Cooking has never been one of Bob’s favourite activities. Give him a frozen meal and a microwave and that’s about the limit of his cooking ambitions!

But now, after seven years of living independently at Murray Halberg Village, Bob is enjoying daily chef-prepared meals along with his new serviced apartment friends and life is good.

“Cooking? I find it easier not to,” laughs Bob, 89.

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Daughter Denise says her and her two sisters are thrilled with the move and the extra wrap around it means for their dad.

“It’s really good, he’s having lunch now,” says Denise. “That’s his main meal and then he can have a sandwich and a pot of yoghurt later on.

“I was impressed with the food choices when I filled in the form for Dad, and then Dad did it the next time so I don’t know what he’s chosen but it’s looked good whenever I’ve been here at lunchtime.”

“It’s very nice,” nods Bob.

It’s not just about getting the right nutrition either. The conversation about moving came about after Bob’s daughters started to get some niggling concerns.

“He was always out and about and he doesn’t have a mobile phone so we had no idea of knowing if he was okay or if something was amiss.

“I talked to my sisters about Dad moving into a serviced apartment and we talked to the Sales Advisor and ultimately we thought ‘why wait?’”

The move was relatively quick, once the decision was made by the whole family.

“Dad chose which apartment he liked and we got it all set up very quickly. It was probably three to four weeks from start to finish.

“I’d say you’re pretty happy here and settled, aren’t you Dad?” Denise asks Bob.

He nods in response: “I really enjoy being here and being close to reception and everywhere.”

Seven years ago, Bob was the very first resident to move into Ryman’s Lynfield village. He enjoyed his apartment at the time as he still had a view of his old home of 50 years, just over the fence in Tropicana Drive.

At the time, his arrival broke the record for the closest distance moved!

The old place is still in view from his new serviced apartment with the added bonus of watching all the comings and goings of the village.

“We love the fact it opens out onto the terrace too - it gives it a great sense of space,” says Denise.

“It’s actually a lovely size. Dad’s not cooking anymore so he doesn’t need a big full kitchen and he wasn’t really managing the computer anymore so we didn’t move that.

“I don’t miss it!” adds Bob cheerily.

The added bonus is he is now located right in the heart of the village centre and close to all the action.

“It’s really good because I don’t have to go outside,” says Bob. “I don’t have to worry about the wind and the rain if I want to go to happy hour.”

“He’s definitely going out more,” says Denise. “He’s making contact with more people. He’ll go along for morning tea and have a chit chat and he’ll often stay and socialise or go to bowls and things like that.

“And movies,” adds Bob. “I will go and see what’s on. Sometimes I will stay and watch it. Or I might go to the library to do the puzzles.”

Bob still drives regularly to his beloved tennis club down the road or the same local shops if he needs anything but just knowing there are more daily interactions with the village team has taken a huge weight off for Denise and her sisters.

“There is a lot more contact here, with his towels being changed daily and the rubbish regularly emptied. If he’s unwell we are going to hear about it very quickly so that is actually a huge peace of mind for all of us,” she says.

Bob’s years of outdoor sport such as tennis, surfing and running, has also meant he’s prone to a few skin cancers that have needed removing and covering with skin grafts.

Denise says the care needed for the wounds to heal properly has been another reason she’s so glad of the move.

“It’s just been lovely knowing there is that back up and support for the dressing changes. I’ve always made a point of letting the Unit Coordinator know about his bandages.

“She actually had a great idea – in case Dad forgets what to do she wrote on the bandage ‘don’t touch’ and ‘don’t get wet!’ and if anything else comes up they’re always very happy to call and double check and just deal with it.

“Now that he’s here, as time goes by you can tick more boxes to get more assistance as you need it.”

Meanwhile, Bob is content to adapt to his new routines whilst enjoying the extra support.

He says: “It’s worked out better than I thought. I really like it.”