Written by Link Wentworth resident Anne
Up until a year ago I was working as a social worker at Ryde Hospital. I had to retire due to medical reasons. I worked there for 15 years. I went through TAFE to help my kids and then I completed a Bachelor of Social Work at the age of 49.
I have a great connection with older people and great respect for them. I loved that we gave 100-year-old people rehab. No matter what age they were, our aim was to get them back home.
I have gone through being married and needing housing to being a sole parent and back to work for 15 years. My husband left when our daughter was eight weeks old. Now, I live with my son who is 38. He has Asperger’s syndrome and arthritis and a few health conditions. I also have a son and a daughter who have four children each.
I enjoy being out in the garden. I can’t get down on my hands and knees anymore, so my son does a lot of the work. I like finding new plants for the house. It is comfortable to be here, it is my home where I can read or be with my grandchildren.
Since I am retired, I was given the opportunity to join the Tenant Advisory Group (TAG) to share my knowledge and give back to the community. I have great insights from my working life and being a resident. I also like activities like the End-of-Year Events where I get to meet other residents.
This article originally appeared in the March 2022 edition of Link Wentworth’s resident newsletter.
Link Wentworth wishes to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which we work and pay our respect to the Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.