After 18 years at the heart and helm of Somerset Place retirement home, Ben and Norma Bezuidenhout are themselves finally retiring. Stepping into their shoes are Judy and Bill Harvey.
Ben and Normal have been the management team at Somerset Place for 18 years and since the early 90s they have been core to developing the complex into a thriving community. Together with an active committee, they have raised R496 000 for the Somerset Care Society through Ben’s extraordinary long-distance running exploits, as well as shows and concerts. “The organisation receives subscriptions,” he said, “but there’s always extra money needed.”
With Norma’s support, Ben ran seven ultra marathons over seven years, raising a total of R367 000 for the complex. Another ultra marathon for frail care beds raised R69 000. Among the successes during Ben’s time at Somerset Place is that the size and capacity of the frail care facility has doubled.
Ben was named Grahamstown Rotary’s Citizen of the Year in 2013. In the same year he was a finalist in the Eastern Cape Senior Citizen of the year for the age group 70-79.
He plays down his personal role in bringing people together, but those who have worked with Ben agree that this is perhaps his biggest success.
“There are 80 people here, who all come from different places and are all going in different directions. My role was to try and keep them together,” Ben said. “To get them all to gel into one big family.”
Parties, braais, singalongs and opportunities to laugh together were some of the regular events Ben and Norma organised.
“The trick is to organise activities that will help people come out of their shells and help them mix. Then they make their own friends.”
Empathy for the elderly definitely comes with the job description.
“You need to understand what a person is scared of. And be available to help with what are quite complex things, like how to handle the bank. You need to be there for them, to assist and guide,” Ben said.
The new manager Judy Harvey believes Somerset Place is “an awesome community” because staff, residents and the management committee work together to tackle challenges.
“The foundation is perfectly set,” Judy said. “We’re going to continue to build on what Ben and Norma have done, working with residents and the committee.”
A listening ear, Judy feels, is her most valuable tool.
“For a lot of people this is the end period of their lives and we want to make it as comfortable as possible. Who knows what lies ahead – our town has many challenges, like the water situation, but we’ll work with this community to deal with them.”
The Bezuidenhouts and the Harveys were full of praise for the complex’s management committee chaired by Rob Wilmot.
“They’re very supportive of the people doing the work on the premises. They want the project to succeed,” Judy said.
