Mercy Health’s Aged Care Homes Celebrate Book Week

This year, three of Mercy Health’s aged care homes have celebrated their resident bookworms with Book Week activities.

Mercy Place Rice Village located in Geelong, Victoria, started its Book Week celebrations by partnering with Geelong Library for a new volunteer initiative. The initiative sees library volunteers visit the home one a month to meet with residents and ask what types of books they would like to read.

Once they have the list of recommendations, the library will deliver the books to these residents each month.

Sharon Carrato, Lifestyle Coordinator at Mercy Place Rice Village, has been an advocate for the new initiative and says this is the best way to celebrate Book Week.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Geelong Library who are going to keep new releases flowing through the home every month. It’s a great way to keep our residents up to date with the latest novels, or even to let them fall back in love with the greatest classics,” Ms Carrato said.

A similar initiative has been taken up by Mercy Health Bethlehem Home for the Aged located in Bendigo, Victoria. Partnering with Bendigo Library, volunteers have begun to provide free library books to the residents which have been hand selected for individuals based on topics they like.

Kylie Paxton, Lifestyle Coordinator at Mercy Health Bethlehem Home for the Aged, has been instrumental in coordinating this new program.

“Many of our residents are avid readers and we are thrilled to be able to bring the best from the local library into the home. While the program has been temporarly put on pause, it’s one we’re looking forward to kick starting again when circumstances allow,” Ms Paxton said.

“We have also planned a Book Week parade when lockdown lifts for students from the local community to come in their Book Week costumes and show them to residents.”

“Our residents and staff cannot wait to see the parade once restrictions. The Book Week parade will be a colourful, wonderful and memorable sight for our residents to enjoy.”

At Mercy Place Warrnambool in Victoria’s South, Book Week was celebrated through the home’s resident writer, Stacy Hardy (pictured) who travels around the home with a notepad and pen in hand to capture stories of residents.

“I took up writing when I moved to Warrnambool – there is just so much to see and write about. Once I started, I couldn’t stop,” Mrs Hardy said.

“Before I took up writing, I loved to paint. Now, I find you can paint an even better picture just by using words.”

Stacy also loves to read novels herself and can be found regularly in the home’s library, finding inspiration for her own writing through the writing of others.

Find out more about Mercy Health.