October 2002

Home but not alone

Len and Ida Gill of Horsham recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

They are in their 90s and still living at home, although they have no relatives within 300 kilometres.

The couple receives a package of Home and Community Care and other services.

Wimmera Community Options acts as a central point of contact for agencies that enable the Gills to live at home and provides some of the services.

Their meals-on-wheels and home help services are supplied by Horsham Rural City Council.

Through its Friendly Visitor Program, Wimmera Volunteers Inc. also helps the Gills with transport for shopping, appointments and social outings at least twice a week.

‘We have lived together for all of our 70 years but for the last few years we’ve needed some help,’ said Mrs Gill.

‘The volunteers and Wimmera Community Options have been marvellous to us—I don’t know how we would be able to manage without them.

‘They organise things for us and provide transport when we need to go somewhere.

‘I can still cook, clean and sew but there are some things I can’t manage,’ she said