Grampians Region CHSP and HACC-PYP Service Providers
Annual Forum.
The forum will be held virtually, and conducted throughout the day. Registration details and Forum program will be released shortly. Watch this space for updates.
CHSP Clinical Conversations “It’s a wrap”
You are invited to an opportunity to experience the full benefit of the Grampians Region Critical Conversations program.
The wrap-up session will address the following:
Reinforce they messages from the Commonwealth Community Aged Care Reforms.
Highlight the key transitions required as part of the Commonwealth Community Aged Care Reforms
Direct participants to existing resources available to assist with the transition process.
Foster opportunities for partnerships to address the Commonwealth Aged Care Reforms.
This session will run for 90 minutes and is an innovation extended to the broader CHSP sector – beyond existing participants of the Grampians Region – Safe and Effective Care: Critical Conversation program.
Tuesday 31 May 2022: 11am – 12.30pm via zoom. All participants wanting to join need to register at: https://www.trybooking.com/BZHXS
May 17 is International Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination (IDAHOBIT)
31 years ago – on May 17, 1990 – the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) celebrates LGBTQIA+ people globally, and raises awareness for the work still needed to combat discrimination.
Some ways you can celebrate this day are:
–Go Rainbow. Wear a splash of rainbow for the day or add a rainbow backdrop to your online meetings
–Run an Event. Host a rainbow morning tea, meeting or email out a newsletter with special messages
–Start a Project. Use IDAHOBIT as a way to launch a project that supports sexual & gender diversity.
–Shout it Proud. Use your networks to promote your involvement in the day.
You can register for a free workplace toolkit to help you get involved at the following link: At Work – IDAHOBIT – May 17
Meet our Diversity Champions
We thought it was about time we got to know some of our Diversity & inclusion Champions within the Grampians Aged Care Sector. Periodically throughout the year, we will be highlighting these Champions & learning what Diversity means to them.
Meet Lorraine Donaldson
Diversity is being your ‘authentic self’ and living your ‘authentic life’
Role: Community Development Worker Service Coordination
Organisation: East Wimmera Health Service
How long have you been in the role? 6 years
Tell us about a Career Highlight?
Creation of Rural Rainbows: developing the LGBTIQ Advisory Committee and Advocacy group, the committee of volunteers, development of the Rural Rainbows Facebook page (over 1K followers), new logo, website and Strategic Plan
Successful Victorian Government LGBTIQ Organisational Development Grant application to develop North Central LGBTIQ Network/Rural Rainbows. Now known as Rural Rainbows, as we have no boundaries!
Involvement in the Equality Roadshow events in Stawell and Buloke, Victorian Government LGBTIQ Community of Practice events, Victorian Government LGBTIQ Strategy, Rainbow Ready Roadmap and the celebration of LGBTIQ Days of Significance locally such as IDAHOBIT Flag Raising events.
What inspires you?
Recognition that my work is important, valued and respected by my peers and work colleagues, all the time, not just around accreditation time!
Seeing the change in the attitudes of staff to become more inclusive and to truly celebrate our diversity.
What is one thing people might not know about you?
I worked in Banking and Finance for over 25 years and was the ANZ Bank Manager for 4 branches: St Arnaud, Donald, Wedderburn and Wycheproof, and an agency @ Charlton.
What does Diversity mean to you?
To me, Diversity is what makes as all unique. We all have individual life experiences, beliefs, characteristics and backgrounds. These shape who we are and what is important to us. We can identify with multiple characteristics at any given time or given context.
What do Inclusive & accessible home care services mean to you?
Inclusive home care services are about respecting and valuing each individual for who they are, what they believe and how they live their lives.
It is acknowledging, respecting and celebrating their diversity. It is also promoting health, well-being and a positive health experience for every person, every time.
It means encouraging, supporting and working with people so they can access services with safety and living independently at home.
Intersectionality In addition to common challenges, social differences often overlap as people identify with more than one characteristic, exacerbating already complex issues.
There is no limit to the number of different characteristics a person holds and no two people’s lived experiences are the same.
Equity is about fairness. It is about recognising that disadvantage exists and finding solutions to the barriers, behaviours and attitudes that create unequal situations and outcomes.
In order to be fair it is necessary to treat people differently.
Equity doesn’t mean disadvantaging anyone.
It is about making the playing field level.
Natalie Miller, Regional Advisor – Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness, nataliem@bchc.org.au
Service Provider Spotlight
Treehouse Program – Central Highlands Rural Health
This month we are highlighting the ‘Treehouse’ program conducted by Central Highlands Rural Health for people living at home with dementia.
The Treehouse is a supportive and safe meeting place for people with dementia to socialise and take part in activities that promote independence and wellbeing, while providing carers the opportunity to take time out.
Seventy-three-year-old Lewis has been attending the Treehouse in Trentham since its launch. He heard about the program through his carer Chris, who attends one of Central Highlands Rural Health’s support groups for carers of people living with dementia.
“The Treehouse is welcoming and fun. I like talking to different people and I look forward to it each week. I enjoy the banter about the footy and have made some good friends, even if they don’t barrack for Collingwood!” said Lewis.
Lewis’ carer Chris is happy to see him socialise with others.
“During the pandemic it was really hard; we couldn’t see friends and we both missed human contact. When Lewis first started coming to the Treehouse I was at a bit of a loss and not sure what to do with my free time. But now I’m making the most of it and go for walks and visit cafes,” said Chris.
We’re very proud of the program – its relaxed and homely feel – and that we’ve been able to help improve the mental and physical wellbeing of people in our local communities who are living at home with dementia. Feedback has helped to highlight the positive changes for clients after attending the Treehouse program, including an increase in the overall happiness of clients, improved sleep patterns, improved socialisation outside of the program, and improvement in overall quality of life for both clients and carers.
Are you aware of where to find the information and updates regarding Aged Care updates – including reform works, regular updates and opportunities for engagement?
We encourage you to subscribe to both of these websites to ensure that you receive current and timely information – which is critical as we proceed through these reforms.
Consultation Opportunity – Support At Home Service List
The Department is consulting on the types of services that should be supported through in-home aged care.
The aim of the Survey is to consult with consumers (senior Australians, their carers and family members), providers and professionals who work in aged care about the proposed Service List to ensure their feedback is captured.
The Survey asks senior Australians, their carers and family members to consider services they currently receive (or being received by the person they are caring for) to ensure vital aged care support services are not lost from the new and compare these to the proposed service list.
NOTE: If the survey respondent identifies as a recipient or carer of a person accessing services, the questions are different. They ask the responder to rank the important of service types, etc.
For survey respondents who identify as working in home care there are 4 key questions
·Are the services you provide/your organisation provides, included in the example service list, including those related to dementia support and services for people with diverse needs?
·Do you think there are any current or proposed goods or services which should be excluded from an in-home care service list?
·Do you see any challenges in implementing the example service list?
·Do you have any other comments on the service list? (can enter free text or upload any documents for consideration)
Did you know that the Data Exchange is running a series of ‘Deep Dives’ on the Data Exchange Reports. This month, the Resource Planning report was highlighted.
This report allows organisations to compare the intensity of services delivered between two consecutive financial years. This report can be helpful when organisations want to compare the number of individual and/or group clients, sessions and cases over different years to help them in their resource planning. There are four sheets available:
Clients
Sessions
Cases
Summary
For all sheets, you can only compare years that are one year apart from each other. If you select only one year from the filters table, by default the sheet will generate a graph comparing the year selected and the year before. Each graph compares either the number of clients, sessions, or cases, by month for the selected year. This can help inform organisations of trends throughout the year.
You can also filter by delivery organisations and outlets.
You will only see the information submitted by your organisation, or your delivery partner, where a Handshake agreement is in place. The examples shown below are not indicative of any specific organisation and have been filtered by the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22.
