Residents’ stories go digital

Digital storytelling uses multimedia to bring personal stories to life

BlueCross is proud to partner with Swinburne University of Technology in the Digital Story Program to capture residents’ stories and share them with others. Organised by the Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults at Swinburne University, the program aims to improve the quality of life and psychological health of residents living in aged care.

The resident is encouraged to reminisce and talk about their life events or experiences during social visits from a matched volunteer, who will visit them weekly at their aged care residence for up to 12 months. Together, the volunteer and the resident produce a short digital narrative that portrays the resident’s identity and tells a story about them.

This process of supported and ongoing companionship helps the resident to feel valued and have their life experiences validated.

“We are pleased to be able to collaborate on this project. Working together with Swinburne, we are recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds, including psychology students and interested community members. Swinburne will provide coaching for volunteers and BlueCross will support selected volunteers through placements with our residents,” said Catherine Gerhardt, Lifestyle and Volunteer Manager at BlueCross.

Rebecca Collins, Digital Story Coordinator at the Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults, said there are many documented benefits from the program for aged care residents.

“We have found that residents significantly enjoy the process of creating these stories as well as the companionship provided by the weekly visits,” said Rebecca. “Residents feel valued and validated by having the opportunity to reminisce and reflect on important and formative life experiences. The stories are shared with staff to help them develop greater appreciation of the resident’s identity, which this can lead to more personalised support and care that is consistent to the resident’s individuality, values and preferences.”

The Digital Story Program will be rolled out across several BlueCross residences from February 2022 with ongoing coaching and support by Swinburne University.

If you are interested in volunteering with this project, please contact volunteercoordinator@bluecross.com.au

Christmas brings Santa visits, Christmas carols, a real love of tinsel and who doesn’t love a gingerbread house! This year, our kitchen teams across BlueCross were asked to get into the holiday spirit and participate in our first ever Annual Gingerbread House Competition.

From gum drops to icing icicles, candy canes, jaffa’s (hundreds and thousands of them!), double tier houses, small toys and even an army of gingerbread cookie men, there has been no right or wrong way in how the teams have decorated their creations.

With only ONE winner to be picked, our teams went all out with their confectionery creations where they were judged on the following criteria:

1

Title of gingerbread house / name

2 Overall appearance

3 Originality, imagination

4 Difficulty of design, design execution

5

“Christmas Spirit” incorporated in the design

Below are some of the houses on display at BlueCross residences for all to enjoy and admire. We know the planning and execution has been mammoth and we look forward to announcing the winner soon. So don’t forget to keep an eye out on our social media pages!

Gingerbread Recipe

(makes one house)

300 gm Butter

1 cup Brown sugar

1 cup Golden syrup

2 tsp Bicarbonate soda

2 tbsp Ground ginger

Method

2 tsp Mixed spice

1 tsp Baking powder

7 cups Plain flour

2 Eggs

Origin of Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread comes in all forms and sizes and is typically flavoured with sugar and spices. Around Christmas, if you are not making gingerbread men or ginger snaps, you might be building gingerbread houses.

1 Place the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and stir in the bicarb. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

2 Sift the ginger, mixed spice, baking powder and flour into a separate bowl. When the sugar mix has cooled, add half the flour mix and stir in well. Add the eggs and mix in well. Stir in the remaining flour to form a sticky dough. Divide the dough into 4 even discs and wrap each disc in a cling wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3 Roll the discs to 4mm thick. Use your template to cut out the pieces for the house.

4 Lay on flat baking trays and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 12 to 15 minutes. You will need two sides, two ends and two roof pieces. Use the excess dough to make chimney, trees, fences, etc.

5 To assemble, you will need royal icing.

Recipe for Icing

Beat 4 egg whites until frothy. Stir in 6 cups of sifted pure icing sugar until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and stir well. Cover bowl with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Decorations

Use assorted lollies such as smarties, freckles, musk sticks, jelly tots, liquorice straps, snakes, raspberry jelly’s, to decorate.

Gingerbread is believed to have first appeared in central Europe in the Middle Ages, made from spices and sugars brought back from the Middle East by soldiers returning from the Crusades. In Medieval England, gingerbread simply meant ‘preserved ginger’ and it was not until the 15th century that gingerbread specifically referred to the sweet cake made with ginger and treacle.

Over time, gingerbread took on different forms from region to region, from spiced cake to thin cookies to dark brown bread served with cream. Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century and surged in popularity, thanks to the Hansel and Gretel folk story in 1812 which claimed the two main characters stumbled upon a house made entirely of treats.

This Christmas, try your hands at making your own version of a Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house!

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9

1: Broughtonlea | Remembrance Day

2: Cresthaven | Mexican Independence Day

3: Gardenia | Footy Teddies

4: Hansworth | Christmas Craft

5: Monterey | Spring Is Here

6: Oakleigh | Daffodil Day

7: Willowmeade | Father's Day

8: Sheridan Hall Caulfield | My Journey Survey

9: Tarralla | Charity Knits for KOGO

10: Scotchmans Creek | Gardening