It’s all about numbers! Just ask Joan Tucker, who at the age of 95 is still treasurer at Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church.
But she doesn’t need a calculator to work out her equation for happiness. “It’s your attitude to life,” she explains. “You can be old at 45, but young at 95. It’s up to you!”
Joan, who is a proud great-great Aunty, lives in her cosy Pascoe Vale unit nearby and spends her days reading, watching a bit of telly and doing crosswords and puzzles. “Puzzles keep the mind sharp,” she says.
An astute mind and a flair for numbers is something Coburg-raised Joan has always had. She first used the comptomoter, which preceded the calculator and worked for 47 years in accounts and wages at what is now Vic Roads.
She has travelled widely and certainly loved driving too. Joan and her parents drove to Queensland for many holidays and even once drove to Perth. Joan has travelled to the UK twice – both times with her Mum.
Over the years, Joan stayed with her parents and looked after both of them in their old age – her Mum passed away at the age of 101.
Joan reckons the longevity in the family can be attributed to a healthy lifestyle and good genes. “My Mum and Dad were given a bottle of whiskey on their wedding day in 1924, and they put it in the cupboard to be used for medicinal purposes only. We must all have been pretty healthy over the years – it’s still unopened. I can honestly say I’ve never had a drop of alcohol in my life!”
After her Mum passed away, Joan sold the old family home and bought her unit – all in the space of one day! “The moment I saw my unit I thought ‘yes, I can live happily here for the rest of my life,” Joan explains. And thanks to a Government-funded home care package through Uniting AgeWell, she’s doing just that.
Joan has arthritis and uses a walker, and receives help around the house and garden, as well as shopping and physiotherapy services. She describes the spring cleaning she receives as “absolutely marvellous” – she even got her pantry and the laundry cupboard sorted out. Joan no longer drives and also uses her package for cab charges to get her hair done every week.
Working with her Care Advisor Meredith Laidler, Joan has also used her home care package to buy a recliner chair as well as an electric bed. “The chair is pretty wonderful,” laughs Joan. “The other day I sat in it to watch the early evening news and I woke up and looked at my watch and saw that it was 3am. I thought, ‘there’s no point in going to bed now,’ so I just stayed there.”
Joan has nothing but praise for Uniting AgeWell. “I cannot fault them on anything,” she says. “They have been very good to me.”
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