How Anglicare’s person-centred care nurtures joy, purpose and connection

At Porter Lodge in Minto, Brian walks out to the garden most mornings. He has been gardening since he was a young boy, and never stopped loving it. “I have been gardening since I was eight, on the farm,” Brian said. “What I love most about it is when I walk up to the garden in the morning and see the difference, even from just one day to the next, it makes me feel so good.”

With encouragement and support from Porter Lodge’s lifestyle team, Brian helped transform a small garden area into a thriving shared space where residents could grow together, swap tips, and enjoy the simple pleasure of nurturing something from the ground up. He’s shared more than 300 full bags of vegetables with staff, neighbours, and fellow residents, and often the produce even makes its way into the Porter Lodge kitchen where it’s turned into soups and salads for everyone to enjoy.

This is what person-centred care looks like at Anglicare: holistic care designed to support your choices and empower you to live the way you want.  Through our Rhythm of Life philosophy, each person’s story helps shape their experience. Brian’s garden isn’t a program or a scheduled activity. It’s his passion, carried forward into a new chapter, supported by a caring staff who understand how much it matters to him.

What is person-centred care?

At Anglicare’s residential aged care homes, care isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every person who moves in brings their own story, their own way of living, and their own sense of what makes life meaningful. That’s why we created Rhythm of Life, our model of person-centred care since 2012.

Rhythm of Life is built on a simple idea: that your daily routine, your preferences, and the things that matter most to you should continue. It’s about knowing what brings you joy, what makes you feel at home, and what keeps you connected.

This philosophy underpins everything we do: from encouraging independence to supporting your hobbies and relationships. It focuses on creating a home where you feel respected, valued and loved, every day.

Person-centred care is more than a philosophy; it’s a proven approach to better care. Research from Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia 2022 shows that residents in person-centred care environments experience greater satisfaction, increased quality of life, and stronger social connections. The research also showed fewer feelings of depression or anxiety, especially for those living with dementia, along with more meaningful engagement in hobbies and activities they love.

 Rhythm of Life has been part of Anglicare’s care for over 13 years, growing and evolving with the people who live in our homes. It’s one of the reasons you’ll see residents choosing when and where they eat, decorating their rooms with meaningful items, or even setting off on a bucket list adventure.

Rhythm of Life in action

Rhythm of Life is something you can see and feel in each home. For example, at Dorothy Boyt House, residents would watch the waves from their balconies while wanting to be closer to the sea. They asked, and the team made it happen.

“Many residents here have lived their life on the coast,” said Lifestyle Carer Mark. “When we spoke to them about what activities they wanted to do, a few said they would like to utilise what they see from our balcony upstairs, and that is Malabar Beach.”

With the help of the local council, a beach wheelchair and a special rollout path meant residents like June could finally reach the water’s edge, feel the cool sand under their feet, and breathe in the sea air.

“It is just magic,” June said. What started with a few residents has grown each time, as more join in to rediscover the simple joy of the beach.

Bringing bold dreams to life

Listening to residents, and really hearing them, is at the heart of Anglicare’s Rhythm of Life. It’s asking what matters most to residents, and finding ways to bring those wishes to life, big or small. That’s exactly how the Bucket List Club began.

“The Bucket List Club started on a bus trip,” said Ruth the lifestyle coordinator at Eileen Armstrong House. “We went past the Illawarra airport, and it was just a throwaway line: who’d like to go up in a plane? And I had the 90-year-olds all put their hands up in the air, and I thought we were on to something here.”

When the airport said they didn’t have planes but did offer helicopter rides, Ruth went back to the residents and their families. “I said, well, we can’t do it by plane, but we can go for helicopter rides. And that is really how the Bucket List started.”

Bucket List adventures across Anglicare homes have included horse races, riverboat paddles, NRL games and steam train rides through the countryside.“Everyone deserves to live their best life,’ said Ruth.

At Piper House in Dapto, Mona, who served in the Army during WWII, went dolphin-watching at 101, and became Australia’s oldest indoor skydiver at 102. With her doctor’s approval and her family’s support, she headed to iFly at Penrith. “I was game to try,” she smiled.

Whether it’s on land, at sea or in the air, these moments show what’s possible when care is personal and led by the people living it.

Curious what this looks like in real life?

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