Publish date: 18 August 2026
Conversations are one way we can feel connection. They’re a way to deepen bonds to learn about one another and make us feel like we belong. For one resident, it was a conversation with someone new that brought her that connection.
Jess spent time as a Therapy Assistant working with our residents and care staff before she moved into being one of our Aged Care Navigators. It was here that she came across a curious resident, one who was eager for a conversation.
The resident would ask Jess all sorts of questions about her family. As time went on Jess would tell her about her children. She’d explain what they had done that week, how they were going at school, and what their interests were. The resident would ask Jess about her husband and Jess would fill her in all the same; how he was going, how he was handling work, how they were as a married couple.
Overtime Jess’ family grew to learn about the resident too.
“My husband took interest,” Jess said. After hearing stories about her, he suggested that Jess start to buy a coffee for the woman on the way in to work; a Soy Cappuccino from Maccas. In return, the resident wrote Jess’ family cards.
The exchange became routine, and Jess, the kids and especially her husband came to look forward to these cards, and any updates Jess would share. Soon, Jess became the messenger for long-distance conversations between her husband and the lady she helped care for.
Jess explained, “The resident would talk about her husband Tom and her family, and in turn my husband would talk about our family.”
She was interested in his job as a train driver, as her brother used to work on the rail line. They’d talk about the garden that she kept. “She had her own little patio with plants; we were able to gift her ornaments for it.”
Their conversations even extended to FaceTime for times when Jess’ husband worked away. “She would always check to see how he was doing and how I coped with him being away.”
After passing messages backwards and forth between the two, Jess decided to surprise the resident with a meeting.
“I asked her to join me one day in the café at the facility.”
The aroma of roasting coffee, fresh baked pastries, and the sound of clinking dishes filled the air. There, amongst it all, stood Jess’ husband. He’d never met the resident, and he didn’t have a history of working in aged care . He was worried about how it might go, but Jess reassured him.
The lady entered and scanned the crowd.
“The moment she walked in she pushed her walker out of her way and ran up to him, to give him a hug. She was on her tippy toes.”
Any concern held by the two quickly dissolved. With warm coffee and good company, the conversation was natural and plentiful.
After the day was over Jess’ husband continued to check in on the resident, asking for updates.
One of the difficulties of aged care is the fact that people pass. For Jess, she understands that it’s about “an appreciation of life, more than a mourning for what’s lost.”
For her husband who doesn’t work in aged care it was different. When the lady passed, he took the news hard and he has kept distance between himself and his wife’s work since. Through a simple coffee, a handful of cards and countless conversations, a woman he had never met had become someone he genuinely cared about.
For more information about Bethanie Aged Care Homes, or to talk to our team for support, contact us on 131 151 today.
