ACS is privileged to have been given permission to share the story of Rosemary, an Elder who has been through a lot, and come out the other side in a much better position, demonstrating strength and endurance.
When we first met Rosemary she was living in the parklands without a home. It was in 2020 during our COVID response project where we assisted Elders with finding homes, made emergency deliveries and did frequent welfare checks. We promptly had Rosemary assessed by My Aged Care and she was put onto a level 4 care plan. Through this she was able to find housing.
Although Rosemary was now safer and better cared for, unfortunately she also faced challenges in this living situation with harassment and wrongful accusations thrown her way from nearby residents. Rosemary ended up having to face court, and ACS assisted her in hiring a lawyer and advocated for her in SACAT. Through her time living here, ACS acted as a mediator between herself, complainants, and Housing SA.
Eventually, no criminal charges were found, and the case was thrown out of court. We are very pleased with this result and glad that we could help Rosemary achieve a just outcome.
While there was positive news on the court front, disaster struck at Rosemary’s home in the form of a fire. ACS advocated for Housing SA to provide short term accommodation, and we sourced emergency funding, clothes and food for her.
Now, we are elated to announce that Rosemary has found a new property and moved in on the 2nd of April. She is housed, safe, receiving care, and out of the court system. We asked Rosemary if she was looking forward to anything,
“Yes! I am looking forward to getting these things established [pointing to her garden beds]. Like the new garden bed established, and this new house. Yeah, strawberries are growing. Good things. Going motivated. Animals have been a little more comfortable.”
Rosemary lives with her cat Gracie, and dog Deadly.
While it has been a long journey for her to get to this point, its truly a relief to have seen her go from sleeping rough to now receiving appropriate care. ACS has been instrumental in this process, and would like to take the opportunity to emphasise the importance of programs like our Community Engagement Team and the hard work of our coordinators in making an immense difference in the lives of underprivileged Elders who might not have anybody else to assist them. This is where ACS’ work transcends standard aged care services and instead meets the needs of community.
Rosemary explains, “Even though you feel sad, well there’s always somebody out there. You don’t think there is, but, you know, don’t underestimate people. You got to realise there are people out there that do help you and really do care about you, you know? Don’t forget it. Even though it’s hard to remember sometimes. But don’t forget about it.”
Good luck, and enjoy your new home Rosemary!
