Unlike most children, Rayne Stroebel grew up in an Aged Care Home where his mother was the Matron. There the seeds were planted that later developed into his heart for better care. He founded GERATEC which is a person-centred community where older people can live in a home-like environment and make their own decisions. They achieve this with a holistic and compassionate approach, meeting individual needs, encouraging independence and continued growth, rather than manage their decline. Through this, their dream is to transform and re-model long term care in South Africa. 

One of the striking concepts for me that came from this conversation is that when elderly people are no longer able to communicate outwardly their consciousness is never affected. Rayne’s approach to care for the elderly stems from this realisation.

As he says, “We are passionate about continually raising the bar in terms of quality service, meeting the needs of the individual and moving right away from medically – nursing those in long term care. We focus on real care – encouraging residents’ independence, supporting their choices and acting on the things that are important to them.”

After this enlightening conversation, l have a completely different view on getting old and interacting with the elderly. I feel some big questions were asked and some answered its something we all have to face some time or another. THis one went very deep, I hope you enjoy.