Mother’s Day restrictions will be in place through to 11 May, meaning that Mother’s Day (Sunday, 10 May) will be a quiet affair this year. Instead of families coming together to celebrate mums, the day will be spent in isolation – especially for grandmothers.

PRONIA’s carers and staff have been following the welfare of the elderly closely as coronavirus restrictions have been put in place. The organisation’s frontline workers asked the mothers they take care off to give a message for Mother’s Day.

READ MORE: Sharing your wishes and love this Mother’s Day

They sent Neos Kosmos a number of viewpoints shared by mothers supported by the group:

  • “My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren bring me the biggest joy in my life. I am still living because of their love for me,” said Maria, 80, from Mill Park.
  • ”Mothers give life to society. After God, I love my children and grandchildren. I would give my heart to them so they can always be happy and healthy,” said Nota, 90, from Murrumbeena.
  • For others, like 79-year-old Voula from Springvale, Mother’s Day this year provides an opportunity for thanksgiving. “Overjoyed that God gave me children and grandchildren in this life, that’s the only reason I live”, she says.
  • Koula, 78, from Vermont, looks back on her life experiences and says she is “unhappy with many things in my life but the biggest happiness I have is having my three boys and four grandchildren.”
  • Areti, 76, from Wheeler’s Hill, has a poignant message for the day, one that resonates with many mothers: “I wish health and happiness to all the Mothers and their children all around the world and may they be remembered by their children everyday not just on Mother’s Day.”
  • Maria, 79, from Brunswick said: “Having children and grandchildren has brought me many joyful moments. I have loved the journey, the good and the challenging times.”
  • Anna Parelis, one of PRONIA’s volunteers, has sent a greeting that resonates with most families: “I hope and wish for this challenge to come to an end soon so we can hug each other again and sit around the table, all of us as a family, like we did before.”
  • Fellow volunteer Maria Psarakis, a mother and grandmother who misses her extended family, can’t wait for coronavirus measures to end. “I miss my grandchildren and my children. I hope they keep well and wish them good health and patience. We’ll soon be together again around the family table and we’ll all be full of love,” she says.