Sara Mason always knew she’d end up at Stella Anderson Nursing home.
“I’m a very spiritual person and for many years I had visions of this place. As soon as we drove up the hill I knew this place was for me,” she said.
Earlier this year Sara had a stroke. She was in hospital for a fortnight and private aged care for a short while before she moved to Stella Anderson.
“My husband passed away seven years ago. It was only Rambo the dog keeping me going but my daughter took him,” he said.
Sara said some people struggle with the transition into aged care, but she at ease with the situation.
“I’ve had a hard life. I didn’t want that anymore,” she said.
“I’m quite content here and that’s the big thing, being content. Some people get depressed, sad and frustrated. I call it (Stella Anderson) my extended family.”
Sara has made her room and the facility feel like home, beautifying it with flowers and plants. Her bathroom in particular has become famous across the Gibson Street complex.
“People have got to see something pretty to feel good,” she said.
She keeps busy knitting rugs for extended family - averaging about 2-3 per week - reading and socialising.
