September 2016 Home Care Observer

September 2016 | Community Wellbeing

Mitcham Working Toward an Age Friendlier Community The Inner Southern Region (Mitcham, Marion and Holdfast Bay Councils) are working together to create an Age Friendly Community by celebrating our older citizens, supporting independence and high quality of life.

By 2026 Mitcham is projected to be home to more than 16,000 people over the age of 65, with the percentage share of the age group being more than 23%.

To meet this increasing demographic we have created an Ageing Strategy and Action Plan which will guide Council to plan and take into consideration the valuable social and economic contribution older people can make to the community, which may be through volunteering, business, work

or caring. Council’s role of facilitating this participation through information, services and activities means it will be well placed to benefit from and enjoy the increasing ‘voice’ and participation in the community.

We have just come to the close of community consultation on the Strategy and Action Plan and over the next few weeks we will be responding to the valuable feedback. It will then go back to Council before being finalised.

In this issue

2

Who Can I Ask for What?

City of Mitcham Home Modification Services

3

Farewell Mitcham - Jenny has retired!

Welcome to our new Home Maintenance Officers

4

Community Wellbeing meets all Quality Standards!

Personal transport volunteering is a rewarding experience

5

Get connected with Community Connections Rachele’s Secret for a Contented and Abundant Life

6

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2016 Welcome to Community Wellbeing Julia!

7

Every Generation 2016 Try, Taste Discover Mahjong and Colour Groups are on the move!

8

More Programs and Helpful Information

Although funding for Community Wellbeing services has been provided by the Australian Government, the material contained herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Australian Government.

2 Who Can I Ask for What?

Manager, Community Wellbeing Julia 8372 8864

Senior Coordinator, Community Wellbeing Lynda 8372 8859 Coordinator, Community Participation (Groups) Deb 8372 8803 Social and recreational participation, Lunch Groups, Mahjong and Men’s Lunch Coordinator, Community Participation Heather 8372 8804 (Tuesday to Friday) Social and recreational participation Coordinator, Personal Transport Krystyna 8372 8829 (Monday to Thursday) One to one transport for medical, therapy, wellbeing and assisted shopping Coordinator, Community Bus Katey 8374 7791 Door to door transport to shopping centres and libraries Coordinator, Home Support and Disability Sarah 8372 8884 Short term, fixed term, spring and window cleaning, modifications and disability Coordinator, Home Maintenance Frances 8374 7724 (9 am – 3 pm weekdays) Basic home maintenance and minor gardening Coordinator, Administration and Systems Jordana 8372 8887 Home Maintenance Team Dennis, Dominic and Austin All other Council enquiries call 8372 8888.

131 Belair Road, Torrens Park SA 5062 Email: mitcham@mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au

City of Mitcham Home Modification Services The City of Mitcham Community Wellbeing team offer a range of home modification services to assist residents to remain independent and safe at home.

An occupational therapy (OT) assessment will generally be required in order to identify the most appropriate modifications and positioning (e.g. for grab rails). Following an OT assessment, the City of Mitcham can assist with the supply and installation of modifications such as: • Grab Rails • Hand held shower hoses • Non-slip floor coatings • Ramps • Magnetic door catches • Key Safes The City of Mitcham provides subsidies toward home modifications of up to $170 toward labour per financial year (dependent on your eligibility and concessions).

Residents aged over 65 years will require a My Aged Care referral (phone: 1800 200 422) for services.

If you would like more information on how to arrange an OT assessment and home modifications, please phone Sarah on 8372 8884.

3 Farewell Mitcham - Jenny has retired After almost 14 years in Local Government and many more prior I have decided to complete my sea change and retire.

Many of you may be aware that I have been on extended leave since Christmas taking a break and spending more time with my family. During this time it became clear to me what my next step must be! It’s time to move to the beach, relax a little more and spend time with my family and new grandchildren. There are plenty of projects waiting for me and maybe a little bit of travel too.

I have lived nearly all my adult life in Mitcham and worked at the Council for the last eight years. My husband and I have reared our three daughters in Mitcham, built many long lasting friendships and we have benefited immensely from the neighbourliness and community life we have experienced. Mitcham has

been very kind to me and I have been pleased and honoured to have been able to give back a little through my work.

and hear about you all getting out and about and feeling proud and pleased to be able to stay living in your homes here in Mitcham.

Every day I have been amazed at the brilliant work of my team, they are a fantastically capable bunch. It has also been an honour and incredibly satisfying to see

I wish you all the very best and I will sincerely miss my Mitcham life.

Take care all Jenny Sandow

Welcome to our new Home Maintenance Officers!

Three new casual Home Maintenance Officers have joined Community Wellbeing.

Pat, Joe and Dora filled in for Austin during his recent leave.

Pat and Joe already work as Field staff at the Depot. They both have horticulture and maintenance experience and enjoyed the new challenge.

Dora, who usually works as cleaner at the Depot, holds a horticulture qualification and has home maintenance experience. Dora entered the position as the first female home maintenance officer in Mitcham Council

history! With her engaging personality, warm kindly manner and her ability to converse in Greek she relished the opportunity to show what she could do.

Naturally inquisitive with a fantastic work ethic and a great sense of humour she soon set the pace, making it difficult for the rest of us to keep up!

4 Community Wellbeing meets all Quality Standards!

Did you know that Community Wellbeing is reviewed every three years by the Commonwealth Government? We have three Standards to meet and 18 Expected Outcomes that are measured.

You recently received a letter asking if you had feedback for the Aged Care Quality Agency about how we work with you, if you responded either by phone or came in on the day, we very much appreciate your time.

In addition to interviewing residents the Agency spoke to

volunteers and contractors.

They checked that we’ve had regular contact with you about what we do, how you are and whether we have sought feedback from you.

Additionally, they checked that we work safely, protect your privacy and confidentiality, record and resolve

complaints and always work toward supporting your independence.

Whilst we passed the review, we are always looking at areas to improve and we are happy to take on board some additional suggestions which we will follow up in the next few weeks.

Personal transport volunteering is a rewarding experience Transport is a vital service for residents to access their local community. Volunteers assist residents to get to their medical appointments, therapy and assisted shopping. It is a rewarding experience for both parties.

Volunteers come to us with a wealth of life experience and interesting stories. Personal Transport volunteer, Bruce was happy to share his.

Bruce worked at Perry Engineering for 46 years as an apprentice fitter; his last project was to supervise the manufacture and testing of a prototype armoured four wheel transport vehicle for the Army. The company was

successful in winning the contract and the Bushmaster vehicle was manufactured

by ADI in Bendigo and the vehicle is currently being used in Afghanistan.

He sailed an Arrow 4.3 metre Catamaran in races for 35 years and was known as “The Grandfather” of the fleet, lack of mobility and strength forced him to retire at 73 years of age.

Bruce’s holiday escapes include river cruising around Europe, having been able to sail on the Rhine, Danube and Moselle.

He commenced volunteering at Mitcham in June 2009 after moving into the area but prior to that he was volunteering for the City of Charles Sturt as a Community Bus Driver and decided that he would like to continue volunteering and chose Personal Transport.

His words of wisdom are:“Be kind, thoughtful and generous, use God’s gifts for the benefit of all”.

These words sum up a very valuable volunteer who is eager to assist where possible. You may meet Bruce one day if you require Personal Transport.

5 Rachele’s Secret for a Contented and Abundant Life Whatever our age or role in life, Rachele believes we can experience a rich and fulfilling life by devoting time to nurturing our own pathway to happiness every day.

Rachele has always known deep down that she was responsible for her outlook on life. She learnt a lot about resilience in the early struggle moving from Italy to Australia and raising a family.

Now, on her own at the age of 84, Rachele feels she has an important message to share, which is “to give of yourself every day. Devote time to creating something that feeds your inner spiritual life instead of worrying about everything and destroying the day with negative thoughts, make time each day, be spontaneous and make something – a birthday card or re-use some old material.” Rachele also loves volunteering at her local school and singing Italian songs with the children,

enthralling them with simple, cultural heritage stories.

“By engaging with life and others in meaningful ways, we will feel useful and

productive”, says Rachele.

“Inner riches are ours in abundance if we nurture and express our inner creativity every day.”

Get connected with Community Connections Community Connections aims to provide personalised support and assistance to residents linking in to the vast array of social activities available in our community and can improve your health!

Recent studies by British scientists analysed data on more than 181,000 people and found being lonely and isolated raised the chance of heart disease by 29 per cent and stroke by 32 percent. So there has never been a better time to get out and about.

Whether it is a lifelong interest, reconnecting with an activity not undertaken

for a while, or perhaps trying something completely new!

We provide information, put you in touch with relevant groups, offer transport, and should you wish can provide initial companionship and support during attendance.

Interest groups range from craft activities, art classes, Seniors Citizens, Probus

Clubs, activities to keep the mind sharp, scrabble, mahjong to lifelong learning such as School for Seniors and University of the Third Age. Community Connections can offer many opportunities for you to get out and about and be involved.

Phone Heather on 8372 8804.

6 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2016 On June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD) is held around the globe. This year Sarah and Jordana attended the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day conference held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

The conference presented by the Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) provided an opportunity for those involved in aged care to gain awareness and develop their understanding of Elder Abuse. Guests including key note speaker and Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Rae Lamb focussed on

empowering people to speak up and take a stand against elder abuse.

Elder abuse can take many forms including social, emotional, physical, sexual and financial. People may not be aware they or a loved one is experiencing abuse.

By spreading awareness of how abuse can take form and

providing education, links and opportunity for people to access help can empower and help them understand their rights.

To take action if you suspect abuse is occurring call the SA Elder Abuse Awareness phone line on 1800 372 310 or visit the website for more information at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/stopelderabuse

Welcome to Community Wellbeing Julia!

We would like to welcome Julia Overton as the new manager of the Community Wellbeing team. We are very excited to have her on board.

Julia has spent most of her career supporting communities to achieve health and wellbeing.

Most recently she has held positions which focussed on the needs and priorities of country South Australian communities. Julia is passionate about how space and place affects a person’s ability to achieve health and wellbeing and live a full and engaging life.

Julia also has a background in geography and planning

family. She has recently returned from a nine-day road trip around South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria and enjoyed experiencing the variety and richness of the Australian landscapes. and is looking forward to drawing on these skills in her new role.

Julia enjoys reading and cooking, walking the dog and spending time with

Julia also lives in the Mitcham Council area and is looking forward to supporting people in her local community, a first for her!

7 Every Generation 2016 – Try, Taste, Discover We invite you to participate in the Every Generation Festival hosted by the Mitcham Council throughout October 2016 by participating in a variety of activities celebrating active ageing in the community.

Do you have an interest in art, craft, woodwork or health and fitness? Take the opportunity to ‘Come and Try’ a variety of activities at the Mitcham Cultural Village and Community Centres. Further details will be advertised in the October edition of the Mitcham Community News.

If you like to Try, Taste and Discover new things be sure to register for the Every

Generation Movie Morning at the Mitcham Wallis Cinema on Tuesday 25 October at 10 am. You will be treated to a morning tea, presentation from the Mitcham Heritage Research Centre highlighting

the many interesting food and beverage industries in Mitcham such as the market gardens, breweries, a soft drink manufacturer, butter and cheese maker, almond growers. The finale of the morning will be the screening of the movie ‘The Hundred Foot Journey’ starring Helen Mirren. Bookings open 26 September. Call Krystyna on 8372 8829. $5.00 per person payable on the day.

Mahjong and Colour Groups are on the move!

The Cumberland Park Community Centre, 390 Goodwood Road has recently undergone significant renovations and to celebrate this, the Mahjong and Colour Groups are relocating from the Mitcham Community Centre.

Cumberland Park Community Centre is growing into a vibrant community hub for residents to participate in social activities, meet new people and most importantly have fun! With this in mind, two of the City of Mitcham Social Activity Groups are joining in on the fun and looking forward to using the new facilities. Both groups welcome residents of the City of Mitcham and embrace diversity and encourage mutual respect.

One of our friendly groups is dedicated to playing the ancient game of Mahjong. If you are keen to exercise your mind and are just starting out or honing your skills, this may be the group for you!

The Colour Group members enjoy the relaxing benefits of colouring. Discover this rewarding activity and express yourself through colour.

Proven benefits include

feeling inspired, sparking your creativity and relieving stress – not to mention connecting with your inner child!

For enquiries contact Deb on 8372 8803.

8 Technical Aid to the Disabled (SA) Inc.

New - Day Trippers Group Outings

Agedcare Alternatives – Your questions answered

TADSA has one major objective – to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and the aged.

Coming soon - Community Wellbeing is thrilled to be able to offer small group outings.

Agedcare Alternatives host free fortnightly sessions at Blackwood Library about aged care issues.

TADSA is a charity aiming to help people overcome problems by creating or modifying devices where no other solution is commercially available.

Are you looking for a chance to meet others and get out and about to places of interest?

Discover information about community care, residential care, respite, retirement villages and many other relevant programs and topics.

Call TADSA on 8261 2922.

Perhaps a visit to the Marion Aquatic Centre, ABC Studios or the new Adelaide Oval?

Explore a shared interest in gardens, photography, museums, movies or music.

We are in the initial planning stages so your ideas and suggestions would be gladly received.

Call Heather on 8372 8804.

Agedcare Alternatives does not provide assessment or advisory services and cannot guarantee access to services.

Each session runs from 1 pm to 3 pm and the next session will be held on Monday 12 September.

For more information contact Agedcare Alternatives on 8271 3888.

What are your Rights and Responsibilities?

The Department of Health can provide a ‘Charter of Care Recipients’ Rights and Responsibilities – Home Care’.

The Charter outlines your rights and responsibilities as care recipients under the Commonwealth Home Support Program. You have rights and responsibilities which fall under the following categories: • Choice and Flexibility

• Personal Information

• Fees

• Care and Services

• Communication

• Financial

• Complaints

• Other general rights and responsibilities

You can access a copy of this charter from the Department of Health website http://www.health.gov.au or call Community Wellbeing on 8372 8887.

Are you interested in photography?

You may be interested in the ‘Through the Lens: 2016 Seniors Card photographic competition and exhibition’.

As part of this year’s International Day of Older Persons, Office for the Ageing (OFTA) is delivering a competition and exhibition celebrating the photographic skills of SA Seniors Card members.

The free exhibition opens on 6 October at the Adelaide Convention Centre, and then moves to the Adelaide City Council Library for the month of November.

For more information contact OFTA on 1800 819 961.