years.
“One of the reasons that I wanted to volunteer with the elderly stems back to when my husband and I moved to Mildura, away from family and friends. Until you are living away from family you don’t fully appreciate what it means to have the support and care that families bring.
Both my parents have passed and I really appreciated the care from both my family and the incredible support and care of the aged care staff towards my parents in their later years. In saying this, I always thought to myself that when I was able to, I would help in some way towards the elderly when I retired. Just to be able to hold a hand and offer some reassurance, or to be able to offer some assistance to staff when they are under the pump – whatever my day brings, I enjoy it.
Regis Sunraysia has given me this opportunity and I absolutely love going into the home to help in any way that I can.
My role as a volunteer is always changing. I’m here to chat with the residents, scratch their back when they have an itch, or hold a hand and give a cuddle when required.
Basically, I like to be at the home to help with whatever I am asked to do – for both the residents and staff. When I go into the home I’ll often write up the Activities Board first thing, we play bingo and lots of other games, discuss the news and other topics that interest our residents. We also take residents on local bus trips around the district which they love.
The girls in the Lifestyle Team are terrific to work with and our residents think the world of them. There is always lots of fun and laughter to be had, or a word of comfort when needed.
Enjoyment is a keyword that I would use in regard to volunteering at Regis Sunraysia. Listening to the stories of our residents is great. One of the many things we do is to cook a special breakfast at our Breakfast Club. Our residents tell us what their favourite breakfast was growing up and we cook it how they remember it being cooked – as you can imagine, Breakfast Club is very popular.
Outside of my volunteering, I love my garden, cooking, catching up with family and friends. Having grandchildren is just perfect and all in all, makes life very busy.
Regis Sunraysia is special. Walking into the home in the morning, I am greeted by both residents and staff. Everybody is happy to see you and it really sets up your day to be a great one. Being a volunteer at Regis Sunraysia is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I love it – I thank them for the opportunity.”
