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This week is COTA (Council on the Ageing) Tasmania's Seniors Week. What better time to take a moment to pause and reflect on the valuable relationships we share with the older people in our lives? We asked around our office and have shared some of our favourite stories below.
Sharing stories and recipes
“My neighbour is 84 and grew up in Poland. He has a beautiful garden and our kids love to say good morning to him over the fence every day. This year he was kind enough to let me read his biography, and I learned so much about his incredible childhood growing up through the war. We celebrate him by baking a special spiced ginger biscuit recipe that he remembers from growing up.”
Using technology to keep up to date
“My grandmother is 79. She makes incredible lace and for my 18th birthday made me a quilt with 20 metres of handmade lace embroidered onto it. It sits on my bed and makes me think of her every time I see it. Unfortunately, we live at opposite ends of the state, but I love keeping in touch by sending photos and text messages. It's lovely that using this technology can keep us more involved in each other's lives, even if we don't get to see each other that often.”
Making friends with shared hobbies
“My partner and I have made friends with some older people we regularly see out in the water. A surfer never tells their age but these two always have plenty of stories to share. We love hearing about surfing ‘back in the good old days’ when they’d spend hours driving a car overloaded with people and surfboards just to check a spot! They have shared photos with us and even let us ride old boards that were just collecting dust under their house. We love spending time with them and listening to what they have to say. We often talk afterwards about how amazing it would have been to grow up a few decades earlier.”
Lessons on growing food
“My Dad is 96. He has the most amazing vegie garden and I always come home with a box of seasonal vegies when I visit. Dad has always passed on his tips and inventions for the garden and around the home. If something is not in the shops he will make it to get the job done. Dad grew up as a lighthouse kid on the East Coast and loves to reminisce on those early days at Eddystone Point and Gladstone. Family is first and foremost for him and I treasure our weekly catch-up.”
Staying connected from afar
“My mother-in-law is 77 and lives in Germany. We stay connected by telephone as she doesn’t use the internet. Between her broken English and my rusty German, we manage to share special moments and show each other how much we care. She sends us postcards when on holidays and we get small gifts delivered like plants to make her smile and remind her of us as they thrive under her green thumb.”
For more information on Seniors Week events being held around the state, visit COTA (Council on the Ageing) Tasmania’s website.