SUPPORTER SPRING 2019
Proud to call Australia home It has been 41 years since Tomas set foot in his home country of Sudan, but he’s hoping that’s all about to change.
Earlier this month, Tomas – or Tom as he’s known to friends – fulfilled a long-held dream when he became an Australian citizen at a celebration at AnglicareSA Brompton, an exceptional needs aged care facility. In the 1980s, Tom fled Sudanese civil conflict with his son to the Middle East. Twenty-five years later, as the war escalated in Iraq, he again fled, this time to Australia for a better life. To this day, Tom hasn’t had the opportunity to reunite with family in Sudan. Daniel, AnglicareSA Brompton lifestyle coordinator, said the citizenship and passport enables Tom to travel overseas, but that the main thing for him is the sense of identity and feeling whole again. “For the first time in years he feels a sense of belonging,” Daniel said. After arriving in Australia, Tom experienced a run of depression and health issues, and lost touch with his son and local community. In 2015, he came to AnglicareSA Brompton needing support
after losing everything in a fire – including vital personal belongings, documentation and identification. “When he came to us he wasn’t doing too well – he basically had nothing which made it tough when trying to access services for him,” Daniel said. “But he’s come a long way – he’s doing well now.” When talking about citizenship, Tom’s face lights up with a massive smile.
He’s proud to officially call Australia home and knows it wouldn’t have been possible without the support and compassion from Daniel and others around him. Tom is working hard to improve his health and save a bit of money so he can travel to South Sudan and rekindle long-lost relationships with family.
Protecting our elders
In June, AnglicareSA held events across its aged care sites on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The sites were a sea of purple with residents taking part in raising awareness for this global social issue impacting the health, wellbeing, independence and human rights of millions of older people around the world. Residents, staff and volunteers came together for morning teas, entertainment and fun activities. AnglicareSA currently supports nearly 5,000 customers across residential, community and allied health aged care services.
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