Laurel Winwood, Facility Manager at Radius Taupaki Gables talks to us about moving her mother-in-law into care… 

“Moving a parent into aged care is one of the most stressful times for an adult child. I know from personal experience.

Mum, who is actually my mother-in-law, was living in a small town five hours outside Sydney. We would visit her several times a year and noticed over time that she was not coping. Eventually she had a significant fall and was admitted to hospital.

At that point we knew that she wasn’t going to able to go back to her unit and we made the call to bring her closer to family. She’s now been at Radius Taupaki Gables for five years.

If I wasn’t working for Radius Care, I would still choose a Radius care home. It just feels right when you walk in the door.

When I leave Mum here at the end of the day, I have complete and utter trust in the team that they will do the right thing by her.

Mum knows all the staff, she loves to hear about everyone’s family, and she knows everything that’s going on in the community.

She’ll be 90 this year and she is now more involved and connected to her family than she ever has been. She gets the personalised care that she needs, and we get to enjoy her as Mum and Nana.”