We were delighted to receive a letter from Burnie Brae clients Merv and Kathy in March.

The letter, titled “Service with a Smile”, expressed Merv and Kathy’s experience with Burnie Brae staff.

“I have recently had eye surgery to correct a medical issue that was affecting my vision, the surgery takes a while to heal and was compounded by having a Cataract in my right eye, because of this my mobility is greatly affected. Getting up out of bed one morning I misjudged my footing and grabbed the bedside table for support! Unfortunately the bedside table is on wheels and consequently, the table and its contents ended up on the floor.

Fortunately, I managed to save myself before I too ended up on the floor checked myself out but the only thing that was damaged was my pride and a slight pain in my back. I thought to myself 'what more can go wrong with my day?' The trouble with thinking like that is the fact that you put extra burden on yourself by feeling sorry for yourself. I was still feeling sorry for myself when our Lifestyle Facilitator arrived to carry out personal care and cleaning. My wife and I have been active and independent for the majority of our life and hence, being on the receiving end of personal care was a big adjustment for us.

When I opened the door for the lifestyle facilitator I was greeted with a smile - not a forced smile but a smile born out of the fact that the lifestyle facilitator truly enjoyed working for Burnie Brae and received satisfaction from helping people stay in their homes for as long as possible.

I can’t mention the names of the lifestyle facilitators but I can tell you that all the lifestyle facilitators smile when they come to the door, despite the fact that they may have troubles of their own. Their smiles are genuine and their own issues are left at the door when they start work. What a difference a genuine caring smile can make to someone who may be having a bad day!

Kathy and I depend on Burnie Brae for our wellbeing, having Burnie Brae as our home care provider gives us peace of mind by allowing us to live in our home for as long as we are possibly able to. The time will come eventually when we will have to move to assisted living, but until then I know that the entire home care team at Burnie Brae will be available to make life easier for us.

All Burnie Brae staff, whether it be the lifestyle facilitators, the home care coordinators, the office staff, the transport staff, the cleaners or the girls in the café treat us with respect and always provide a smile with their service.”

Thank you Merv and Kathy for this beautiful letter! The team at Burnie Brae will continue to deliver service with a smile!