A little Christmas kindness to aged care residents

Hundreds of cosy, non-slip dot-socks and handmade, quilted rugs to keep feet and knees warm will be delivered by ‘Santa’ Victoria Starr.

 “Having spoken to Victoria about her gift-giving initiative for residents in residential aged care, we were very keen to support it,” said Sue Shearer, Chief Executive Officer of COTA NT. “Christmas can be a difficult and lonely time for some people.

“For people living alone, living with acute financial pressures, without family or friends, coping with grief or simply missing loved ones, Christmas is not necessarily a season of good cheer.

 “We know that some aged care residents may not be able to spend the day with family or friends and may not have gifts to unwrap. We hope with these little gifts, residents will know that someone, other than their dedicated carers, is thinking of them at Christmas time – and helping keep them cosy especially under air-conditioning, which can get a bit chilly at times.

 “We know that Christmas can trigger feelings of social isolation, loneliness and stress, so we also urge Territorians to gifts small acts of kindness to each other this Christmas. Even small gestures can help people - especially older people - feel less lonely and invisible. Say hello, share a smile, check in with neighbours to ask if they’re okay. It will cost you nothing.”

Creators of the knee rugs, Our Common Threads, is a free creative sewing group for women of all backgrounds meeting weekly at COTA’s head office every Wednesday. Founding member, Kerry Thomas said,” It’s been a pleasure for us to create these gifts and we welcome anyone interested in starting or continuing sewing craft projects to join us in the New Year. We can help people with clothing or craft projects, we provide the machines, the company and occasionally the cake!”