Residents set sail for Pacific Ocean

Who wouldn’t love to sail on a luxury cruise ship, sipping a drink while watching the world glide by?

Posted June 3rd 2016

by Margot White

Providers

<p>The six Lutheran Community Care Zion residents who are going on a cruise together later this month.</p> — The six Lutheran Community Care Zion residents who are going on a cruise together later this month.

Six residents of a Brisbane aged care service will be doing just that when they embark on a cruising holiday through the Pacific Ocean later this month.

The six women aged 85 – 95, live at Lutheran Community Care’s Zion aged care service at Nundah. They’ll depart Brisbane on 11 June for the three day cruise.

“It’s a birthday present to myself,” says 95 year old resident Tina Boyce.

She says she loves the movements of ships and the atmosphere on board. “I have been travelling all my life and I think this is possibly going to be my last journey, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“Zion must be the only aged care place in the world that is doing this for their people,” she adds.

June Crimmin, 82, has never been on a cruise and is looking forward to the scenery from the boat.

“At the moment, I can’t go out by myself unless someone is with me because I get lost, so the cruise will give me some freedom.

“I’m also looking forward to dressing up to go to the [on-board] theatre at night.’’

Another participant Gwen Lloyd, 80, is looking forward to dancing saying “I know we’re going to have a ball!

“All my life I have danced and been in everything and I’m excited about the chance to dress ourselves up in our finery and go out dancing and mixing with the other people on the cruise.’’

According to Zion Lifestyle Coordinator Sharon Brown the landmark cruise proves that entering aged care doesn’t mean the end of fulfilling and engaging pursuits.

“We are always looking for innovative, exciting and different activities for our residents,” she says.

“This is their life and they tell us what they want to do; we as the staff are here to help coordinate and facilitate their wishes as best we can. If that wish is to go on a cruising holiday, then we’ll do our very best to make that happen.’’

Ms Brown says the trip has created a “real buzz’’ in the aged care service and several people have already put their names down for the next cruise, which is tentatively planned for later this year.

The residents will be accompanied by staff and volunteers from Zion, including a registered nurse and a physiotherapist.