SUPPORT FOR AGEING AND VULNERABLE WIDOWS
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Legacy aims to assist the ageing and infirm widows of deceased veterans who served our country and defended our freedom. Through our programs in support of the ageing, Legacy provides comfort and security to those who find themselves alone and vulnerable. We are committed to assisting these older widows to live full and happy lives in spite of their loss.
| Legacy currently provides care and support to 115,000 widows. These are mainly the ageing and infirm widows of Australia's Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. Each year approximately 5,000 bereaved widows come under Legacy’s care, and most of these are aged 85 years or older.
Care is provided on the basis of need. While some widows require little more than advice, others require more extensive assistance like pensions advocacy, providing safety and security, relieving financial hardship, combating social isolation and providing medical and respite care. Regardless of the level of care required, Legacy will do whatever it takes to ensure no widow of a deceased veteran will ever face life’s challenges alone.
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The difference Legacy makes
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Mrs Margaret Holme, a 96-year-old Legacy widow, was the wife of Squadron Leader Bob Holme. Bob was a navigator in the Air Force during World War II until his plane crashed and he was killed during the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942.
History marks the epic battle of Milne Bay as the first and crucial defeat against the Japanese. An airstrip was named in Bob’s honour, and Margaret received Bob’s posthumous Air Force Cross for his important role in the victory.
At the time of his death, Bob had a one-year-old daughter, Christine. Legacy took Margaret and Christine under its wing in 1942, and has been alongside the family ever since.
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|  |  | Margaret and Legacy volunteer Legatee Ron Osborn
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It’s been wonderful to know Legacy continues to be there for us. Recently I suffered a broken hip when I tripped on the garden path. My friend and Legatee, Ron Osborn, was there to visit me in hospital and to see that I was well on the way to recovery. Legacy has also provided me with a community service worker who visits me regularly to check that, at my age of 96, I’m still coming along OK.
Since losing Bob I’m so grateful that Legacy has been a constant in our lives. It’s been a genuine lifetime commitment of care.
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Legacy volunteers are strongly focused on advising, guiding and helping the ageing widows of veterans through personal service. Volunteers provide this assistance through a personal relationship with each of the people they help, enabling a detailed knowledge of what support and advice is required.
Volunteers are trained and properly informed of Government agency services, community support networks and commercial providers that can provide assistance. In addition, Legacy also provides or facilitates assistance on a number of other matters such as pension advocacy and entitlement support services, legal and financial advice and assistance, health and lifestyle resources, help with accommodation and support for individual disability and ageing issues.
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Combating social isolation
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Many of the widows of older veterans are greatly stressed by grief and loneliness. This often leads to a state where there is low interaction with others, compounding feelings of loneliness and despair. Widows who live alone and have severely restricted mobility through the effects of ageing or disability are most likely to suffer from social isolation. These people are less able to access services and community facilities because of their condition.
Some widows will live in or move to aged care facilities, or reside with family members who can provide daily care and company. Others, however, prefer to continue living in their own home and it is this group that relies on Legacy for assistance in accessing the community. Legacy recognises the serious and disabling consequences of this isolation, and uses a combination of community and Legacy resources to construct care plans for each socially isolated widow.
These plans aim to provide widows’ needs for social contact and participation in community life. Through personal contact with widows, Legacy encourages and supports participation in social and care groups, outings, hobby centres and community services and facilities with a view to prolonging and enhancing quality of life for the ageing.
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Living at home with dignity
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This is about giving all older people a better choice. The vast majority of widows want to stay independent in a suitable home as they get older. Legacy has a responsibility to support that desire whenever we can, and advising and supporting widows in their own homes is one of the most practical ways we can help.
Even a small change or adaption to a home can transform an older person's life. Many older people need help with minor repairs or modifications to their homes, but do not know where to go to get that done, or if they do, may not be able to afford the expense. Legacy can assist with this through contact with appropriate tradesmen, and even financial assistance for urgent work.
Other opportunities exist for Legacy to assist the ageing to live comfortably. Help with heating or cooling the home, medical emergency alarm systems and access to community transport, all facilitate an improvement in lifestyle.
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In times of ageing populations and shrinking care resources, Legacy aims to guarantee our older widows a continued high quality of life. This group is becoming older and more infirm, presenting a situation where each individual requires greater attention over a longer period of time.
Health issues become more acute as our widows age. Financial support may be necessary for hospitalisation outside the public health system. This includes assistance with allied and ancillary medical care, including transportation.
Legacy also provides information and assistance with choosing relevant care options and liaising with agencies and providers of domestic help and nursing, domiciliary aged care packages, respite care, and medical and mobility appliances. Residential transition is also important to this group, and Legacy can assist with managing the transition to aged care at the appropriate time. This is particularly important when the widow has no family.
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Financial hardship relief
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For a variety of reasons, a widow’s income may not provide for a minimum standard of well-being. In these circumstances, Legacy can provide a loan, grant or allowance where there is a genuine need that cannot be met from any other sources.
Financial hardship relief is provided for such things as unexpected and vital repairs, significant medical expenses, and essential preventative maintenance of the home.
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To find out more about Legacy’s programs to support the disabled dependants of deceased Australian Defence personnel, contact a Legacy Club in your community
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