This year, my Mum became very ill and spent almost 4 months in hospital. Originally in ICU for 17 days with Influenza A, severe double pneumonia, low oxygen conversion and several nasty bacterias. She was in a coma, intubated and on life support. During her ICU admissions, she also suffered a Stroke. My “young” Mum at only 68 was like a vegetable. She couldn’t walk, talk, swallow, eat, drink, do any normal daily activities at all and there was even a stage when she didn’t recognise me. I was struggling with grief badly and yet needed to be strong and support my Mum through her recovery and also make some very important decisions.

Mum had so many complications throughout her journey in hospital and I didn’t know what to do, who to trust or who to turn to for advice. Most of the advice I was being given just felt like it didn’t help and made me frustrated. No one I knew had been through what I was going through. Then a good friend suggested – “You really need to speak with Sharon Coleman!”. I am so grateful for that advice. I called Sharon and found her to be incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and understanding. Unfortunately, the reason she knew so much was because she had travelled a similar path to mine herself and through her own challenges, she decided to focus her career as an Accountant on the Niche and complicated area of Aged Care to help others struggling through this process. And geez it is complicated! You definitely need a specialist in this area to navigate the complexity of it all and to be able to make the best decisions.

Sharon quickly built rapport, respect and my absolute trust in her and she has also shown integrity in every single interaction I had with her. Sharon gave me so much advice over and above her role and was there throughout my journey – even outside work hours. She explained things that were confusing and gave me ideas of areas I would have not even known existed and if she didn’t know the answer to something, she would find out or refer me to a specialist in that area. Sharon even visited my Mum in hospital with me!

Then when the time came and the Doctors advised that, even though my Mum had made significant gains in her recovery, she would need to move into an Aged Care Facility from hospital and an ACAT assessment confirmed my Mum was high care 24/7 needs. The Doctors told me that I definitely wouldn’t be capable of caring for Mum at home myself and that I had no other option. This is a heartbreaking decision to make as a daughter and my Mum is only 68! In preparation for this inevitability, I had already visited 18 Aged Care facilities across the Sunshine Coast to make sure my Mum went to the best possible facility if this did end up being the outcome.

I discussed with Sharon the Aged Care options I wanted to consider for my Mum. At this point, Sharon did a full Strategy review of five different scenarios and how best to fund each scenario and all the benefits and implications of the different options. She projected out the first year and then a further five years for each scenario. She worked hard to turn around a complicated and comprehensive report in a quick time frame (due to the sudden urgency of my need to get Mum into Aged Care). Sharon then sat down with me and explained the report. I felt totally overwhelmed and confused by all the different options and Sharon was so calm and patient with me. I’m sure I asked some of the same questions several times and Sharon kept explaining things until I understood. She consoled me when I got upset. I was emotionally burnt out and totally exhausted from the previous few months. I was overwhelmed and finding making decisions very difficult by this stage. This was the day that I had to make the huge decision of where my Mum’s new home would be for possibly the next 20+ years!

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately! 😉), I had no other family who helped me through any of this process, however, I actually had something better – Sharon was right there beside me and she really knew what she was talking about – she explained to me that this will be the toughest part and then things will get better from here once I make this big decision. She knows because she has been exactly where I was right then, so I believed her. The other advice she gave me was – make the best decision for your Mum for the next 2 years and then in 2 years’ time, you can reassess the situation and work out another plan if needed. This was the best advice. I was totally doing my head in imagining every single possible scenario possible and then I was also imaging every one of those scenario in 5, 10, 15, 20 years’ time. No wonder I wasn’t sleeping! I walked out of that meeting with Sharon, knowing what to do and feeling that things might actually be ok. That day, I made the very best decision for my Mum for the next 2 years and I am so grateful and relieved now.

The best part of this story is that my Mum has been in the Aged Care facility for the past 2 months and has improved SO much that we are now on track to having Mum leave the Aged Care facility and return to her home permanently. A few months ago, I never thought there was even a remote chance my Mum would ever be able to come home! It’s really been a miracle. The medical staff and close friends can’t believe the improvement in Mum. I have been told we are very lucky and a lot has come down to my Mum’s strength and determination to get better. Last week, when the Doctor told Mum and I the good news that Mum will be able to transition back home soon, the very first person I texted about this amazing news was Sharon. I didn’t even know Sharon before my Mum got sick, however she has been such a rock for me throughout this process that I now feel like she is a friend who I will keep in touch with going forward. Sharon was so genuinely happy for Mum and I to receive this news. I am also very grateful to my friend (Sue) who recommended I call Sharon Coleman! A couple of months ago, I told Sue that I don’t even know how I would have gotten through the past few months without Sharon.

Even though Sharon has supported me with ongoing support and advice for the past 4 months now, the only fee I paid to Sharon was a very transparent fee for the Strategy paper report. I very willingly paid that fee the instant I received the invoice which was after the report was delivered to me.
Through her excellent advice and going over and above, Sharon has actually saved me (and my Mum) more money than the fee she has charged! Plus, I can’t even put a price on the emotional support Sharon has given me throughout this journey.

Sharon has also referred me to several other people who have helped in different areas that I’ve needed along the way – including Simone Arlott (Aged Care Guidance), Tanya Dave (I Age Well) and has also recommended several other quality professional services people. When Sharon recommends someone, I know they are quality and that I can trust them. Unfortunately, there are people out there who are ready to take advantage of people going through a tough time and I came across some of those people throughout my journey. I learnt some lessons the hard way. With Sharon, I have had total trust in her. Going through what I have been through with my Mum over the past 6 months is a very personal process, so you need to be able to totally trust someone who is knowledgeable and can help you through the process of making the best of some very tough decisions.

I whole heartedly recommend Sharon to anyone who is needing advice in Aged Care. If you are going through anything like my situation and wanting to make the best decision for your loved one, I absolutely recommend you speak with Sharon. Sharon takes the time to understand your very unique and personal situation and then her advice is tailored to your individual situation and you can totally trust her. Sharon is passionate about what she does and genuinely cares about helping her clients to achieve the best possible outcome and making a tough journey a bit less bumpy and more manageable along the way.

Sincerely,
Kimberley Richards

Kimberley Richards

I always found MYOB a very cumbersome accounting package and when I heard about Xero, it sounded like a much more up-to-date and flexible program which is just what it has turned out to be. I did an introductory session at Poole Group and loved the concept.

When the time came to change over from MYOB to Xero, we were a little apprehensive but everything went very smoothly, we had plenty of assistance and there is unlimited, free support on the Poole Group website so if you have any issues, help is readily available. The ability for our accountant/bookkeeper to log on and look at our figures etc is such a win/win situation for everyone and when I have to go back into our old MYOB system, it’s like going back in time!

Eileen McIntosh Owner, Coastal FlooringXtra

As a qualified accountant having spent nearly 20 years in the corporate world I have found working with Poole Group and Xero a pleasure after making the move into small business. Poole Group are knowledgeable and most importantly listen to your needs and work with you.

Having worked with high end accounting packages down to low end, Xero is extremely simple to use and most things are a press of a button away. The ability to work remotely for a small business owner in Xero is a godsend and a massive time saver.

Troy Wainwright Director, Coastal Patios