Arcare At Home

Arcare Home Care placement student Luke Billing was pleasantly surprised when he found that one of his clients was more technologically advanced than even he was. With the stigma associated with ageing and technology, Arcare Home Care client Walter Mair has opened the eyes of many, showing the elders of the community that technology is not to be feared and is a great resource.

Luke shares his story with us:

Since starting my practical placement at Arcare Sandfield, I have been involved in a handful of projects/processes to bring me up to speed. One of these projects was to go out with Care Manager Kim Bouker to visit one of her clients, Walter Mair.

Ordinarily, this would be a routine care plan review in my eyes….only there is a bit of a twist to this tale. I had already met Walter three days before. To paint a clear picture, I was sitting at this same computer reading when I heard the sound of a Skype ringtone coming from Kim’s computer behind me. Kim answered, and it was Walter.

I had the opportunity to introduce myself to him through Skype which was amazing, as I myself (at the tender age of 31) had never used this technology. It was later explained to me in detail how Walters Care Package was constructed to get Walter a computer and some computer lessons.

I had the lovely opportunity to sit down and skype with Walter to get his feelings about how his care package has impacted his life. “I am so fortunate to have Arcare help me so much. I am very very grateful. Since having the computer, I now use it for email to keep in touch with friends and family, to look up businesses on the internet and to use Skype”, Walter explained.

Walter has really shown what is possible if we take a holistic approach to our care. The most profound lesson that Walter bestowed upon me was “it does not matter how old or young you are, when it comes to computers and technology…never ever give up.”

What I found to be a great endorsement of this outcome is that Walter seemed to feel very positive about getting in touch with family and friends in his native Austria. If this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of re-enablement in 2015, imagine what we will ALL be capable of in the very near future.

Find out more information about Arcare's Home Care packages in Melbourne & Brisbane.