Post by Paul on Dec 26, 2004 16:45:56 GMT 9.5
MAJOR OF WAREKILA LODGE
When people move into an aged retirement home it is generally with the resignation that it is there that they will spend the rest of their life. So you can imagine the often unwillingness of people to give up their homes and independence to become residents of an aged care complex.
I well remember Leicester's Hillcrest Hospital which had previously acted as the 'Workhouse' for the aged and destitute. It didn't matter that in the 1960s it boasted the title, Hospital, and specialized in geriatrics. To the inhabitants of the city it was still the Workhouse and a place to be feared. The staff did the best they could with an old building and the limited funding of the National Health system but no matter what was said or did, the stigma of the Workhouse remained. It was at Hillcrest I took my leave of Granddad Jack and I made a promise to myself, that on approaching my senior years I would ensure there would be no such place for me to be sent.
Well, thankfully times and situations have changed, Warekila Lodge Aged Care Complex really is a home away from home, even to the extent, that you'll be welcomed by Major, who is the resident Therapy Dog.
Gwen Carll is the Manager of the complex but everybody knows that it is really Major that controls the well being of the residents and the staff. After all, since his arrival, Major has seen four different owners and five managers come and go. The one constant equation in the lives of the residents of Warekila Lodge, is Major, Warekila incidentally, is an Aboriginal word meaning "Place of changing wind".
The Warekila complex nestles in a tree studded valley which provides a peaceful setting far away from the bustle of busy roads and other noises of normal suburban life. Designed for the benefit and comfort of the residents, it gives the impression of being a private guest house where one can be on permanent holiday.
While Major is there for all the residents, it soon became clear to me after visiting an assortment of homes, that PAT Dogs (Pets as Therapy Dogs), need to focus their attention and affection on one person, in the case of Major, that person is Gwen Carll.
Major who once slept outside in a kennel and allowed in the complex during the day, has now moved into the home and sleeps in a basket under the reception desk. His day starts at 7am each morning when resident Ethel Read lets him out for his morning toilet. About 7.30 his carer gives him breakfast which consists of vegetables and rice, then he begins his days work by greeting each individual member of staff as they arrive for duty. Major usually has some form of toy in his mouth during the greeting process and if one cannot be found he improvises with the blanket from his basket.
As the day progresses he assists staff on their rounds and visits residents rooms but he is well aware of which residents allow him into their rooms and which do not want him. The staff generally gets to talk and socialize with each other during the morning tea break and Major, being the most important member of staff is always there with them.
Major is a splendid Labrador built of somewhat very generous proportions. This of course is due to the fact that the quickest way to worm your way into a dog's heart is by feeding them. Now there's nothing wrong in giving a dog the odd small treat but when that treat is repeated by every resident in the home, the small treat becomes a banquet.
Gwen Carll is well aware of the danger to Major's health through over feeding and fights a constant battle to prevent the illicit feeding, but regrettably, it is a battle she will ultimately lose. The very residents, for whom Major is providing health giving therapy, are slowly killing their friend with kindness. When I spoke to residents about the problem, one often accused the others of sneaking forbidden food to Major, then almost in the same breath confessed to the same misdemeanor themselves.
When I visited Warekila, in an attempt to cut down on the dog’s food intake, Gwen Carll had instigated a $2 fine for any one caught feeding Major. The residents of Warekila, having been law abiding citizens for the whole of their life, have just become a little more devious about the way they pass food to their friend.
There's no doubt that Major enjoys the good life, a comfortable home, 70 residents and staff to love him, and would you believe, protect him. When two drunken youths threw bricks through a window one night, residents, not concerned for their own safety, immediately locked Major up in a room for protection.
For all the attention Major receives he gives it back a hundred fold. He has turned Warekila from an aged care complex and what at one time would have been considered an institution into a normal home. A home which is so normal you have to be careful not to tread on the dogs tail when walking across the room.
©Paul Springthorpe, Media Production Services. Extracted from, ‘It’s a Dog’s Life.’ All rights reserved.
When people move into an aged retirement home it is generally with the resignation that it is there that they will spend the rest of their life. So you can imagine the often unwillingness of people to give up their homes and independence to become residents of an aged care complex.
I well remember Leicester's Hillcrest Hospital which had previously acted as the 'Workhouse' for the aged and destitute. It didn't matter that in the 1960s it boasted the title, Hospital, and specialized in geriatrics. To the inhabitants of the city it was still the Workhouse and a place to be feared. The staff did the best they could with an old building and the limited funding of the National Health system but no matter what was said or did, the stigma of the Workhouse remained. It was at Hillcrest I took my leave of Granddad Jack and I made a promise to myself, that on approaching my senior years I would ensure there would be no such place for me to be sent.
Well, thankfully times and situations have changed, Warekila Lodge Aged Care Complex really is a home away from home, even to the extent, that you'll be welcomed by Major, who is the resident Therapy Dog.
Gwen Carll is the Manager of the complex but everybody knows that it is really Major that controls the well being of the residents and the staff. After all, since his arrival, Major has seen four different owners and five managers come and go. The one constant equation in the lives of the residents of Warekila Lodge, is Major, Warekila incidentally, is an Aboriginal word meaning "Place of changing wind".
The Warekila complex nestles in a tree studded valley which provides a peaceful setting far away from the bustle of busy roads and other noises of normal suburban life. Designed for the benefit and comfort of the residents, it gives the impression of being a private guest house where one can be on permanent holiday.
While Major is there for all the residents, it soon became clear to me after visiting an assortment of homes, that PAT Dogs (Pets as Therapy Dogs), need to focus their attention and affection on one person, in the case of Major, that person is Gwen Carll.
Major who once slept outside in a kennel and allowed in the complex during the day, has now moved into the home and sleeps in a basket under the reception desk. His day starts at 7am each morning when resident Ethel Read lets him out for his morning toilet. About 7.30 his carer gives him breakfast which consists of vegetables and rice, then he begins his days work by greeting each individual member of staff as they arrive for duty. Major usually has some form of toy in his mouth during the greeting process and if one cannot be found he improvises with the blanket from his basket.
As the day progresses he assists staff on their rounds and visits residents rooms but he is well aware of which residents allow him into their rooms and which do not want him. The staff generally gets to talk and socialize with each other during the morning tea break and Major, being the most important member of staff is always there with them.
Major is a splendid Labrador built of somewhat very generous proportions. This of course is due to the fact that the quickest way to worm your way into a dog's heart is by feeding them. Now there's nothing wrong in giving a dog the odd small treat but when that treat is repeated by every resident in the home, the small treat becomes a banquet.
Gwen Carll is well aware of the danger to Major's health through over feeding and fights a constant battle to prevent the illicit feeding, but regrettably, it is a battle she will ultimately lose. The very residents, for whom Major is providing health giving therapy, are slowly killing their friend with kindness. When I spoke to residents about the problem, one often accused the others of sneaking forbidden food to Major, then almost in the same breath confessed to the same misdemeanor themselves.
When I visited Warekila, in an attempt to cut down on the dog’s food intake, Gwen Carll had instigated a $2 fine for any one caught feeding Major. The residents of Warekila, having been law abiding citizens for the whole of their life, have just become a little more devious about the way they pass food to their friend.
There's no doubt that Major enjoys the good life, a comfortable home, 70 residents and staff to love him, and would you believe, protect him. When two drunken youths threw bricks through a window one night, residents, not concerned for their own safety, immediately locked Major up in a room for protection.
For all the attention Major receives he gives it back a hundred fold. He has turned Warekila from an aged care complex and what at one time would have been considered an institution into a normal home. A home which is so normal you have to be careful not to tread on the dogs tail when walking across the room.
©Paul Springthorpe, Media Production Services. Extracted from, ‘It’s a Dog’s Life.’ All rights reserved.
