Walking Together
Through Holy Week
Stephanie Buckland Chief Executive Officer, Amana Living
Holy Week is a season defined not only by solemnity, but by accompaniment, Christ’s steadfast presence with humanity, and our call to be present with one another in turn.
For Anglicans, Holy Week is not something simply observed but entered in to. It is one of the most profound periods of the Christian year: a journey of walking alongside Christ through suffering, grief, waiting, and ultimately renewal. We journey from the joyful shouts of Palm Sunday to the solemnity of Good Friday, through the stillness of Holy Saturday and on to witness the dawn of Easter hope.
Holy Week is a pilgrimage of compassion, courage, and shared humanity. This sacred tradition mirrors much of what we experience in aged care. Every day, our residents, clients, staff, volunteers, chaplains, and families embody the ministry of accompaniment. We walk with older people through transition, uncertainty, and moments of vulnerability. We stand with them through grief and change; and we celebrate with them the unexpected joys and renewals that punctuate their lives.
At Amana Living, the act of accompaniment is not a program we follow step-by-step, but rather a posture, the way we carry ourselves with our clients and residents. It is present in the way our Residential Care and Home Care teams support someone who might be navigating declining health; in the way our chaplains sit beside a resident sorting through memories; and in the way our volunteers offer a listening ear or quiet presence to those who may otherwise walk alone. Our No One Dies Alone Companion (NODAC) Program expresses this most tenderly by offering, in life’s final hours, the opportunity for human warmth, dignity, and care.
Holy Week also reminds us that waiting is not passive. Between sorrow and resurrection is possibility, an in-between where hope quietly gathers. Many older people and their families occupy a similar mental space as they make decisions about future care, navigate new diagnoses, or prepare for significant life changes. Our responsibility, and our privilege, is to accompany our clients and residents patiently and attentively, offering clarity, reassurance, and companionship as they discern the path ahead. Our Resident Liaison Officers see this daily. One recently supported a family over several weeks as they navigated the difficult decision to move their mother into permanent care. Through patient explanations, gentle reassurance, and regular check‑ins, she helped transform a time of uncertainty into one marked by trust and calm.
This year, as reforms continue to reshape Australia’s aged care landscape, accompaniment serves as a guiding principle for Amana Living. Whether this is shepherding clients through the Support at Home transition, helping families understand the strengthened Quality Standards, or making everyday improvements to enhance comfort and connection, our focus remains on walking with older West Australians. Never ahead of them, never behind, but alongside.
Moments of renewal can emerge quietly. A chaplain recently shared how a resident who had withdrawn from activities slowly began reconnecting after a few weeks of gentle visits, a reminder that hope often arrives in small, steady steps.
This Holy Week, may we recommit ourselves to this shared journey and take up the call to accompany with empathy, courage, and the conviction that every older individual deserves to be seen, heard, and honoured. As we move toward Easter, let us remember that renewal often begins with this quiet accompaniment, in simple acts of presence that restore dignity, nurture hope, and illuminate the path forward for others.