Salvos Hope To Improve The Lot Of Elderly Residents

The Age

Wednesday January 10, 2001

DAVID WROE

Ron Purcell is better off than most tenants at the Melrose Street high rise commission flats in North Melbourne.

A resident for 15 years, Mr Purcell never married and has no family, other than a sister he rarely sees since she suffered a stroke. At 80, he has a stiff gait and has had a couple of falls.

But he goes out, visits friends, keeps an active lifestyle and a positive outlook.

Many of his 150 fellow tenants in the block aren't so lucky. Some suffer intellectual and psychiatric disabilities, drug and alcohol problems and profound social isolation, according to Kevin Hecker from the Salvation Army Adult Services.

``There is no doubt that the group of people we work with die earlier and die prematurely," he said. ``Their health needs are so chronic, some of them won't reach 70."

With help from the Victorian Government, Mr Hecker hopes to change that appalling outlook with a program to help the tenants at Melrose Street - one of 13 blocks in Melbourne specifically for aged residents - to take care of themselves.

In a Victorian first, the Salvos will put two permanent care workers in the building to help tenants with their health, their homes, their finances and their social and emotional lives.

Many tenants don't use nearby health and community services, either because they are not aware of them or are not comfortable using them, Mr Hecker said.

The program, with a State Government budget of $275,000 a year, aims to let tenants keep their independence rather than ending up in full-time care in nursing homes.

Social and recreational activities will build a close community to combat isolation.

Being independent and active is ``absolutely fundamental" for these aged housing tenants, Mr Hecker said.

``When we see older people unable to perform daily tasks and unable to access the community and have meaningful participation, we see premature ageing."

Stan Jenkinson, 68, said his four years at Melrose Street had been the happiest of his life, except for his arthritis. But he had thought about writing personally to Housing and Aged Care Minister Bronwyn Pike, so great was the need to have permanent care workers in the block.

``There has been people here who have been dead for five days and no one knows," he said. ``They don't have any family."

Mr Jenkinson knows a bit about social services. His involvement in running non-profit student housing in North Melbourne and raising money to build a dam in Eritrea won him a swag of community service awards.

He just hopes the permanent care workers are ``older types" with a bit of life experience.

``The university of life is much better than college, don't you think?"

© 2001 The Age

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