Owen Swallow regards the people of Cohuna as his extended family.
The 78-year-old has lived in Cohuna for nearly 40 years, and during this time has helped out at the local football and cricket clubs. He’s single, has no children and after being raised in orphanages, knows the importance of being in a community that feels like a family to him.
“I love it here,” he says simply. “I don’t want to live anywhere else.”
Owen, who retired after a lifetime of working in the railways and in various industries, recently suffered a heart attack, but lives independently at home, thanks to a Government-funded Home Care Package through Uniting AgeWell. He gets help with housework and gardening, as well as assisted shopping.
“The carers are so kind,” he says. “Nothing is too much trouble for them. They really look after me.”
One of those carers is Home Care Worker Meaghan Noonan. She lives in Kerang East and understands the pull that Owen feels to this beautiful corner of country Victoria.
Meaghan started her career working on farms, breaking in horses and doing the behind-the-scenes track work. After spending time helping her elderly Mum, she realised she had an affinity for working with older people, so she studied Aged Care and joined Uniting AgeWell in 2019.
“I love what I do,” she says. “It’s nice to know I’m making a difference to older people.”
She also enjoys that no two days are ever the same. “I do cleaning, I take clients out shopping and to cafes, or help them with personal care. Sometimes I even take them swimming!”
Uniting AgeWell has an office based in the Kerang Uniting Church, on the corner of Vaughan and Fitzroy Streets. Manager Alison Caldwell says Care Advisors Janelle Paterno and Megan Russell are experts at tailoring home care packages to suit clients’ individual needs and goals. They also advise clients on using their packages to buy equipment to live safely at home – including household modifications like ramps and rails.