Find your passion in life!

15 April 2021

15 Apr 2021

Meet Alan Roberts – one of VMCH’s At-Home Aged Care clients in Bendigo, Victoria – who shows us all that ageing and disability is no barrier to a happy, active life!

Alan connected with VMCH two years ago after relocating to Bendigo. He currently receives support in the home to help him manage with a rare eye condition called Goldman Favre Syndrome, which has seen his eyesight deteriorate over the last 30 years.

“I started going blind back in 1985, but it’s been a gradual loss to the point where I have been totally blind for the last seven years or so”, says Alan.

Alan, who recently turned 70, also readily admits he has experienced other severe trauma in his young life, which led at times to issues with alcohol and severe depression but fortunately he has many passions in his life which have kept him going through the rough times.

His number one passion is his love of animals, including his recently acquired Seeing Eye Dog Spike, his pet Labrador Nikki, and Roxy the cat.

“Nikki has been with me for 10 years now – she was my first Seeing Eye Dog. She’s past retirement age now. I was fortunate to qualify for a new guide dog with SEDA (Seeing Eye Dogs Australia) – Spike joined us in November 2020”.
Alan’s other great passion in life is his music.

He is an accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter who continues to play and enjoy music with help from his support workers. He participates in a weekly folk pop choir called Choice Voices and he also performed at the Bendigo Club Open Mike Night where he sang a few of his own songs.

“Music has always been a touchstone for me – it just opened up a window to my soul at a very early age, and that window has never closed,” says Alan.

If that isn’t enough for one person, Alan also cycles regularly in the TT Road Racing Group which includes riders from Castlemaine, Bendigo, Axe Creek, and all over the region.

He rides his tandem bike with his sighted mate Peter taking the forward position, and they ride weekly doing 50-80 kilometres with the group around the Bendigo region, enjoying cake, coffee and a chat, before heading home.

“I’ve been tandem riding since 1994. It’s a good way to stay active and connect with some really great people – and I love the coffee and camaraderie,” he says.

“In all sincerity, VMCH at-home services have absolutely been a sanity-saver for me”, says Alan “the support has really helped me to lead as close-to-normal a life as possible. But we have a lot of fun.

“The support of friends and interaction with acquaintances are important to keeping me engaged with life. I couldn’t do my bike riding without the help of Pete.”

Alan’s advice for happiness in life is simple:
“Disease, illness or disability does not need to be a barrier to happiness. I still have the occasional down day that I can’t explain but my motto is: greet each day with a smile, work at keeping a positive outlook, engage with other people as much as possible, engage with nature and animals, find or develop a passion for something you enjoy in life and get involved – don’t sit in front of the TV all day.”

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To find out more about VMCH visit www.vmch.com.au

Written by VMCH – Aril 15, 2021 – View a range of our articles here.

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.