north east regional extra | March 18 - 24, 2020
nemedia.com.au
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March 18 - 24, 2020
Standing up for the aged By CORAL COOKSLEY
IT has taken more than a decade of hard work to open doors to be heard by Tangambalanga’s Maria Berry - a passionate advocate for better treatment and care of elders in rural, regional and remote regions. A nursing background in aged care, personal experience as a carer of ageing parents as well as elder abuse in the family has led Maria on a challenging journey to make a difference in the life of others by bringing a voice to older generations. A house fire caused by an electrical fault where all was lost combined with her father’s death and litigation by a family member in 2017 has not deterred Maria’s unwavering quest. She was influenced to take up the profession of aged care nursing, which she loved, by a mother who loved older people. “My Mum was a hairdresser and worked for what used to be the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the aged before it became Beechworth Health Service and that’s where I did my training,” Maria said. “But at the end of my nursing career I started to see changes in the field which were very disappointing and when my Mum became ill 15 years ago I was appalled at how she was treated.
◆ MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Maria Berry is on a mission to make a difference in the life of older generations. PHOTO: Coral Cooksley
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