Unity in Diversity – Harmony Day Thursday 21 March 2019
Harmony Day is celebrated every year in Australia to celebrate the cohesive and inclusive nature of Australia and promotes a tolerant and culturally diverse society. We will have a display in reception of the cultural diversity of our staff. Call in at Beechworth Road to view it and say
Hello!……. G’day Bonjour – Bulla – Kia Ora – Kuzoozanapo La – Buongiorno – Sawasdee – Namaste – Salaam – Ola – Ciao – Hullo – Godkväll
Meals on Wheels – New Menu!
Nutritious balanced meals are cooked fresh daily and delivered by our wonderful volunteers. The menu has recently been updated and a vegetarian menu has been added with some tasty options. It is now a set menu on a fortnightly rotation, so you know exactly what you will be receiving on the days you order meals. If you are having trouble preparing meals for yourself that are nutritious, why not give meals on wheels a try to see if something appeals to your tastebuds. Meals are available 7 days per week, 365 days of the year, and you can opt to have a meal delivered once a week, once a fortnight or every day if you like. If you would like a copy of the new menu, phone the office or call in and pick one up.
Lawn Mowing and Home Maintenance
Thank you all for working with us while our contractors mowed their way around your services. It was very busy and not without some headaches and delays. Thank you for your patience and thanks to our hardworking contractors and the new contractors who will be looking after your lawns.
Concerns and Complaints
We welcome all feedback. Good, bad or indifferent. We want to know what is working for you and what is not. If we know, we can act. If it’s good, we compliment our staff – if it’s not, we try hard to improve it.
Public Holidays
Coming up are; Labour Day Victoria Monday March 11th and Easter from Good Friday 19th April to Easter Monday 22nd April. Please be aware there may be changes to your carers and service times on public holidays.
Difficult Conversations – Advanced Care Planning
It’s normal not to want to talk about death or dying. 82% of Australians feel that talking about their death and dying wishes is important. But when it comes to it, most people don’t bring themselves to have the conversation.
End of life care is for people of any age and is about the palliative care services you and your family receive when you are facing your end of life. It often involves many health professionals bringing together a range of skills to manage your illness, where possible where you want care – at home, in hospital or in an aged care residence.
Palliative care is about improving your quality of life when facing a life-limiting illness. It focuses on your individual needs and aims to prevent and relieve suffering by treating not only the physical, but also the emotional, social and spiritual symptoms. If you would like to know more about Advanced Care Planning, we can provide you with information to guide you. Please call in for a brochure or access, www.health.gov.au/palliativecare
STAFF
56 Qualified Carers
Social Connections Coordinator – Belinda
Social Connections Activities Officers – Carolyn, Jenny, Stacey, Jill, Chris & Janet
Reception/Administration – Alyssa, Caterina and Ann-Marie
Administration and NDIS – Kim
Client Care – Catherine and Pauline
Business Development – Ann
Schedulers – Michelle, Graeme, Julie and Sharon
Quality, Compliance and Volunteers – Krissy
Home Care Package Case Managers – Ann, Meagan, Sue, Jennifer, Wendy
Clinical Care Services
Registered Nurse – Samantha
Community Finance – Lorraine and Anne
Community Care Coordinator – Rhianna
Director Community Care – Christine
Social Connections – Group Activities at ‘The Willows’
We run a variety of group activities from the Willows at 11b McFarland Road, Wodonga. Programs currently run daily and include a meal and transport. We recently commenced a monthly movie night.
We would like to diversify this program and run other programs that might appeal to more people. It is healthy for us to stay connected to our community and it would be great for those who can’t or don’t get out very often and those who don’t have a social network. It’s a great opportunity to get out of the house, meet some new people, perhaps make some new friends, try something different and learn something new.
You will have received a Social Connections Survey with your January invoices in the mail. We would really like to hear from you about your interests and what type of groups, programs and activities you would like to join in.
Please complete the survey and return to us at our office, 193 Beechworth Road or to The Willows on McFarland Road. We will be collating the feedback and trying to implement some new activities based on your preferences.
Current activities are art and craft, music, games, quizzes, indoor bowls, gentle exercises, potted gardening and theme activities e.g. Beach Week, Cultural Celebrations including Australia Day. There is also a Willows Club which runs three days per week which is a smaller group in a secure activity centre for clients with a dementia diagnosis.
A Men’s Group is planned to commence in April and may include fishing outings, men’s shed visits, gardening, a darts competition, men’s health, fix it sessions and we hope to engage with more men from the community to be part of this group.
A Healthy Living program is also being planned and ideas for this group are gentle exercises (even seated in a chair), healthy eating with some easy, healthy cooking lessons, health professionals will be invited to discuss hearing, eyesight, diet and nutrition, mobility and aids to help you stay safe at home. The program may also include Thai chi, mindfulness, walking groups, refreshments, some conversation and sharing experiences.
All while being supported by caring, qualified staff and volunteers and at a pace that suits you. No pressure!
Please take the time to complete the survey, we need to know what YOU would like to get involved in
Reminder Direct Debits
The direct debits are processed on the 21st of each month, with fortnightly direct debits and HCP client debits also being processed on the 7th of each month, or the next business day.
We cannot take cash payments at the office
If you wish to pay your account in person at the office, please bring your EFTPOS/Credit Card to make a payment. We no longer accept cash payments. If you must pay cash, you will need to pay at the Westpac Bank in High Street.
Healthy Living Spot… Wellness & Reablement
Historically aged care has predominantly been delivered via clinical and hospital style models. These generally focus on a person’s illness or dysfunction and, are not conducive towards independence. Such models rely on ‘doing for’ the individual, which leads to dependency, limited choice, lifestyle constraints and institutionalism through the ageing journey. A path that typically lacks meaningful activity and rapidly leads to isolation, depression, cognitive decline and hastens dysfunction. In response to this, Wellness and Reablement Models of Care are becoming more recognised. Supported by an emerging body of evidence, this approach has been shown to improve function, cognition, independence and quality of life for older people. Lidia Conti – AdvantiCare
Westmont would like to work with you on your Wellness and Reablement. Tell us what is working for you. Have you gained an improvement in something you do, has your health improved and things have gotten a little easier for you?
We ask our carers to let us know of the things that they are concerned about for you, what is wrong or not working for you, but we are now asking them to help you recognise and celebrate the things you can still do for yourself. Hold onto your independence as long as you can and work hard on rehabilitation when needed to regain your abilities.
Your quality of life will improve and you will feel good about being able to still do things for yourself.
Help is available for what you need help with, but hang on tight to your independence and abilities.