For Julia and Reg Bale, Harbour Rise has become a familiar part of life. And recently, following Julia’s hip replacement, our respite care in Paignton was able to support them in a rather special way, giving Julia a place to recover while allowing the couple to remain close to one another.
Reg has been coming to Harbour Rise for day care for around 18 months. As the couple live just around the corner, he doesn’t need a bus or a lift to get here. He simply walks over from home.
For Julia, knowing that Reg is spending the day somewhere familiar, safe and welcoming gives her something incredibly valuable: a little time for herself.
“It means that I can go off and have lunch with a friend, go to the library or go to the shops without having to worry,” she explains. “It just gives me a few hours of freedom and me time.”
But recently, the tables turned a little when Julia was the one who needed some extra support.
After undergoing a major hip replacement operation, Julia needed somewhere she could continue her recovery before returning home. Fortunately, a room became available at Harbour Rise at just the right time, allowing her to join us for a two-week respite stay.
For Julia and her family, the familiarity of Harbour Rise made a real difference. She already knew the home, the team and some of the people here through Reg’s visits, as well as through our carers’ community.
“It was fate,” Julia says of the room becoming available.
And having Reg nearby has made her stay even more special. He can walk over from home to see her, while other family members have been able to visit in the afternoons. It’s not often that we have a husband and wife spending time with us in this way, and it has been wonderful to see them together as Julia grows stronger.
Asked how she has found her stay, Julia doesn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely wonderful,” she says of the care she has received. “We’ve all said it’s absolutely five star.”
A life filled with stories
Spend a little time with Julia and Reg and it soon becomes clear that theirs is a marriage filled with memories.
They will celebrate 41 years of marriage next month and have lived in Paignton for around 30 years, having previously lived in Somerset.
Reg spent much of his working life as a scaffolder and went on to run his own scaffolding business. Julia worked for many years as a secretary.
But away from work, one of their great shared loves has always been the theatre.
Both were involved with local musical and operatic societies and performed on stage themselves. Reg’s connection with performing goes back even further. As a young man, he was an acrobatic and tap dancer and successfully auditioned for an opportunity to dance at the Bristol Hippodrome.
It could have been the beginning of a very different career, but shortly afterwards his National Service papers arrived and his plans changed.
Reg went on to serve in Korea, where he was attached to the American Army for a time, another chapter in a life that has certainly not been short of experiences.
Music has remained important to them both over the years. They share a love of musicals and the great singers of years gone by, while Reg has always particularly enjoyed Hank Williams.
From Spain to Romania
Travel has also played a big part in Julia and Reg’s life together.
For around 18 years, they had an apartment in Spain and spent a great deal of time there, enjoying the country, its food and the chance to get away together.
Retirement then brought another adventure, but this time it was about giving something back.
In their sixties, Julia and Reg became involved with a charity supporting children in Romania. What began through a local connection grew into a major part of their lives, and they went on to help run the Nightingales Children’s Project for around 11 years.
“We’ve been quite busy, really,” Julia says, something of an understatement when you hear everything the couple have packed into their life together.
Respite care and day care support when it matters
Their connection with Harbour Rise began through a recommendation from a friend, but over the past 18 months it has grown into something much more familiar.
For Julia, Reg’s regular day care provides reassurance and a valuable opportunity to recharge. And when Julia unexpectedly found herself needing support after surgery, Harbour Rise was able to be there for her too.
Because she already knew the home and many of the people here, coming to Harbour Rise after leaving hospital felt far less daunting than going somewhere completely unfamiliar.
Now, as Julia continues to regain her strength, she and Reg can still enjoy time together while she receives the support she needs to recover.
Their story is a lovely reminder that respite and day care can support more than one person. Sometimes it gives a carer a few precious hours to themselves. Sometimes it provides somewhere safe and familiar to recover after an operation. And sometimes, as in Julia and Reg’s case, it simply helps a couple who have shared more than four decades together to continue being close when life takes an unexpected turn.
For Julia and Reg, Harbour Rise is just around the corner from home, but it has also become part of their story.