Ms Renee Smit (75) spends her time in front of her computer, doing what many ‘normal’ 75-year-old residents would not be doing.
She said she joined Edenhaven a year ago, when she sold her house in Malvern.
“As life would always have it, things would always go bad with ageing. I miss my house but I love Edenhaven – it is a nice place to stay and the staff are wonderful individuals,” she said.
Renee does administrative work and attends to about 50 emails daily, besides running her finances which she refers to as her business.
Her computer has most of the applications found on businesses computers.
She never surfs the internet but merely uses it to do her job.
She keeps herself busy by doing some of her nephew’s administrative work.
“My nephew is a DA councillor and assisting him allows me to keep busy at all times,” she said.
According to Renee, she never married because she was ‘a big girl’ and did not think she would find a husband so she never cared to look.
Her nephew is her brother’s eldest son, who stayed with her when he was younger.
Renee said the attachment grew and he has helped her, so in return she is doing what she can to assist him.
“I do the billing inquiries, I manage my accounts and attend to emails and it keeps me busy all day. I might be in a retirement home but I am not retired. I work full-time for my nephew because I want to and I run a tight ship,” she said.
Renee said her love for typing came from working in insurance for about 35 years, and towards the end of her career the organisation she worked for formed a special company. “Those were the greatest years when I was running the company. It was the best time of my life. I don’t know how people can sit and do nothing,” she said.
She said the mind needs to be kept busy and the mind needs to work because if you allow it to die, then it will die.
“Although other residents just sit the whole day, I cannot do that. I love Edenhaven – it is truly a blessing. I have someone who checks my computer and changes my cartridge on a regular basis because I am going to be a busy bee for as long as life allows me to be,” said Renee.
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