42. Janette Salmi - Bringing Dignity to the Elderly and the Disabled and Ensuring Their Wisdom is Heard

Janette Salmi is a gem. She is a beautiful jewel: a woman of class and high-level integrity. She is driven by her clear values which inspire her belief in the wholesome capacity of the human spirit. Throughout all of her SEASONS - her season as a mother of four, her season as a senior secondary school administrator, her season as an aged care nurse, she has always offered faith and belief in the dignity and respect for the individual. At times, people thought that her preference to honour 'goodness in others' was naive, maybe even an invitation to treat her as a 'soft touch' and ride profitably on her enthusiasm. It is true, she has been taken for granted, but never once has her innate kindness, her faith in humanity, and her preference to live a life rich in love ... never once has it waivered. This is the Janette Salmi way. SEASONS are what Janette calls the CHAPTERS of her life, and it is 'the good and the flawed' experiences from her SEASONS, that have strengthened her way and led her to a powerful and beautiful existence.

As the last third (60-90, according to Jane Fonda) of her life approached, Janette Salmi chose to dedicate herself to housing and caring for her aged Uncle Jeff and Aunty Meg. She loved them too much to see them separated in a Sydney nursing home. Supported by her husband, she renovated the 'granny flat' and became the custodian of dignity, ensuring that Uncle and Aunty lived out their elder years rich in love, wisdom and celebration. Some saw that Janette's choice was simply putting her own life on hold. Janette's response was to smile and welcome the continuous treasure load of experiences that kept adding enormous value to the lives of all, who encountered this profound loving environment for her extended family.

Uncle Jeff and Aunty Meg have recently passed away with the grace and dignity they deserved. Both of them living beyond their medically predicted timeframes. Janette now finally, has the time to retire, take breath, slow down and enjoy quieter times, BUT ... this is not the Janette way! Why would anyone stop offering the wisdom of their years, when they reach that beautiful stage of life when they finally KNOW ... when finally, they can SEE. When finally, they have that feeling of ARRIVING ... that feeling of VALUE. These are the sentiments of Janette Salmi and this is why Janette in her early 70's has started an extraordinary business called DIGNIFIED MOVEMENT ... www.dignifiedmovement.com.au ... which is dedicated to inspiring new levels of Dignified Disability Care, Dignified Home Care for the Elderly, Dignified Enhancement of Senior Life. Janette, who feels at the peak of her powers is now taking advantage of the journey of her years to build her legacy. She is extraordinary.

My dear people, this story is inspiring. It is powerful. It changes the way we see the last term of life. It blows extra breath into how we see, interact, relate and respect our elder citizens and disabled brothers and sisters. At the heart of it all is one woman's desire to live fully fuelled by her enormous capacity to love deeply. This episode is gold and Janette Salmi is the glorious treasure.

Dignified Movement: 1800 957 834 - [email protected]
Janette Salmi: +61 425 455 425
Bernie K: +61 412 982 444 - [email protected]