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  1. #6241
    ShareTrader Legend Beagle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davexl View Post
    Think I'll go all soft & gooey with you Beagle, approaching that timeframe makes you susceptible to such thinking. Just a decent, properly run company that cares about its residents. And that alone will be reflected in the share price too.
    I'm in the middle of getting a first hand lesson in the real value of late stage care and what it means to people
    I only have a few months left to enjoy being with my Mum. She has incurable liver cancer which has already spread to one of her ribs as of a month ago, probably more than one now. Although she's not in an OCA facility it is wonderful to see she is being well supported by the her friends, family, the nurse of the retirement village where she has resided for the last ten years and the local DHB are stepping up her in unit assistance as her needs change. There's a very good hospice just down the road for when things get really tough and at this stage she attends a weekly outpatient support group where other terminal patients who are still mobile meet. I've got to say I think the local DHB and hospice have been very good so far...so really good care is certainly not limited to just OCA facilities but this experience is shining the spotlight for me on the true value of high quality care for our elderly folks. I thought long and hard about getting her moved to a really good care suite at the Sands with a nice view of the beach, (money is no object when it comes to my Mum as far as I am concerned), but the truth is she is so happy in her current retirement village surrounded by all her friends, one of whom is a retired nurse, I think she would be really miserable anywhere else. She has a nice sunny two bedroom unit with its own sunroom and her sister who is 9 years younger and still very well has flown up from Dunedin to stay for the next 6 weeks. She told me today they sit in the sunroom together in the morning over a coffee and breakfast and talk about their early days together.

    I initiated a weekly meeting for our extended family so we all meet each Saturday for lunch and to reflect on our life together as a family which is a really cool way to riminess about old times. Most of the brothers wives come along most of the time. Mum told me last week she feels completely surrounded with loving arms and heaps of support. There is nothing more I could hope to hear than this at this time. It brought tears to my eyes and really gives me a fresh understanding of the value that real quality support provides for elderly vulnerable people. At this point she is pain free...I know it will get more grueling later on but I feel blessed to have a chance to spend time with her these last few months and to say goodbye while her mind is unaffected by any serious hard core pain medication.

    The specialists are confident she will at least make it to her 91st birthday late next month...they gave her 5-8 months as of early July. Although this is not a story of OCA care, OCA do have an excellent reputation for late stage care and I think investors can feel a real sense of satisfaction of being a part of a company that's doing so much good for our elderly vulnerable folks.

    I get the warm fuzzies as a shareholder that I'm a small part in this enterprise that does so much good.
    Last edited by Beagle; 08-08-2020 at 04:59 PM.
    Ecclesiastes 11:2: “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.”
    Ben Graham - In the short run the market is a voting machine but in the long run the market is a weighing machine

  2. #6242
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    That is great beagle and heart warming.

    I have a grandfather who is very confused, dementia but really went down hill after he took a fall. He is relatively happy and very well taken care of with hospital grade care and a premium suite (not oca). It is clear to me that there is immense value to him and the family in the premium care he receives. I don’t begrudge any operator making a buck when they offer such value.

  3. #6243
    percy
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    Not an easy time.
    Yet everything in your post is so positive.
    In the right place with all the right people caring for her.Pleasing her sister made the trip to be with her for 6 weeks.
    I am sure everyone on ST are thinking of your mum,and her loving family.
    Last edited by percy; 08-08-2020 at 06:02 PM.

  4. #6244
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    You are very much in our thoughts Beagle, you, your Mum and family. My own best friend from high school days has terminal prostate cancer and we keep in touch daily and we share his journey through scans, chemo, pain relief and life memories. The thing that links us all is our common humanity, which comes into sharp relief in times like these.
    We hardly ever meet but I can just tell how much you love your Mum as I remember my own Mum and how dear she was to me. With all you have given of yourself to us all Beagle, let us help share the burden a little at this sensitive time for you all, if you would like this. Message anyone of us you know to share if you should need it. We've got your back mate...
    All science is either Physics or stamp collecting - Ernest Rutherford

  5. #6245
    Outside thinking.
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    Sorry to hear your news Beagle. Thanks for sharing. My thoughts and best wishes are with you. You are doing all the right things. Surround yourself with family and enjoy your times with them. Best wishes.
    Last edited by Leftfield; 09-08-2020 at 06:56 AM.

  6. #6246
    Guru
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    My thoughts are with you beagle - as you are probably aware, the 'care' aspect is something I have banged on about for many years (mainly over on the ARV thread - well prior to OCA's listing) and is one of the reasons I have stayed away from SUM and MET (even if for some periods of time they may have produced superior returns) as they simply do not have this top notch care aspect (such as OCA, ARV and RYM have) that is really quite critical not just in terms of an overall continuum of care offering, but in a real/tangible aspect. All the best from me during these times.

  7. #6247
    ShareTrader Legend Beagle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by James108 View Post
    That is great beagle and heart warming.

    I have a grandfather who is very confused, dementia but really went down hill after he took a fall. He is relatively happy and very well taken care of with hospital grade care and a premium suite (not oca). It is clear to me that there is immense value to him and the family in the premium care he receives. I don’t begrudge any operator making a buck when they offer such value.
    Thanks folks for your very kind words and thoughts which are very much appreciated. I'm doing okay. I guess that highlighted part is what I am trying to say. There is immense value not just to our elderly folks in getting really good high quality care but also to their families in knowing their loved ones are being really well looked after. This is tremendously comforting.
    Ecclesiastes 11:2: “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.”
    Ben Graham - In the short run the market is a voting machine but in the long run the market is a weighing machine

  8. #6248
    ShareTrader Legend Beagle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davexl View Post
    You are very much in our thoughts Beagle, you, your Mum and family. My own best friend from high school days has terminal prostate cancer and we keep in touch daily and we share his journey through scans, chemo, pain relief and life memories. The thing that links us all is our common humanity, which comes into sharp relief in times like these.
    We hardly ever meet but I can just tell how much you love your Mum as I remember my own Mum and how dear she was to me. With all you have given of yourself to us all Beagle, let us help share the burden a little at this sensitive time for you all, if you would like this. Message anyone of us you know to share if you should need it. We've got your back mate...
    Thanks mate and I am very sorry to hear of your news. It must be very tough to be losing your best friend who you have known so closely for so long and a warning for all of us of that age to get annual blood tests to check for prostate. My Mum was a pastor's wife and supported Dad heaps in his decades as a Presbyterian minister so I know she's going to a better place and I am at peace with knowing that. In the last few weeks I've really enjoyed listening to her tell stories about her early years, born in 1929, grew up in the great depression years on the farm, made lots of friends swapping food stamps, (the very beginnings of the welfare state in N.Z.), the war years of 1939-1945. Lots of young men heading off to war, they used to have farewell parties in Southland knowing there was a fair chance they would not return. My Dad who passed about 7 years ago was on one of the ships on his way to fight the Japanese who were known to be going to fight to the last man standing...but during the journey the American's dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered. If it were not for the atomic bombs my Dad would have had to fight and may well have been killed and I may not have been born...pretty ironic isn't it !

    Mum became a Karatane nurse in the late 1940's. Back in those days they didn't have incubators so the premature babies had three hotties surrounding them. The hot water bottle on each side of baby had two cups of cold water and then the rest filled with boiling water to get the temperature exactly right and the one at each babies feet had one cup of cold water to the rest boiling water so the temperature was much higher to warm babies feet. Babies were classified into four groups, really premature, weaklings, (doubt that term would be politically correct these days lol), and two other classes which from memory were something like a bit needy and normal. Stories like this will be lost when this generation passes which is why I shared.

    She's had a long full life and is at peace with what's happening and she's being well surrounded with love, friendship and support. There is no stopping the natural order of how things will progress so I have found a place of peace with the process too. Best wishes to you...I hope you and your best friend find a place of peace with your journey.

    I sometimes reflect about all the care givers and nurses who risked their own lives to support our elderly folks during the Covid lockdown. They are all hero's ! As a shareholder I suppose in a very small way we can also share in that pride as we are supporting a company that is building heaps of new premium care suites for our elderly vulnerable folks.
    Last edited by Beagle; 09-08-2020 at 09:51 AM.
    Ecclesiastes 11:2: “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.”
    Ben Graham - In the short run the market is a voting machine but in the long run the market is a weighing machine

  9. #6249
    Guru justakiwi's Avatar
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    Thinking of you Beagle. Tough to deal with but I am so glad you feel this way about your Mum’s care. The lovely letters, cards and comments we receive at work, from families after their loved one has died, reflect your highlighted comment below. I go to as many residents funerals as I can, and our rest home and staff always get a mention and thank you during the service. I have shed more than a few tears, hugged more than a few family members. A colleague and I attended one graveside funeral a while back. We hung back behind family as we didn’t want to intrude, and stayed there while the family took flowers from baskets to drop into the grave. We quietly decided to leave at this point, but the resident’s daughter came running over and dragged us back with “Please don’t go. You are family too. Come and choose a flower.” I will never forget that moment and the way it made me feel.

    My own Mum has been living in the care of my sister for some years now. She has Alzheimers and broke her hip a few weeks ago. My sister was determined to get her back home where she belonged, but after one night, she sadly realised that there is no longer any way she can cope with continuing to care for Mum. Mum’s needs are now simply too high and she is not safe in my sister’s older style villa anymore. So Mum is back in hospital until they can find her an emergency rest home bed next week. Then we begin the sad task of finding her a permanent placement, and everything that runs alongside that decision.Mum has already forgotten the difficult conversation my sister had with her the other day, about this decision. Which makes it so much harder and traumatic for everyone.

    Dementia is a cruel bitch of a condition.

    (sorry for high-jacking your post)

    Quote Originally Posted by Beagle View Post
    Thanks folks for your very kind words and thoughts which are very much appreciated. I'm doing okay. I guess that highlighted part is what I am trying to say. There is immense value not just to our elderly folks in getting really good high quality care but also to their families in knowing their loved ones are being really well looked after. This is tremendously comforting.

  10. #6250
    ShareTrader Legend Beagle's Avatar
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    Thank you justakiwi and I am sorry to hear your Mum has dementia. That's very tough. One trick I used when my Dad had dementia towards the end when I knew he wouldn't remember anything after a minute or two was I would go and see him at the Ryman dementia facility and greet him with saying, Hi Dad I'm your son Roger and its so good to see you. I would then sit there and spend time with him pretending he still knew who I was. Sometimes simple coping techniques like that make life more bearable for family.
    I am sure you've learned quite a few coping mechanisms over the years but it is very tough with your own parent watching them slowly deteriorate over the years.
    Best wishes.

    Anyway its a new week and we celebrate 100 days of no transmission of Covid in the community. We are the envy of the world and can live pretty normal lives. Lets all celebrate that today and think how blessed we are. Take someone you love out for a special lunch or dinner and celebrate the freedom we enjoy here to do that

    Looking forward to OCA's annual meeting. I might trawl through the annual report this week and see if there's any tidbits in there that I've previously missed.
    Ecclesiastes 11:2: “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.”
    Ben Graham - In the short run the market is a voting machine but in the long run the market is a weighing machine

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