Corrina Birt, pictured seated in the centre, was one of the much-loved long-serving nurses at the Maddington home, where she had worked for 13 years up until two years ago when she got into a serious car accident, fracturing her spine.
After undergoing numerous memory tests with a neurologist, Corrina was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 55.
“The Alzheimer’s started to show itself more after I had the car accident,” Corrina said.
“I eventually got back on my feet again, and I was ready to come back to work but then I got the diagnosis. Then I rang work to give in my notice, which was really hard.”
While Corrina was devastated to leave her job at MercyCare, she is thankful she’s been able to stay in touch with her former colleagues.
“There’s a few staff members at Maddington that I still keep in contact with and we will go out every now and then for a coffee,” she said.
Corrina’s 13 years of service has continued to be recognised by the Maddington team, with staff also extending her the invite to their annual Christmas party.
“I felt really good that they still wanted to include me even though I wasn’t working there anymore,” Corrina said.
“It’s like I’m still working for MercyCare. It feels really good to stay in touch with the people I used to work with.
“I enjoyed working with all the staff, and I really enjoyed the job. But what I loved most was the residents and their families, I spent a lot of time with them and got to know them as well, so I made some friendships there too.”
Since retiring, Corrina has kept herself busy with a side project which sees her harness her sewing talents.
During her spare time, she sews face masks, scrunchies, hair bows and scrub tops, which are now proudly worn by her former Maddington colleagues as a show of love and support.
“I’ve been sewing since I was in high school. I sewed all my kids’ clothes when they were babies and toddlers, and now I’m making clothes for my grandchildren,” she said.
“Getting back into that now has helped me keep busy when I’m at home.”
