Trisha Musarra is retiring after 29 years of working with the elderly. 77541 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By XAVIER SMERDON
TRISHA Musarra proudly shows off a fake bus stop she had built over 10 years ago.
In her line of work the bus stop is a valuable tool and truly innovative.
Ms Musarra is the Social Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community, a nursing home in Werribee.
After 29 years of caring for the elderly residents Ms Musarra will be leaving for her retirement tomorrow.
The bus stop is a way to calm down residents who are suffering from dementia.
They often think they need to catch the bus if they want to get home by a certain time, forgetting that they do not live at their home any more.
If the residents get agitated Ms Musarra will take them to the fake bus stop for a while to calm them down before bringing them back inside for a cup of tea.
It is this approach to elderly care that has made Ms Musarra such a valued member of Baptcare over her almost 30 years there.
She has previously taken residents up in aeroplanes for the first time and even managed to organise for one to meet the Melbourne Football Team.
Ms Musarra said she would miss making the residents feel special.
“The way that I look at it is that they’re probably not going to leave here until they pass away, so I just want to make the last few years of their life as enjoyable as possible,” Ms Musarra said.
“I’ve loved working with the residents and they’ve become part of my family. We just have fun.”
Ms Musarra said she was nervous about retiring but she was looking forward to achieving her goal of driving a semi-trailer.
