Flourish Magazine - Winter/Spring 2020

FLOURISH ISSUE NO. 10

WINTER / SPRING 2020

8 STAYING CONNECTED AND PROTECTED AMID COVID-19 IN THIS ISSUE:

5

6

10

13

14

Lived experience at the heart of new NDIS program

What it feels like to live with Bipolar Affective Disorder

Environment at forefront of UnitingSA initiatives

Carer support system changes and what they mean

Farewell to a much loved part of our South-East history

“ Our frontline workers have placed others’ needs ahead of their own since COVID-19 arrived on our shores this year.”

CEO LIBBY CRAFT, 2020

WELCOME

C

oronavirus (COVID-19) has undoubtedly impacted the way we live, think and feel in recent months. As an organisation, it has changed the way we operate.

There are a few more words that come to mind when describing our workers at UnitingSA – incredible, dedicated, valued. And another word that comes to mind when describing my feelings towards these workers – thankful.

Our frontline workers have placed others’ needs ahead of their own since COVID-19 arrived on our shores this year. They have continued to carry out their important work despite the potential risk in doing so.

As we responded to the challenges of COVID-19, we adapted our services to ensure we could continue providing essential support to those in need while protecting the health and wellbeing of the entire UnitingSA community.

Of course we have taken every necessary precaution to reduce this risk for our people, adhering to State and Federal Government guidelines to ensure the ongoing protection of everyone’s health and safety. Precautions have included temperature checks, screenings for COVID-19 risk factors, adhering to social distancing, hand hygiene protocols and extra personal protective equipment, to name a few.

Some of the changes included temporarily stopping face-to-face meetings across some of our programs and instead using telephones and computers to connect.

However, while many of us were able to stop in person contact during this challenging time, not everyone has been in this position. Hundreds of our workers at UnitingSA have still been on the frontline each day supporting our community.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t daunting to continue showing up for work each day amid a global health pandemic.

UnitingSA’s values – Courage, Compassion, Integrity and Respect – have never been more evident.

The government labelled them ‘essential’ workers and that is certainly true.

It takes courage to work in this environment at such a challenging time, it takes compassion not to turn away from those in need, and it demonstrates true integrity to provide support to others while facing struggles of your own.

They are essential to provide emergency relief to the increasing number of people falling on tough times. They are essential to assist people facing homelessness to find a safe place to sleep.

For that our workers, and the countless others on the frontline across our community, have my utmost respect.

They are essential to deliver care for those living in aged care homes and receiving in-home support. They are essential to provide mental health support for people across our community.

UNITINGSA

Libby Craft Chief Executive Officer 2

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

4

7

11

Wesley Social Enterprises team member Henry reminisces as he enters retirement

Ceremony celebrates highest structural point of our Aged Care complex in West Lakes

Creativity and friendship combine at our weekly NDIS art group

UPCOMING DATES August

September

October

3 Homelessness Week begins

1–30 Dementia Awareness Month

1 International Day of Older Persons

9 World Indigenous People’s Day

6 Father’s Day

10 World Mental Health Day

12 International Youth Day

10 R U OK? Day

11–17 Anti-Poverty Week

UNITING SA ANNUAL PROFILE

14,704

1,083

98

2,773

5,538

PEOPLE SUPPORTED

EMPLOYEES

VOLUNTEERS

PEOPLE CARED FOR ACROSS AGED CARE

OCCASIONS OF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

UNITINGSA

3

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

HENRY SIGNS OFF FROM A STELLAR CAREER

T

he first week in June 2020 is one Henry Fielke will never forget.

On June 1, he celebrated his 70th birthday and just two days later, he retired after 22 years working as a supported employee at Wesley Social Enterprises (WSE).

The final day was bittersweet for Henry, who says he has loved his time at WSE but is looking forward to having more time to relax, catch up with family including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and potter around his home.

“I told everyone here I would retire when I turned 70.”

HENRY

“I am just going to enjoy life the best way I can,” Henry says.

When asked what he will miss most, Henry says “that’s a hard question”.

“I hope to be able to come back to do some volunteering here one day.

After some careful consideration, he says this: “I was asked to fill in a feedback form and everything I ticked was excellent.

“For now though, I think I need a bit of rest and a bit of time to relax.”

It’s not surprising given the busy work life Henry has had over the years.

They say the average person has seven careers in a lifetime and Henry managed to achieve more than that at WSE alone.

He started in 1998 at our former Elizabeth South site, later worked at Paralowie and finally spent the past seven years working from our hub in Alberton.

Throughout the years Henry fulfilled a diverse range of positions including washing fleet vehicles, making parts for household blinds, office cleaning, assisting in the distribution of shoes for families in need, bagging sand, gravel and fertiliser for native tree care, and caring for plants as part of an indoor plant hire enterprise.

“I felt a real fulfilment that I was achieving things doing all the different work,” Henry says.

“I enjoyed mixing with people and making friends over the years.”

UNITINGSA

4

“The staff are compassionate and I would recommend WSE. “I’m going to miss it all.”

WSE Manager Penny McAuley says Henry will be greatly missed by the team, who joined with him to enjoy a cake on his birthday and pizza lunch on his final day at work.

They also gave Henry a new jumper, hooded jacket and photo collage of his time at WSE as a fitting send-off gift.

“Henry has such a dignified presence,” Penny says fondly.

“He speaks from the heart for the supported employees.

“I’ve told him he has a golden ticket – Henry can walk into WSE anytime he needs or wants.

“Plus he has a free pass to the Christmas party once we can all gather again post COVID-19.”

PICTURED: WSE Manager Penny McAuley with Henry Fielke on his final day at work.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

Quotes from our film stars

A MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT DONE DIFFERENTLY

A

new UnitingSA program is changing the way mental health services are delivered for people with complex psychosocial disability under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The NDIS Peer Support Program uses a 100 per cent lived experience workforce to walk alongside people with a mental illness to help them address barriers and pursue their vision of a meaningful life.

The program was launched in July 2019 as a solution to the gaps that were increasingly evident for people transitioning to the NDIS from State funded services with high and complex psychosocial support needs.

In its first 12 months, the program has demonstrated its ability to provide quality recovery-oriented support within the NDIS environment – something we are incredibly proud of.

Keryn Robelin, a Mental Health Services Coordinator with UnitingSA, explains how the lived experience model differs from traditional clinical mental health services.

“The primary difference I see between the two is that the clinical model is about what’s wrong with you and how can we fix that, how can we remove it or eliminate it,” Keryn says.

“Lived experience is more about what’s happening for you and how can we redesign or reshape or create small shifts around you, and with you, that actually benefit and make improvements in your life for you to thrive.”

Matt Newlands is among the lived experience mentors working in the program.

“It’s about trying to identify what is a meaningful life for the other person and then discovering any limitations or barriers they have in achieving that goal,” Matt says.

“My role is to then work with them, as opposed to doing things for them or on their behalf, to help them overcome some of those challenges.

“Day to day activities vary from anything from going to coffee to sitting in a meeting, but the one consistent part is the conversation around what is happening for that person on that day.

video has been created featuring some of the workers and participants from the NDIS Peer Support Program, along with industry experts. Here’s a sneak peek of what they said:

SUZANNE MCLAREN, NDIS PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT: “I think this program is important because it helps people with mental illness so they can be given a chance in life to be assured that someone’s there for them too.”

MARK LOUGHHEAD, UNISA SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW LIVED EXPERIENCE: “What we found generally is the peer workforce program is really well grounded in recovery values.

Those values are really important for empowering the person, connecting them with community, offering hope, working from a really optimistic space.”

GEOFF HARRIS, MENTAL HEALTH COALITION OF SA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

“I make sure that when I leave their space there is some form of positivity and hope in their life until the next time I see them.”

“I think what this project shows is there is huge potential for lived experience workforce.”

The NDIS Peer Support Program has been evaluated by the University of South Australia’s Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise.

MATT NEWLANDS, UNITINGSA LIVED EXPERIENCE MENTOR:

Researchers found the program to be effective in its ability to provide recoveryoriented support in line with best practice. The research also identified areas for improvement within the NDIS to better support the needs of people with complex psychosocial disability.

Visit the UnitingSA website to view the NDIS Peer Support Program research report and a video about the program: unitingsa.com.au/about-us/ publications-and-research

PICTURED: NDIS Peer Support Program participant Suzanne McLaren with Mental Health Services Coordinator Keryn Robelin.

UNITINGSA

5

“Our team looks past diagnosis and finds the human on the other side and learns to speak whatever language it is that they use to communicate.”

KERYN ROBELIN, UNITINGSA MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES COORDINATOR: “We’ve shown what lived experience can do – even on a small scale it’s such a significant change in our community’s lives.”

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

elevation (mania) followed by devastating depression, but there are always periods of relative normality in between.

Medications are a must for me, but I want people to be aware that they help control the illness, not cure it. I doubt that there will be a cure for bipolar in my life-time – the brain is just too complex.

I make sure my friends and family can recognise my early warning signs and I have an extensive list of strategies to keep me well. When I am hypomanic I know to stay at home, or in familiar surroundings, doing activities that use up my excess energy without being over-stimulating. I find classical music and relaxation CDs soothing.

IN HER WORDS… IMOGEN’S STORY The following story was performed as a monologue for Vintage Theatre Co-op. Its author, Jane, shared it with Flourish to offer a glimpse into what it feels like to live with bipolar affective disorder.

S

ome people experience mental illness only once and fully recover.

For others, it continues throughout their lives. I am one of the latter. I have lived experience with bipolar affective disorder, also known as manic depression. Sometimes I believe I am an abject, dismal failure. At the other end I am too well, my brain is working overtime, it’s firing on all cylinders – I’m brilliant! Why can’t you keep up?

In the early stages of mania, or what is called hypomania, the world is my oyster. I am sociable, boisterous, loud, distracted, brazen, opinionated – and pedantic. I talk excessively and my words are speedy and disjointed.

I have limitless energy and I’m unusually creative or productive, but I can get quite irritable due to lack of sleep.

As my sleep decreases and my mood and irritability increase I lack the awareness that something appears to be wrong. I speak loudly, not letting anyone get a word in, talking over everyone and of course people don’t like that. Then the depression comes in and it’s worse than anything you can imagine.

Sadly, there are still some members of society who view people with a mental illness as ‘nutcases’, or ‘psychos.’

Unfortunately the media often promote stigma by presenting mental illness in ways that are inaccurate and offensive – encouraging the public to fear those affected, by linking mental illness to violence.

Stigma has a profound effect on the lives of people with a mental illness.

It completely erodes their self-confidence.

When you find me muttering out loud to myself in the supermarket, please don’t be frightened of me but ask if I’m okay. Because as the song goes ‘I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell.’

When I tell people I have a mental illness, “no way” they say “you’re too normal.” Some people think that someone living with bipolar disorder couldn’t possibly look like me – a well kept, educated, articulate woman with a husband, job and mortgage.

My experience with mental illness is in stark contrast to many people’s perceptions of bipolar as a non-stop manic-depressive rollercoaster ride.

I have had episodes of extreme

UNITINGSA

6

Being physically active is good for my mental health. I enjoy walking, especially on the beach or in the bush, and I also enjoy reading, crosswords, scrapbooking, photography and gardening. They help me switch off from the chaos and confusion of the outside world. Spending time with close family and friends also brings me great pleasure. I try to practice mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy and take one day at a time.

As the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wisely said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”

Despite having bipolar disorder I am generally both happy and healthy, but I have been blessed with a caring support network. I share the same hopes and dreams as anyone else, but I have limits and can’t do everything I’d like to.

Recovery for me is living a satisfying, hopeful and contributing life even with limitations caused by my illness.

I believe that as a society we need to break down stigma and say it’s okay to live with a mental illness. It doesn’t make you less of a person. I look forward to a day when it’s no longer a taboo subject.

Mental illness occurs worldwide regardless of culture, race, wealth, gender or religion.

The media play a big part in influencing public attitudes towards mental illness and have a responsibility to not promote negative messages. You can help them do this by encouraging more accurate and respectful reporting of mental illness.

Contact SANE StigmaWatch and report misrepresentations. Educate others, your friends, family and colleagues; help them unravel the myths.

If you live with a mental illness, or even if you don’t, I would like to encourage you to keep believing in yourself, your hopes and dreams and don’t let anyone’s misconceptions stand in your way.

And ‘nil bastardo carborundum’ – don’t let the bastards grind you down.

PICTURED: An artist was inspired to paint this woman after hearing Imogen’s story.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

AGED CARE COMPLEX REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

O

ur aged care complex under construction in the heart of Adelaide’s west has celebrated reaching its highest structural point with a topping out ceremony.

UnitingSA West Lakes will incorporate residential aged care, retirement living, retail and office space on 6,600sqm fronting West Lakes Boulevard, at the former Football Park site.

In keeping with time-honoured tradition, the topping out ceremony included the craning of a tree onto the top floor of the five-storey building.

UnitingSA Board Chair Gael Fraser says it is a significant milestone in the development, which is on track to be complete by the end of the year and welcome its first residents in early 2021.

“We are thrilled we have been able to move safely forward with this project amid COVID-19 and that we are on track to have building works complete

by Christmas,” Ms Fraser says.

“This complex will provide a home to cater for people’s needs through every stage of the ageing journey – from retirement living to residential aged care and then, where needed, memory support for those living with dementia.”

UnitingSA West Lakes is creating work for about 900 people during construction and once operational, will employ an estimated 150 people ongoing.

KEY FEATURES OF THE COMPLEX INCLUDE: y Three storeys of residential aged care including 108 private rooms with en suites y A top level featuring 17 two and threebedroom retirement living apartments with balconies and views across the oval, lakes and to the hills y Ground floor shops including a café, hairdresser and allied health services.

UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft says by bringing the different types of accommodation into one complex, the development will help address the varied aspects of ageing.

“For couples whose health and physical needs change at different rates, this development will provide the option of one person living independently in a retirement apartment while the other has their higher needs met in residential aged care,” she says.

“We know being able to live under one roof will bring peace of mind to many during this later stage of life.

“Across the aged care sector, the need for this combination of accommodation on one site is increasingly being recognised as important to people’s ongoing health and wellbeing.”

For more information about UnitingSA West Lakes visit unitingsa.com.au/aged-care/ west-lakes UNITINGSA

7

PICTURED: UnitingSA Board Chair Gael Fraser and CEO Libby Craft (top left) joined colleagues from UnitingSA and representatives from Walter Brooke architects and Kennett Builders at the topping out ceremony in June.

Did you know? y Topping out ceremonies are most commonly believed to have their origins in Scandinavia, where it is said in ancient times a tree was placed on top of a new building to appease the spirits displaced during construction y Some accounts say the practice dates as far back as the building of the Egyptian pyramids, with a tree placed on top of each pyramid when complete to honour those who died during construction y Nowadays, the ceremony is celebrated around the world to mark a construction milestone and, some say, bring good fortune to future tenants y At UnitingSA West Lakes, the tree used in the topping out ceremony will be later planted on-site for future residents to enjoy.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE

A

s the challenges of Coronavirus (COVID-19) swept across our nation in recent months, the health and wellbeing of our valued team and those we walk alongside remained our absolute priority. We responded as quickly as possible, while exercising caution, to implement a range of measures

AGED CARE

G

iven the vulnerability of older people to COVID-19, protecting residents across our six aged care homes was critical to our response. This meant adapting our service delivery, implementing visitor restrictions and continually revising these in line with public health advice.

to allow us to continue providing essential services to those we support. As we travel the pathway back to business as usual, we thank our incredible teams, the people we work with, and the broader community for supporting us throughout this journey. Here’s an overview of our COVID-19 response.

Our innovative staff responded rapidly to ensure residents’ emotional and physical needs continued to be met. All sites were equipped with new iPads to support ongoing connection via Skype, and window and garden visits were introduced for residents to see loved ones while adhering to social distancing requirements.

Roving entertainment and new one-on-one activities were introduced at sites to keep residents engaged.

Highlights included drive-by ANZAC Day services, residents receiving visits from ‘birthday fairies’ at Westminster Village, and a ‘coffee and chat’ delivery service for residents at Wesley House in lieu of the café being open.

In our Home Care and Ethnic Link Services, our staff continued providing essential support throughout the pandemic utilising screening tools and temperature checks as a precaution. Some support was scaled back or delivered via technology and our teams introduced a shopping service to restrict residents’ need to leave their homes, which many found extremely helpful.

VOLUNTEERS

A

s part of our duty of care, we made the difficult decision to put a temporary hold on volunteering activities across our services. Although we couldn’t hold our annual Volunteer Appreciation event due to COVID-19 restrictions, we showed thanks by ‘Colouring our Community Red’ during National Volunteer Week in May.

COMMUNITY SERVICES & HOUSING

T

here is no doubt that COVID-19 challenged our Community Services teams and Housing teams to think differently about the way we provide support. Wherever possible, face-to-face support was replaced with telephone communication and video technology. Regular wellbeing check-ins from staff were introduced, which were especially helpful for our mental health and NDIS clients.

Our Homelessness and Emergency Relief walk-in centres remained open as essential services for individuals and families doing it tough. To reduce unnecessary physical visits, an online enquiry form was created to ensure easy access to vouchers for food and essential items, financial support and no-interest loans.

We continued to provide supported employment for people with disability wherever possible, thanks to the agility of our teams in adapting services to enable work to be carried out in a safe and effective way.

Many of our group programs were put on hold, however our Child, Youth and Families team came to the rescue with online meditation courses, social forums, and home-delivered activity packs promoting self-care and creativity for clients across our services.

Volunteering SA initiated the online campaign, which encouraged South Australians to decorate or tie something red to themselves, or their site, and post the photo on social media. Westminster Village Aged Care went all out – dressing their front entrance and trees in red and creating a display featuring special thank you messages to their volunteers.

All of our volunteers also received a small thank you gift in the mail to let them know we are grateful for the positive impact they have on the lives of people across South Australia.

We will continue to monitor the situation and look forward to welcoming our volunteers back in the coming weeks.

UNITINGSA

8

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

EVENTS

M

any events scheduled over the past few months were sadly cancelled, however technology presented great opportunities to celebrate and keep our community engaged online.

The annual Reconciliation in the West event, which we co-host, moved online with a Facebook Live music concert, digital bunting art project and addresses from UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft and our other event partners.

National Families Week and SA Youth Week were also celebrated online, while many other events and conferences were rescheduled to a later date. On the bright side, we are certainly glad that our Centenary roadshow of events was completed last year!

WORKPLACE WELLBEING

A

cross UnitingSA, our staff quickly adapted to a new way of working. For some, this meant a changed way of delivering in-person services while for others, their homes became their temporary workplace. Our IT team worked quickly to ensure our systems could cope with the ‘new normal’ of Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom meetings across the organisation.

With change comes great uncertainty and it was critical for us to ensure the wellbeing of our staff was supported throughout this complex time. Central to this, our People and Culture team launched the Workplace Wellness program, offering a range of personal and practical support for our teams.

The program offers individual counselling from our Employee Assistance Program,

spiritual guidance from Minister Les Underwood, online leadership seminars and flexible work arrangements.

We even held regular virtual lunchtime sessions where staff volunteered to lead colleagues through half an hour of learning a new skill, broadening their knowledge or exploring their creativity.

This meant even those working from home were still able to connect with colleagues during the day. Popular sessions included guided meditation, beginner’s origami and sharing music of various genres. It was a great way to keep connected and make new allies across different service areas.

A special thanks goes to long-time donor, SA Power Networks Employee Foundation, who generously contributed $5,000. This money was raised from regular payroll donations from SA Power Networks employees, as well as via workplace initiatives and events.

AGL Energy also provided an incredible corporate donation of $5,000 to our Western Adelaide Homelessness Services.

These two donations alone are enough to provide 500 people a food voucher to last two days, or 333 people with phone credit for a month, or even 2000 people with transport tickets to and from a crucial health care appointment or job interview. What an amazing impact across our community!

Another highlight of the campaign has been a fundraiser organised by a group of West Lakes Shore School students, who raised $650 to help those most hard hit by COVID-19.

CARE CAMPAIGN

D

emand for our emergency assistance usually peaks during winter, however due to COVID-19 the demand this year came earlier and we expect it to continue for longer.

For this reason, we launched the COVID-19 Care Campaign in May in lieu of this year’s Winter Appeal.

Many generous community members, church congregations, schools and local businesses have already donated more than $23,000 to ensure we can continue providing essential support to people doing it tough during the pandemic and beyond.

It’s inspiring to see community members of all ages and from all walks of life express such empathy during what has been a challenging time for all.

The donations will allow our Emergency Assistance and Homelessness Services to provide essential items such as phone credit, grocery and transport vouchers to people in need – many who are reaching out to our services for the first time.

If you, or someone you know has been impacted by COVID-19 and is in need of emergency assistance, visit: unitingsa.com.au/community-services/ emergency-assistance and fill out our new online enquiry form.

UNITINGSA

9

For more information about the campaign or to make a tax-deductable donation visit: unitingsa.com.au/donate

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

“We had such success reducing energy consumption and costs after installing solar at Wesley House in 2017, and it means we can use the funds saved to provide quality services to our residents and people we support.”

James says improving waste management has also been an area of focus at UnitingSA, which has helped to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment.

In 2018, Westminster Village Aged Care was selected by Green Industries SA, Aged & Community Services Australia and Rawtec Pty Ltd to take part in a pilot project around better practices for waste and recycling in aged care.

ENVIRONMENT IS FRONT OF MIND

I

t’s not just the community we care about at UnitingSA – it’s the environment we live in and aim to preserve for future generations.

Since 2012, we have been working with EfficientSee energy and sustainability engineers to help reduce the environmental impact of our services.

EfficientSee founder Quentin Roberts says regular audits of UnitingSA’s sites help to shape the future direction of environment initiatives and energy savings.

“Our role is to provide advice and support on how to increase energy efficiency and reduce consumption,” Quentin says.

“Our audits identify opportunities for improvement, we undertake cost-benefit analysis, assist in managing those

Solar solution for aged care

Westminster Village was found to generate significantly less waste per resident per day compared to other sites of its size involved in the project – 1.1kg compared to 3.82kg elsewhere.

It also was found to divert 77 per cent of the waste generated from landfill; much higher than the average 40 per cent at other aged care sites.

So where to from here?

projects, and importantly measure the impact of putting more environmentallyfriendly alternatives in place.”

Nineteen projects have been completed since we started working together including an improvement of waste management across all our aged care sites, installation of energy efficient LED lighting at our properties, smart air conditioning upgrades, state-of-the-art energy monitoring and the introduction of solar power across a range of our aged care and housing developments.

UnitingSA’s Property Services Manager James Minagall says energy savings in aged care have been a particular focus.

“Solar technology, in particular, has been on the radar for our aged care facilities due to their seven-day a week operating schedule,” he says.

U

nitingSA’s latest environmental project has been the installation of a 100kW solar system at Hawksbury Gardens Aged Care, in Salisbury North.

The project team met UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft on a sunny day in March to see the solar panels in action.

Libby says the benefits of such projects are far-reaching.

“The savings from solar can now be used to improve resident and client outcomes, but it’s also a great step towards improving our organisation’s sustainability,” she says.

UNITINGSA

10

We are in the process of developing new guidelines for our residential and aged care projects to ensure energy savings and environmental sustainability are at the heart of design.

Hybrid vehicles are also gradually being introduced to our fleet, which combine petrol engines with the efficiency of electric motors.

This means that the car battery recharges as the vehicle is being driven. The result is more fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

“We are always looking to improve the environmental performance of our services and reduce the impact of our operations on the environment,” James says.

“It’s not just a win for the environment; it’s a win for the people we support such as community housing tenants who in turn save on rising energy costs.”

“We are keen to work on more environmentallyfriendly projects in the future, where we can invest upfront for long-term gain.”

The project is already generating more power than needed on a daily basis, meaning we are able to export energy back into the grid.

It is expected that our carbon dioxide emission reduction will be the equivalent of planting 24,765 trees across the project’s 25-year lifetime!

PICTURED TOP: UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft, Property Services Manager James Minagall, Zen Energy Project Manager Nathan Crase, Hawksbury Gardens Director of Nursing Matthew Wood and EfficientSee founder Quentin Roberts at Hawksbury Gardens Aged Care, where solar has been installed.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

sprouts, Christmas cards for friends and family, and piggy banks to store hard earned savings.

One of their latest projects involved creating papier-mache baskets, in time to collect eggs for Easter.

Activities are by no means rigidly planned – one participant, Elizabeth, is quite happy to add some finishing touches to a basket and then switch to knitting.

The day we visit, she is knitting squares which will eventually form pouches to donate to help bushfire-affected wildlife.

She even taught Support Worker Siyi how to knit.

Another participant, Joe, loves coming to the group to catch up with friends from different Supported Residential Facilities (SRFs), who he wouldn’t otherwise see.

“I like drawing the best because it gives me a sense of relaxation and being creative.”

JOE

FINDING CONVERSATION AND CREATIVITY

T

hese NDIS participants are not only decorating their art projects with fluoro pinks, bright greens and vibrant blues, but also adding colour to the lives of their fellow group members.

PICTURED: UnitingSA support workers and NDIS participants enjoy the weekly art group at Trinity Church.

UnitingSA runs a weekly art group for people living with disability at Trinity Church in Alberton. It began as a games group about 12 years ago and evolved into an arts focus after participants developed a fondness towards flexing their creative muscles.

As you walk into the hall, everyone is gathered around a central table with paints, textas, stickers and colouring-in sheets. With the radio on in the background, conversations flow among friends as the artists drift between a variety of artistic pursuits.

Many who attend have been part of the group for more than six years and have created projects such as painted terra cotta pots for growing alfalfa

UNITINGSA

11

“I also like interacting with other people, like my friend Shane.”

Janet, who is among the Support Workers facilitating the group, says these casual social interactions are the glue which holds the group together.

“Because it’s a small group of 8–10, it has really become a comfortable environment for everyone to be themselves and open up,” Janet says.

“We have a cuppa while we work on the projects, celebrate birthdays with a cake each month and sometimes even do a quiz if everyone has packed up early.

“We’ve seen members of the group go through some rough patches in life, but they really take solace in coming to this group as a constant in their lives.”

Fellow Support Worker Stacey adds: “Sometimes I think us Support Workers get just as much out of it as the participants. It’s really therapeutic helping with the projects.”

The NDIS art group is currently on hold due to COVID-19 until further notice, however our team is continuing one-on-one support for people with NDIS plans. To find out more, contact 1800 531 880.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

As head of the group, Noah took on the role of Dungeon Master, which he says he learnt thanks to guidance from Jess.

The Dungeon Master is like the story teller of the game, leading players through the adventure and doling out the consequences of a participant’s actions.

THE POSITIVE REALITY OF PLAYING WITH FANTASY

N

oah has many ways to describe Dungeons & Dragons.

He calls it a “board game without the board,” a “fantasy world of elves, wizards and dragons” and even a “choose your own adventure book” with infinite options.

But no matter how he describes the role-playing game, the impact D&D is having on his life is far reaching.

Noah was first introduced to D&D by his family late in 2017 but his interest was truly piqued when he came across school holiday sessions being run through UnitingSA’s Urban Youth program.

Youth worker Jess developed the sessions to engage young people who, like her, may not be drawn to the typical school holiday programs that often revolve around sports.

Noah attended Jess’s sessions in 2018 and loved the experience but was unable to continue his D&D journey at that time because he couldn’t make it to the ongoing after school club.

Not long after, however, a new opportunity arose.

“At school last year we had to do what they call a community project, which took up three quarters of the year,” Noah, age 14, says.

“You had to do something for the community and take part.

“Most people did things related to the environment but I was thinking, ‘What can I do to help others that ties in with my interest’?”

Noah drew on his experience with D&D and decided to set up his own school holiday sessions as a way to engage young people in the community.

Using Jess for support, he arranged to host sessions at the Hamra Library, in the City of West Torrens, during the summer school holidays this year.

Noah says he felt a tonne of nerves when setting up his first session and waiting to see if anyone would attend.

He was relieved when two people arrived to take part and, over the course of three hours, the trio forged a friendship while participating in their fantasy world.

“At the start we felt nervous about sitting around a table with people we didn’t know in a place we hadn’t been before,” Noah says.

“But they were also passionate about Dungeons and Dragons.

“We were all having a great time and playing D&D at the same time, which was really good.”

By the second school holiday session, Noah’s group had grown to five players and by the third and final event he had seven players – eclipsing the group maximum of six.

He is now planning on setting up an after school or weekend D&D club so he can establish an ongoing campaign with like-minded young people.

Jess says it was incredible to watch Noah’s confidence grow each session as he realised his community project had clearly been a success.

She says D&D provides the ultimate framework for young people’s development.

“It helps to develop cooperation, they have to communicate, negotiate, there’s logical consequences and they improve social skills,” Jess says.

“It basically has the ingredients for everything you want young people to learn.”

JESS

Dungeons & Dragons school holiday sessions are temporarily on hold due to COVID-19, however you can register your interest with Jess at Urban Youth on jcollinsroe@unitingsa.com.au and she will contact you when sessions resume.

Happy birthday to our Centenarians

A

big Happy Birthday to our latest Centenarian at Wesley House Aged Care, Joyce Shorrock.

Joyce celebrated her July 2 birthday with family and friends, enjoying a delicious cake and other treats. Her birthday means there are now six residents at Wesley House aged 100 or over.

UNITINGSA

12

The oldest resident Fay Ellis turned an incredible 104 on June 13. What a milestone!

Fay credits her longevity to living a healthy, active lifestyle. Even today she still joins in some of the on-site activities and enjoys gathering in the communal lounge to chat with other residents.

PICTURED: Joyce turns 100 (top) and Fay celebrates her 104th birthday (bottom).

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

CARING FOR OUR CARERS As the carer support system in Australia is changing, we take a look at the important role Ethnic Link Services has played in supporting carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

U

nitingSA’s Ethnic Link Services is best known for offering language support for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

But what many people don’t realise is that for over a decade Ethnic Link Services has also been providing support for carers.

Support worker Olga says carers are largely family members who provide full-time unpaid support for their loved ones. “Carers are people who are doing a heavy job,” she says. “The carers we support are from a different background, facing language difficulties, cultural differences and often social isolation.

By helping the carer we are also helping the client.”

One of the carers Olga has supported using her Russian language skills is Julia. Ten years ago Olga started supporting Julia’s mother, Tatiana, who was then a 71-year-old who had emigrated from Moscow.

“Tatiana was pretty active back then but gradually she developed arthritis and she stopped walking and started needing a lot of help from Julia,” Olga explains.

“Julia had to stop working and become her mother’s full-time carer. That’s when I started supporting Julia as well.”

Much of Olga’s work with the family has involved providing advocacy and language support, both verbal and

written, to ensure they can attend appointments, fill in forms and access services such as housing, health and utilities.

“I know a lot of examples where people just avoid services or agencies because they don’t feel confident enough because of language difficulties,” Olga says.

“A lot of them don’t take a step because they are not sure how they will be accepted or if they will be listened to.”

Julia says a recent emergency with her mum, in which she had a nasty fall and broke her leg, really highlighted the need of such language support. Olga spent a lot of time at the hospital with Julia and Tatiana, conversing with the nurses and doctors and making sure important communication was understood by everyone. “Without her I wouldn’t have even known who to ask for help or known where to go,” Julia says.

Olga says regular support is critical to the wellbeing of both clients and their carers.

“It’s not only support with language and writing; it’s psychological support, it’s emotional support,” she says.

“It’s knowing there is always someone to call and ask for help, or even just to have a chat.”

Support Changes

A

t the end of May, changes to the carer support system in Australia were introduced and carers now access support from one of 16 Carer Gateway service providers across the country.

In South Australia, this support is being provided by Carers SA.

Ethnic Link Services staff are in the process of helping the carers we support to transition to the new Carer Gateway.

Importantly, we are advocating to ensure they are still able to access the language support that is so critical to their wellbeing.

We have loved delivering services to carers over the years and feel privileged to have been able to provide support to this incredibly dedicated group of people. Carers really are the unsung heroes of our community and we thank you all for the critical role you play in supporting others to live their best lives.

Carers requiring support are encouraged to register with the Carer Gateway by contacting Carers SA on 1800 422 737.

PICTURED: Julia (left) has been assisted by Ethnic Link Services support worker Olga in her role as a carer.

UNITINGSA

13

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

GRANDMA’S PANTRY LEAVES LASTING LEGACY

T

here have been some tears shed by the Wesley Social Enterprises (WSE) team in Kingston SE these past few months but even though they are saying goodbye to one of their services, they are not all tears of sorrow.

Many have been happy tears as the team celebrates the amazing journey of Grandma’s Pantry from inception to farewell.

The story of Grandma’s Pantry has its origins in 1990, when the parents of young adults living with a disability in Kingston SE wanted to create an opportunity for them to participate in meaningful employment.

They formed the Kingston Supported Employment Service (now WSE), which began as a social enterprise delivering garden maintenance services under the banner of the Kingston Lawn Rangers.

It was the first time meaningful supported employment had been available in Kingston SE for people with disability and it was quickly embraced by the community and started to grow.

Within two years, in response to the diversified wants and needs of the expanding team, Grandma’s Pantry was

launched to offer supported employees an additional stream of work.

Turning fresh produce into delicious jams, biscuits, chutneys and sauces became the staple of the social enterprise, which fast gained a reputation in the region for high quality goods.

W

SE Kingston SE Manager Sue Chester says the journey of Grandma’s Pantry is one that the whole SouthEast community can be proud of.

It was dreamt up by locals, provided employment for locals and was supported by locals right to the end.

“The biggest legacy of Grandma’s Pantry is it has provided meaningful supported employment for people who otherwise may never have had the opportunity to be employed unless they shifted away from their home town,” Sue says.

“It’s given them a wage but more than that, it’s given them the opportunity to make friends, to be valued in their community for what they can do and to be included.

“I think that’s probably the greatest gift they get out of it – being included.”

Over the years Grandma’s Pantry has evolved to suit the times; at one stage the team made fresh pies and pasties

to deliver to the local footy club on game day, and during another period the supported employees were flat out catering for events across the region.

The social enterprise also sold a lot of goods made by locals in its early days, operating more like a community shop run by volunteers and taking a commission from each sale.

In its final days, the Grandma’s Pantry team that had once peaked at 15 supported employees had just three remaining – Matty, Aaron and James – owing to people moving out of the region.

And it had changed from once supplying products to businesses and organisations across the South-East to having just two distribution partners – the Caltex service station in Tailem Bend and Cape Jaffa Wines in Mount Benson.

“We want to say a big thank you to both of these businesses for being such loyal supporters of Grandma’s Pantry right to the end,” Sue says.

“It’s thanks to partnerships such as these that we were able to continue for as long as we did.”

Sue also wants everyone to know that Wesley Social Enterprises is still going strong.

The Early Days

UNITINGSA

14

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

The final Grandma’s Pantry supported employees have smoothly transitioned to the Kingston Lawn Rangers team and are enjoying their work outdoors mowing lawns and conducting garden maintenance across Kingston and surrounds.

WSE will also continue providing support services to people with disability in the region through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“Just because Grandma’s Pantry is gone, it doesn’t mean that’s the end of what we can achieve,” Sue says.

“It’s about refocussing now, making sure the community knows that the Kingston Lawn Rangers are still running, and looking at what else is out there that needs to be done and how we can go about it.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ADELAIDE’S SOUTH-WEST

W

ork is underway on an exciting new townhouse development in Kurralta Park, which will provide social and affordable housing for South Australians struggling to enter the rental market.

“We are still here and that’s a really important message for the community.”

B

riony Bennier was the supervisor of Grandma’s Pantry for its final decade and says she will always cherish her time with the team.

“I loved spending time with the supported employees, seeing them happy and teaching them new things,” she says.

“It was a great place to work – beautiful people, beautiful souls, all of them.”

BRIONY

“They became my little family and I will always remember that we were all a team; we worked as one.”

UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft says while it is never easy to close a service, it is important to reflect on what Grandma’s Pantry has achieved.

Our housing division, UnitingSA Housing, is building nine two-storey townhouses on the corner of Daly and Mortimer Streets, close to shopping and public transport.

“Not only did Grandma’s Pantry create delicious products, it created meaningful employment and that’s what really counts,” Ms Craft says.

The properties will be prioritised for people on low to moderate incomes including families, young people and new arrivals.

“We will proudly continue to provide meaningful supported employment for people with disability in the Limestone Coast through our other WSE services.

Building of the two and threebedroom townhouses is expected to be complete in early 2021.

“Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the Grandma’s Pantry story and to all of those who continue to be a part of Wesley Social Enterprises now and into the future.”

PICTURED TOP: WSE’s Kingston team at the Grandma’s Pantry shopfront in recent years and (left) the early days as Kingston Supported Employment Service.

UnitingSA CEO Libby Craft says the project is part of our goal to address the need for affordable housing in the community.

“The high cost of renting in South Australia makes it difficult for many people to enter the housing market,” Ms Craft says.

“This development transforms one property into nine modern townhouses, ensuring greater

UNITINGSA

15

access to affordable and quality housing for our community.

“We will be installing solar panels on all townhouses to reduce electricity bills for future tenants.

“Given the challenges around the decline in social housing, we are proud to be able to contribute to positive housing outcomes for more South Australians.”

In late 2019, UnitingSA Housing became the first tier-two community housing provider in Australia to be awarded a low interest loan through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

The loan has fast-tracked the Kurralta Park development and will also assist with our plans for additional community housing projects across Adelaide.

FLOURISH MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 10 | 2020

70 Dale Street • PO Box 3032, Port Adelaide, SA 5015 P. (08) 8440 2200 E. unitingsa@unitingsa.com.au W. unitingsa.com.au @unitingsa Photography: Catherine Leo at cathleo.com.au Editorial enquiries or feedback: (08) 8200 9213 © Copyright 2020 UnitingSA