West End CONNECT, Diversicare’s respite centre, is fostering a 65-year long friendship between Polish respite attendees, ninety-one year old Leonarda Nurzynski and ninety-four year old Anna Baczynski.
The two have been life-long friends since immigrating to Australia with their husbands and children from Europe in 1950.
Both have fascinating life stories, firstly of the hardships they encountered during and after World War II in Poland and migrating to Australia.
Their friendship has endured throughout the years. Whenever they can, the two still keep in contact at Diversicare’s West End CONNECT, catching up with their news, having lunch and participating in the centre’s many activities.
Diversicare’s West End CONNECT hosts over 200 attendees every month.
Diversicare hosts a different cultural group nearly every day at the respite centre.
Attendees participate in activities such as dance, yoga, Tai Chi or celebrate a significant cultural day. The Chinese group celebrate Chinese New Year and the Dutch group celebrate King Willem’s Birthday. With so many different cultures we are always doing something new.
As well as fostering friendships, Diversicare also organises one-on-one social outings with consumers and carers.
Carers may take consumers to their local shopping centre to assist with shopping or out to enjoy a coffee and a chat.
Diversicare endeavours to maintain consistent services with the same carer and aims to provide the best possible cultural and personal fit between consumers and carers.
Diversicare’s bilingual carers represent up to 45 different languages including Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, French, Dutch, Samoan, Croatian, Italian, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Greek, Vietnamese and Polish.
