They say it’s the small things that count, and that couldn’t be truer for Michelle and Michael Billings.

Through Short-Term Restorative Care – a free service funded by My Aged Care – they’ve both learnt tips and tricks to improve their mobility and attend to daily tasks that used to be too challenging for them.

The program is designed to help individuals recover from injury or illness, getting them moving and retaining their independence. And in eight short weeks, Michelle and her husband Michael have seen huge differences.

“Balance has been a major problem for me as well as constant, severe pain,” says 76-year-old Michelle. “And I have to be able to look after Michael, who lives with a disability.”

“If I wasn’t fit enough to look after him, then I don’t know what would happen. We both want to stay at home together.”

The Billings’ journey started with a visit from their local Aged Care Assessment Service.

“I needed help with some things in the house and the aged care team organised for a lady to come for one hour a week to do my heavy shopping and one hour the next week to change the beds,” says Michelle.

“The aged care team then followed up with us and said, ‘You obviously have some issues there that we can help with'.”

Michelle then received a call from the Feros Care team offering her an appointment with a Wellbeing Manager. 

“Our Wellbeing Manger came into our lives like a little dynamo,” says Michelle. “She was so much fun, so knowledgeable, and so friendly and professional. She’s really made an amazing difference in my husband’s and my lives.

“I’ve since worked with a lovely physiotherapist, Jan, who introduced me to a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machine.

“I couldn’t believe the pain relief that gave me along with the heat packs that were specific to the areas where I was suffering. I also worked with a physiologist named Josh who was a darling man and helped me so much to improve my balance and learn how to help myself. I’ve been enormously relieved.”