In August 2019, my 91-year-old mother arrived at Caravonica Waters for a period of four weeks respite. This was her first experience at Caravonica Waters but I had visited the facility previously and had been impressed (and reassured) with both the professional and caring attitudes and philosophy of the staff I encountered at that visit. Mum had been very sick for the month of July 2019 so I was particularly anxious about this admission. Her health and mobility had declined a lot over that month and I was quite unsure how things would go. I had a couple of previously arranged engagements, one being out of Cairns, however I realized that as I was quite stressed myself and also in need of some ‘respite’, it was important that this admission go ahead.
I was able to stay in Cairns for a couple of days initially to make sure Mum had ‘settled in’ and even in those couple of days, I was reassured at how well she had indeed ‘settled in’. I could see that the staff at Caravonica Waters were already bonding with her and had taken steps to ensure her safety and comfort. A pressure-reducing mattress was provided and was very comfortable and a sensor mat was placed on the floor to alert staff to attend promptly if she attempted to mobilise on her own. So I left Cairns feeling pretty confident all would be well, although as I am sure all other carers know, the underlying anxiety never goes away!!
On my return to Cairns, I was truly amazed at the improvement in my mother’s well-being and mobility. I felt this had a lot to do with my mother’s resilience but I was keenly aware that good care was also needed to monitor and encourage this improvement safely. Mum was still very unsteady on her feet and was requiring a lot of assistance with daily living skills.
I found the rooms to be of a good size and in particular, I was pretty impressed with the layout of the bathroom. There was enough room for the use of assistance aids if required (which although initially needed, were not now) but not that big so the distance between the toilet and the hand basin was manageable for someone like Mum with stability issues.
For the latter part of the respite period, I was back in Cairns so able to visit Mum to assist with some meals, I felt the range of food, and the menu was very good, appreciating the many variants involved in trying to cater in such a big facility with a big range of requirements. The ‘activities’ calendar provided a good variety of opportunities for residents to engage and were mindfully presented.
All the staff that I encountered were very professional and helpful and addressed any day-to-day concerns that I had as quickly as they could. The facility itself is very well presented with a good design of rooms and gardens promoting a peaceful setting.
I would confidently recommend anyone to consider Caravonica Waters for their loved ones requiring either a respite period or permanent residency.
