Stranger #33: Helen

 

Helen is vibrant and full of life. Her laugh rolls around the Bowls Club where I met her at the Parkinson’s Support Group Christmas function. Helen is the coordinator of the support group and moves through the group stopping to chat with each person: sitting down for a quiet word with some, patting others on the shoulder, giving another’s hand a squeeze.

She sets the tone for the group and it is enlivened through her presence. Helen’s husband of 32 years, Fred, has Parkinson’s and as well as being his wife she is also his carer – something many of the women in the group have in common with her.

Helen can barely sit still long enough to tell me about her life … she has get-togethers to organise, trips away – for the carers as much as sufferers – and people to farewell as the Christmas function draws to a close.

 

Stranger #32: Julie

Julie is an exercise physiologist who works with veterans. She calls them mate, and encourages them gently to bend just that little bit more, squat a bit lower, and balance on one leg for just a bit longer. She’s gentle, but persistent. She’s worked with veterans for almost a decade and feels a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that she’s making a positive difference to their lives.

She enjoys the relationship she develops with the old blokes, and sometimes allows their wives to join in the exercise routines.