That's a message from Aberlea Mortlake resident Bev Hall, who was one of 22 residents at the aged care service who shared advice on how to cope in unprecedented times.

Ms Hall said she missed her dog but her "good appetite" kept her strong.

Maureen Giblin said she missed her home but the hard times had taught her "to just keep swimming".

Gus Kacinskas said he missed "seeing my beautiful wife's face without a mask".

And in a special message to front-line health care workers, he said: "Stay strong and thank you for all you do".

A community member suggested the idea that Aberlea residents record their thoughts about what similar times had taught them, what they missed the most, what kept them strong and who they had a special message for in the outside world.

Aberlea lifestyle assistant Kim Parker said the team embraced the idea and ran with it - sitting down with each resident to pen their thoughts onto a message board.

Photos of the residents were taken with their responses and posted to Facebook and Instagram for the outside world to enjoy.

Resident liaison officer Debi McAuliffe said it was a great idea and the residents put a lot of thought into their responses.

"They've lived through wars, severe drought, recessions, fires and all sorts of things and come out the other side," she said.

"The project tapped into that knowledge and sought some real answers from our residents that we can all use to cope with these unprecedented times.

"Aged care is in the spotlight and it's easy to fall into the doom and gloom mindset, so we've made a conscious decision here to be positive, have fun and make special memories that our residents and their families can share online."

Ms McAuliffe said the first 22 residents featured in posts on Facebook and Instagram this week and the remaining 18 residents would share their messages next week.

Visitation is allowed at Aberlea by appointment only and by following strict measures in line with the Department of Health and Human Services' advice.

You can view all of the lovely photos and messages here.

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