Aranka – 95, HCP client
Aranka – 95, HCP client
At 95 years old, Aranka is one of our oldest clients, yet she can lift the energy of a room with her youthful spirit. She was born in Hungary and moved to Australia with her husband in 1957. For many years she worked as an assistant nurse in hospitals around Sydney, work that she loved and says she still misses. She left nursing to take a role managing her husband’s mechanics business. She answered the phone and looked after the books, so she knows a thing or two about customer service.
Sadly, since her husband and son passed away, Aranka has no family left in Australia. She enjoys attending Probus Club events and the community activities at her independent living units. She also stays active with swimming and walking.
Aranka doesn’t drive anymore, so her Care Consultant, Indira, helps her stay socially connected using her Home Care Package, with transport and taxis so she can get to the shops, her social events and medical appointments. Her Home Care Package also helps her get physio and massage treatments for pain associated with her arthritis and osteoporosis. Aranka keeps her home beautifully and is so independent, it took some convincing for her to accept some cleaning support with the more arduous tasks.
Aranka became a minor celebrity when she starred in the ABC TV series, Old People’s Home for Teenagers, in 2022. The program was designed to connect older people who live alone and experience loneliness, with teenagers who also struggle to make friends or feel a sense of belonging among their peers. Your Side nominated Aranka as a participant, because we knew she would not only benefit from the opportunity to make friends, but bring her joie de vivre, which is a positive influence on everyone she meets.
It was a wonderful experience for the participants of both generations, who learned a lot from each other. Aranka enjoyed it enormously and remains in touch with several of the young people she met, still texting them and meeting up in person.
She loves music and listening to the radio and will break out into a little spontaneous dance while talking with her Care Consultant, Indira.
