Endless love
Those of us who were blessed by attending Shimmer Retreat last month will be familiar with Betty Snelling and will recall her touching story of God’s faithfulness in her life. I had the chance to go even deeper with Betty and quizz her about her work with Jacaranda Respite Care here at Pittwater Uniting Church (PUC). Her answers were insightful and revealed as much about Betty as this wonderful ministry…
What is Jacaranda Respite Care and how often does it run?
Jacaranda Respite is held twice a week from 10am till 2pm in the Jacararanda room at PUC. We have men and women who are frail, or suffering from early dementia, or who are just lonely. They generally live in a radius from Collaroy to Newport and west to Terrey Hills. We have two buses that pick up and return our clients at the end of the day.
What is the purpose of Jacaranda Respite Care?
The purpose is to give family members who care for their loved ones 24/7 time to care for themselves (hair cuts, shopping, doctor visits etc.) and for the clients who live alone, to provide an outing to meet with others of similar age and needs.
And what activities happen at Jacaranda?
On arrival they have morning tea. Then the first session is gentle exercises, designed by a physio using light weights and therobands. Other activities consist of theme days, games like Snakes and Ladders, Bingo, carpet bowls (Jacaranda style!) quizzes and sing-a-longs. We also have visiting entertainers, schools, puppies (which are approved by UnitingCare for therapy) and once a month we go out for lunch. At Jacaranda, they always receive a freshly cooked two-course meal. Every two months we have a mystery trip on the way to lunch, so it’s a very varied program.
What is your role?
Well, I have various roles and wear lots of hats! I arrive at Jacaranda with my husband Ron at about 7.45am, organise the transport, set up for the day, prepare morning tea with Ron and cook the lunch. I run one of the exercise programs, prepare the menu and online shopping list and help with games and activities. We pack up at around 4pm, leaving the Jacaranda room tidy for the next person to use the room. But Jacaranda is not all about me. We have a wonderful team of volunteers — the centre just could not operate so efficiently if it wasn’t for their commitment.
How has Jacaranda Respite touched peoples’ lives?
They enjoy the peace and atmosphere here; the trees. They love the freshly cooked meals, they enjoy the companionship of others. They love to hear about our (ie the volunteers) lives and our families. They are like family to us. They love to share their family excitements like the birth of great grandchildren. The appreciation we receive from the families is very heart warming. And we have been asked to speak at some funerals. One fellow was a bit ho-hum about God but on his death bed he asked Alan Robinson to run the service. So we will never know just how much we touch their lives.
So do you have opportunities to share the Christian faith?
Yes. We always say grace before lunch. And over the years we have invited our ministers, either Alan or Steve to share at Easter and Christmas … Nige has visited us as well. Because of their dementia it is very hard to share deeply but what we do is show them love, patience, joy, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control. Actions speak louder than words!
In the early stages of Jacaranda Respite, Ron and I did the client assessments and visited prospective clients’ homes. It gave us the opportunity to witness to them and their families. We were often asked,“What’s in it for you?"; "Why do you do this?” We would just tell them we are not in it for any self gain, we are doing it because we feel we are called to serve these people and we just love doing it. We also share our faith with other volunteers who do not have a relationship with Christ.
Why does PUC offer a Respite ministry? How did it come about?
Ron and I used to operate the coffee shop at Pittwater Junction, in the old church at Mona Vale. We had nursing homes regularly visit us and we noticed that the people entering into nursing homes were becoming more and more frail. And of course we also noticed this at the nursing home that our daughter Karen was in. I started to think, “If they are this frail entering into full time care, how are they coping at home? How are their families coping?”. So with Alan Robinson we started to pursue the feasibility of starting a day centre for seniors. The government gave us a grant to train volunteers and Ron and I visited other day centres. PUC was very supportive of the ministry. My prayer was, “Lord, if it is not your plan then please close the doors. But if it is your wish for us to continue down this path, then please open the doors”. The doors didn’t just open — they flew off!
Why are you, personally, involved in Jacaranda?
I get so much joy working with the older generation. It gives me a chance to love them, when some of them do not experience unconditional love.
In what ways has God used Jacaranda Respite to teach you?
Just starting Jacaranda Respite was a great challenge I did not have any qualifications in aged care. I really had to rely on Christ. He stretched me and I had to step out of my comfort zone. And at the end of every day I may feel tired but I can sit and rest and know that it has been a rewarding day. But the greatest blessing is that Ron and I can work together in our retirement (what’s that!!)
