Flowers to Kawana. For the Bedside Table at Shalom, and the Kitchen Bench at Home.

Watching someone you love grow older from a distance is a particular kind of quiet grief. You cannot visit as often as you want to. The flowers are your way of being present when your body is somewhere else. That is not a small gesture. For the person receiving them, in a room overlooking the lagoon at Shalom or facing the corridor, a bunch of bright gerberas on the bedside table can change the shape of a whole day.

Carinity Shalom on Maloney Street accepts flower deliveries at reception. Staff will take them to the resident's room. Include the resident's full name on the order, not just "Nan" or "Pop." If you know the room number, add it. If you do not, reception will sort it out. A self-contained arrangement works better than a hand-tied bunch in aged care because the resident does not need to find a vase or cut stems. Birthday flowers for a resident travel the same route. Send the day before if the birthday falls on a weekend.

Anna on aged care deliveries

I took a call from a woman in Brisbane sending flowers to her mother at a facility in regional Queensland. She ordered a large hand-tied bunch because it looked generous in the photo. Her mother called the next day to say the flowers were sitting on the windowsill still in the wrapping because the staff had not had time to put them in water. The stems were cooked by midday. After that call I started asking every caller ordering to aged care: "Is the recipient able to arrange them in a vase, or would you prefer a self-contained arrangement?" One question. Saves the flowers and saves the disappointment.

The death happened and you found out too late to be useful in any practical way. Flowers are what you can do from here. One line on the card. "Thinking of you" is enough. Do not try to make sense of it on a card. Just send them.

Send sympathy flowers to the home address unless you have funeral service details. If you know the funeral director, include the deceased's full name and the service date on your order. Within three days of the death is the window that feels timely.

Anna, on sympathy orders in this community Kawana has one of the higher Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in the area, at 9.4%. Sorry Business can involve large community gatherings at short notice, with family travelling in from other regions. Bright, bold arrangements are often preferred over traditional white and cream. That is not universal, but in our experience it is common enough to mention. If you are unsure, the thinking of you range in warm tones works across both traditions. Keep the card short. One line.

If the flowers are going to Carinity Shalom or any aged care setting, choose the get well arrangement. It arrives ready to display, no vase needed, zero effort for the recipient. For a home address, any of the four products above will work. The bright mixed bunch is the safest pick if you do not know the recipient's taste. The florist builds from their strongest stock that morning.