Older women living alone learn to use power tools to stay independent
If your kitchen tap was leaking, would you call someone to fix it or would you do it yourself? Well, a workshop in western Victoria is teaching older women hands-on skills with power tools. The sessions are particularly helpful for women living alone to be independent and confidently tackle those tricky DIY jobs themselves.
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00:00Tracy Francisco bought a power drill about six months ago to help assemble some flat-packed furniture.
00:09But it's sitting idle, still in its original packaging.
00:12That could change now that she's attended a workshop aimed at teaching women how to use power tools by building a bug hotel.
00:19It was always the girls did the sewing at school and the boys did textiles and woodwork.
00:26So the girls never really got a chance to learn.
00:30The Australian Institute of Family Studies says 55% of people living alone are women, with about half of them aged 65 years or older.
00:39Workshops like this one in Horsham are one way women living alone can maintain autonomy.
00:44I'm on a really limited budget too, so it's a lot easier if I can do things myself.
00:49And I like being independent as well.
00:52Tracy's trainer for the day was registered nurse Jackie Quash, who grew up on a farm.
00:57She says it's important for women to have a safe space where they can develop experience without being made to feel silly or that it was an unnecessary skill to learn.
01:05I think the scary part is yes, it is a power tool, but if you've got an opportunity here to use one and try it, I think it's a safe space.
01:14Self-described country girl Norleen Brown also found the workshop empowering for women living rurally.
01:19I feel confident using power tools because it's such a safety issue.
01:23Now I know what I need to do to keep all of my fingers safe.
01:28Jackie hopes more women will consider giving power tools a go.
01:32We've had three and a half hours of just this incredible growth of like, I've got this tool at home, I don't know how to use it,
01:38to now picking up a circular saw and going out there and chopping by herself.
01:42So that's beautiful.