Beverley Russell reflects on her 76 years of involvement with Christadelphian Homes, and why she continues to be an advocate.
Bev’s first experience of aged care was in the 1940s, when she took her grandmother to a local nursing home after she had suffered a stroke and could no longer be cared for at home. What she saw at the crowded facility left her disappointed, and made her reluctant to leave her loved one there.
“I found that Home fully occupied, with some residents even sleeping on cane or wicker lounges,” she recalled. “It seemed to me that there was not enough staff, and the nurses were frazzled and unable to cope with their workload.”
Now 92, and a resident at Courtlands Aged Care in North Parramatta, Bev has witnessed the birth of Christadelphian Homes and its growth in size and commitment to creating safe, dignified and enriching communities for older people in Australia.
She was there on our Opening Day in 1947 (where she is pictured above), after the Dorcas sisters, a determined group of Christadelphian women, were instrumental in establishing a nursing home to care for elderly members of their community.
“After my earlier troubling experience with aged care, and noting the difficulties which accompanied this noble idea, my long association with Christadelphian Homes began with that initiation, and I added my enthusiasm. My enthusiasm has not waned!” Bev said.
“That enabled me to be a very strong supporter and an encouraging advocate for visitors to come and see what had been prepared for our aged residents.”
Four of Bev’s close relatives have been residents at Christadelphian Homes, and so she was a regular visitor for many years. After retiring from teaching in 1992, Bev was invited to be a Board member, and as part of that role took on responsibility for resident welfare issues.
“I was always very grateful for the inclusive attitude of that Christadelphian Board, of a sister in their midst, not usual in those times,” Bev said. “They were courteous and kind to me. I felt honoured and valued and included. I was consulted and collaborated with, in all matters.”
Bev initially moved into Southhaven Aged Care in Padstow Heights, and then moved to Courtlands after the sale of the property two years ago.
While she said it was disappointing for her to move away from Southhaven after such a long association with the home, she understood the necessity of the sale, and has continued her advocacy and welfare work in her new North Parramatta location.
Bev is now a familiar face at Courtlands, and goes out of her way to befriend other residents, especially those who have newly arrived and need help settling into their new home. She is a representative on the Board’s Mission Integrity Committee, the Resident Advisory Body at Courtlands, and was among the residents who advocated for a cafe to be established at Courtlands.
Daisy’s cafe is now a year into operation, and Bev believes it has been a tremendous success in fostering a stronger sense of community among both aged care and village residents and visitors.
“I am by nature gregarious, and enjoy conversations which, in return, enrich me. I find it is an additional pleasure to form relationships with new friends I have made here. In fact, it is a continuing growing point within me,” she said.
Bev continues to advocate for improvements around the homes to add value for residents and those who look to Christadelphian Homes as an example of God’s work on earth.
She sees God’s handiwork in all the nursing staff who display the values of Christadelphian Homes in how they treat residents every day.
“I have never seen a cross word or an impatient response here or at Southhaven. They are obviously God’s workplace team, His workmanship, as made clear in Ephesians 2:1-10,” she said.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
