Interview with Donna Wahrlich - Eldercare Coordinator
Paul Milson from Nelson Anglican Diocese interviews Donna Wahrlich - Eldercare Coordinator.
“I love what I do. It’s such a privilege to serve the community in this way”, says Donna Wahrlich. She’s the Community Eldercare Worker at St Christopher’s in Blenheim. We sat down over coffee and spent some time chatting about the joys and challenges of her role.
How did you get into Eldercare work?
I’ve done a number of interesting things over my career. I trained as a make-up artist with TVNZ. I’ve run my own business. I’ve spent a number of years as a funeral director. Prior to starting at St Christopher’s, I was working in a caring role at a retirement home. These last two roles gave me plenty of experience working with older people, which I really enjoyed. When an opportunity came up for this role, applied for it straight away, and was fortunate enough to get offered the job. That was three years ago, and I’ve been doing this ever since, and absolutely loving it.
What are the biggest needs for older persons in your local community?
Companionship. Many older persons are lonely and feel disconnected and have lost their spouse and are adjusting to life on their own. We live in a fast-paced world where lots of things are changing. It’s easy for people to feel bewildered and alone. As a result of isolation, our seniors are yearning for a sense of belonging. They need a place where they will be seen, welcomed, smiled at, and chatted to. People need to feel valued.
There is also a growing need around health and wellbeing. Accessing health services can be an issue, along with people needing to become more active to sustain mobility and recover from ailments or accidents. There are seniors who have come to us because they’ve been referred by physios and other local health agencies.
Tell me about the things that St Christopher’s does to help meet these needs?
Our main goal is to meet the need of connection and belonging, but many of the things we do also help meet needs in the health and wellbeing space.
We run four exercise and movement programmes each week. Two of these are identical Steady As You Go (SAYGo) programmes. This is a well-known falls prevention exercise programme designed to improve balance, leg strength, and flexibility for older adults. We were doing one SAYGo programme each week, but that got too full, so we have started providing a second programme, which is growing fast. We also run a weekly Stretch and Breath class, and a weekly walking group. These all come with a post-match cuppa and fellowship opportunities.
On the fourth Thursday of each month, we host an Older Persons Seminar covering a range of topics, including health, safety, community resources, travel stories and more. And of course, a yearly Christmas event with plenty of fun and treats.
What else helps in making this a successful ministry?
I have an amazing team of volunteers that makes these programmes possible. I couldn’t do it without them. They’re the best!
I also attend local networking meetings with other older persons/social services agencies. This allows other industry workers to know about what we do and send people our way. Of equal importance, as I become more aware of the services available in the community, I can point our older people towards the services they need.
What’s most encouraging about this work? What’s most challenging?
The most encouraging thing is seeing our members happy and connected and enjoying life. Where we can, we try and give our seniors helping roles. You can see their self-esteem rise when they know they are contributing.
We had one older person referred to us by a local social service agency. For her,
St Christopher’s is her happy place. Seeing the transformation in her has been particularly rewarding.
It’s also encouraging to see people getting healthier and learning. For instance, we offer regular Falls Prevention workshops. I was encouraged to hear of some of our seniors who avoided significant injury by practicing some of the principles they heard about at one of these workshops.
The most challenging part of the role is how to present the Christian component of what we do without putting people off. I want people to hear about Jesus, but I don’t want them to stop coming. Getting the balance right can be challenging.
