By Cathy Withiel
It’s all about numbers.
Just ask Joan Tucker, who at the age of 95 still serves as treasurer at Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church.
Joan attends the church, so it made perfect sense to her to do the books as well.
But she doesn’t need a calculator to work out her equation for happiness.
“It’s your attitude to life,” she explains.
“You can be old at 45, but young at 95. It’s up to you.”
The proud great-great aunt lives in her cosy unit nearby and spends her days reading, watching a bit of telly and doing crosswords and puzzles.
“Puzzles keep the mind sharp,” Joan says.
Coburg-raised Joan has always had a flair for numbers.
She first used the comptometer, which preceded the calculator, and worked for 47 years in accounts and wages at what is now Vic Roads.
And for the other maths whizzes out there, that’s 564 months in the same job.
Joan has also travelled widely and loved driving.
She and her parents drove to Queensland for many holidays and even once to Perth, while she has been to the United Kingdom twice.
Over the years, Joan stayed with her parents and looked after both in their old age, with her mum passing away at the age of 101.
Joan reckons the longevity in the family can be attributed to a healthy lifestyle and good genes.
“My mum and dad were given a bottle of whiskey on their wedding day in 1924, and they put it in the cupboard to be used for medicinal purposes only,” she says.
“We must have all been pretty healthy over the years because it’s still unopened.
“I can honestly say I’ve never had a drop of alcohol in my life.”
After her mum passed away, Joan sold the old family home and bought her unit, all in the space of one day.
“The moment I saw my unit I thought ‘yes, I can live happily here for the rest of my life’,” Joan explains.
Puzzles keep the mind active, says 95-year-old Pascoe Vale South Uniting Church treasurer Joan Tucker.
Thanks to a government-funded home care package through Uniting AgeWell, she’s doing just that.
Joan receives help around the house and garden, as well as shopping and physiotherapy services.
She describes the spring cleaning she receives as “absolutely marvellous” – she even got her pantry and the laundry cupboard sorted out.
Joan no longer drives and also uses her home care package for cab charges to get to weekly appointments.
She has worked with her care advisor Meredith Laidler to use her home care package to buy a recliner chair as well as an electric bed.
“The chair is pretty wonderful,” laughs Joan.
“The other day I sat in it to watch the early evening news and I woke up and looked at my watch and saw that it was 3am.
“I thought, ‘there’s no point in going to bed now,’ so I just stayed there.”
Joan has nothing but praise for Uniting AgeWell.
“I can’t fault them on anything,” she says.
“They have been very good to me.”
If you would like information on home care services, call 1300 783435 or visit Uniting AgeWell’s website
