Every cloud has a silver lining

For Centacare’s 1,200 clients who usually enjoy regular group activities in centres, the silver linings have been many.

With the temporary suspension of group outings and community-based activities due to COVID-19 restrictions, Centacare has helped its centre-based clients re-direct funding from social support activities to ensure they receive the care they need in different ways.

Noel has dementia and usually looks forward to spending time with his friends at Centacare’s community hub at Coorparoo. But with the temporary suspension of hub activities during COVID-19, Noel has relished the opportunity to work on his garden with the help of his support worker Andrew. Noel’s wife Heather wrote to Centacare to say how much he was enjoying having Andrew visit them at their house. She said he was in tremendous spirits and loved having the opportunity to spend quality, one-on-one time with Andrew.

Support worker Amanda and Val enjoy a walk in the morning sun.

Val, Iris and John are all regulars at Centacare’s Aspley community hub. They are managing to stay active and engaged in their homes during COVID-19, with frequent visits from their support workers. Service Delivery Manager Sandra said Val had formed a beautiful friendship with her support worker Amanda.

“They go for walks, do puzzles, and pot plants together,” said Sandra. “John also enjoys Amanda’s company. They play noodle tennis in the backyard and do puzzles. Iris loves to get out and about as much as possible and enjoys spending time with support worker Gail, walking her dog and exercising at a nearby beach.”

Geoff’s wife Leticia was concerned that his balance and mobility would decline without his regular visits to Centacare’s Northgate hub. Support worker Tony is now picking Geoff up twice a week and taking him for walks in beautiful scenic areas. The walks have not only lifted Geoff’s spirits, they have given Leticia the opportunity for some much-needed respite.

Centacare also used a survey to check in on the wellbeing of clients and gain an understanding of how services could be transformed to best support them. The organisation was pleased to find that 81 per cent of clients felt well supported and were coping well despite the challenging circumstances. Clients particularly appreciated the regular check-in phone calls from their support workers, offered to clients through Centacare’s new ‘In-Touch’ service.

The survey was used also to gauge clients’ technology skills. Interestingly, almost 70 per cent of respondents reported they felt confident with technology and close to 50 per cent described their technology skills as being above average, with 90 per cent of respondents saying they had access to a tablet.

Armed with this insight, Centacare began exploring opportunities to move some of its in-centre activities to a virtual environment.

Centacare’s product team set about launching online group activities, giving clients the opportunity to reconnect with their friends and cope with the challenges of social isolation—including games of online bingo, trivia and Celebrity Head! How-to guides were developed to assist support workers set clients up with video-conferencing platforms and provide ongoing technical assistance where needed.

Reflecting on the past two months, Centacare’s General Manager Community Services Sarah Mitchell said while COVID-19 had presented a myriad of challenges for aged care staff, Centacare was tremendously proud of the creativity and commitment shown by its workforce in supporting clients while keeping them safe.

Geoff and his support worker Tony get out for walks twice a week.

“Our clients too, have shown incredible patience and understanding,” said Sarah.

“By taking the opportunity to listen to them and understand how we can best support them, we’ve been able to help them make the most of the situation and find the sunshine in the clouds.” ■

Jodie Leckenby is Marketing Specialist, Centacare. For more information visit www.centacarebrisbane.net.au