BRIGHTWATERON TAP DECEMBER 2013

Bombers win 4th place in Wii world championship

Opening the Curtin for successful dental program

Be friends with efriends

Culture, communication and relationships at work

Scholarship winners 2013

In this issue....

Message from the CEO

Bombers win 4th place in Wii world championship

Brightwater Joondalup’s Wii team the Bombers have placed fourth in the 2013 Wii World Championship. This is Brightwater’s second year participating in the competition which was organized by Kylie Mathieson, Occupational Therapist at Amana Living. Each year Kylie invites all residential aged care facilities to participate in the 8 week competition.

Teams submit their weekly scores and at the end of the eight weeks the winners are announced. This year a total of 44 Residential Aged Care Facilities, Retirement Villages and Day Centres took part in the exciting competition.

Joondalup was presented with a trophy and cheque on Wednesday, 13th November 2013.

“Taking part in the competition opens our residents up to technology, encourages active movement and provides a fantastic opportunity for a social get together,” says Sue Glenn, Therapy Assistant and Coach of the Bombers.

“It was a pleasure participating in this year’s Wii World Championship. Our residents really enjoyed the experience and we are proud to have done so well. Go the Bombers,” says Angela Lowe, Manager at Brightwater Joondalup.

The Bombers are already busy plotting their strategy and practicing for next year’s World Championship.

The Bombers celebrating their win at an afternoon tea

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLE

It seems from some of the features in this On Tap edition, that we are all really embracing the electronic age. I am finding it hard to keep up!

On Tap is on the web.

The ‘Bombers’ are perfecting Wii, and are threatening to knock the world champions from their perch.

More than 150 people have learned to make wonderful connections with friends, family, and perhaps even the whole world, thanks to the eFriends project.

What a collection of exciting achievements – who said growing old is when everything slows down?

Christmas is soon with us, and I expect some have begun to find last year’s recipes for puddings, cakes, and how to cook that turkey. The shops are full of temptations and our children, and grandchildren, are full of anticipation.

May I wish you all a wonderful time of friendship and enjoyment this Christmas. More than anything, may I wish you peace and happiness and a new year full of opportunities.

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLECulture, communications and relationships at work

Brightwater Care Group, in partnership with Juniper – A Uniting Church Community, was awarded a Government of Western Australia Social Innovation Grant to develop the Culture, Communication and Relationships at Work program.

On Wednesday, 18 September 2013 the Honourable Terry Redman MLA, Minister for Training and Workforce Development, launched this program that aims to build a culturally competent and engaged workforce for the aged care, disability and community service sectors.

The Culture Communication and Relationships at Work program aims

to reduce barriers to communication posed by cultural and language differences, improve relationship building skills, build a harmonious, culturally diverse workforce, enhance supervisor skills to successfully manage a culturally diverse workforce and reduce staff turnover. Achieving this will ultimately lead to better outcomes for residents and clients.

“Our most recent concern has been how best to support our already amazing staff, given that our 2,000 strong workforce represents 60 ethnic backgrounds, with only 11 having English as their first language. We are all learning to understand much more about each other’s cultural beliefs, expectations and experiences, and we are learning how to communicate more effectively with each other and the people we care for. This program is helping Brightwater to ensure we keep creating an environment in which our people want to work, and in which our residents, clients and their families thrive,” says Dr. Penny Flett, CEO Brightwater Care Group

A resource kit (including program materials, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, organisational guidelines) has been developed and is publically available with electronic copies downloadable free of charge from a number of websites including Fortis Consulting, WestOne, Dept. of Training & Workforce Development, Chamber Of Commerce & Industry, The Aged Care Accreditation Agency, The Community Services, Education & Health Training Council. Printed copies are available for purchase at cost price from WestOne.

The Project Management Team would like to acknowledge and thank all who have contributed to this project from Brightwater. This includes the staff who participated in the focus groups, completed the surveys, and in particular, all the staff at Onslow Gardens and Marangaroo who participated in the pilot training program. Your contribution has been invaluable to the success of this project.

Special thanks goes to the Managers involved with the pilot, who provided workplace specific knowledge and hosted the pilot training program, Di Oswald from Brightwater Onslow Gardens and Terry Wragg from Brightwater Marangaroo.

From left to right: Margaret Antonucci (Juniper), Cathy Sheerin (Brightwater), Mary Gurgone (Fortis Consulting), The Honourable Terry Redman (MLA – Minister for Training and Workforce Development; Water; Forestry), Lorraine Kickett (Juniper), Dr Penny Flett

(CEO Brightwater), Laurie Burns (Brightwater), Vaughan Harding (Executive Officer, Juniper), Therese De Luce (Brightwater), Steve Dean (Fortis Consulting)

Be friends with eFriendsBrightwater was recently awarded a generous Lotterywest grant of $24,000 that is now being used to help reduce social isolation through the use of technology. Small groups of Brightwater clients are being taught how to use technology by The eFriends Project (eFriends), which is a project of Befriend Inc., a Perth based not for profit organisation. Brightwater is one of the first organisations to engage with Befriend to offer this innovative program to its clients.

“We are really excited to be able to implement this program. It is in response to client’s requests to learn more about how to use a computer and access the Internet to connect with their friends and family,” says Sandy Komen, Manager Brightwater At Home services.

eFriends started about two years ago with the help of a Second Click grant given out by the Western Australian Government. The grant enabled eFriends to run a pilot program that taught participants how to use their iPads, Skype, e-mail and search engines. Emily Scarff, Occupational Therapist at Brightwater Redcliffe and Project Manager of eFriends is leading the project.

eFriends has already taught over 150 people how to use their technological devices to connect with others. The training sessions are mainly run by Occupational Therapy (OT) students. “The reason why we generally employ OT students is that they have a sound understanding of our client’s underlying conditions and can work within their limitations and come up with any necessary solutions to overcome barriers,” says Emily.

Fourty At Home Services clients are currently participating in the program and will receive ten hours of training per person. There is no set curriculum, which allows trainers to work with clients individually and set an achievable goal. “It allows people to learn at their own pace in an emotionally safe environment. We want to make people feel comfortable during the class,” says Emily.

For one of the participants, Joy, taking part in the training course means being able to reconnect with her family. The only way she has been able to communicate with her daughter is over the phone and is very excited to actually be able to not only talk to her but also see her. “Although we speak on the phone regularly there is something very special about being able to see my daughter as I chat with her. It almost seems like she’s not so far away,” said Joy.

“So much of our world is now online and the more technology advances, the more people get left behind. There is a great technological divide at the moment that eFriends is trying to overcome,” says Emily.

eFriends will be working together with The Brightwater Centre to evaluate the course’s usefulness to clients. “I am looking forward to working with The Brightwater Centre. With their help we will be able to accurately measure the effectiveness of the program,” says Emily.

If you would like to find out more about eFriends please visit their website www.befriend.org.au or contact Emily Scarff on efriends@befriend.org.au. For more information on the program being run with Brightwater please visit our webpage www.brightwatergroup.com or contact welcome@brightwatergroup.com.

Joy demonstrating her newly acquired computer skills

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLE

Client Ken during a training session

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLEOpening the Curtin for successful dental programBrightwater Care Group recently collaborated with Curtin University to enable students to provide free training on oral care and hygiene to facility staff. As part of their final project the University’s Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy students completed a one to two hour long training session at Brightwater Oats Street, Huntingdale and Edgewater.

This project provides both Brightwater and Curtin University with great benefits, as students get to apply the learned theory and staff enjoy an interesting education session. “The students are put into real life situations. This is part of their major project and they will be going back to class to present their project. It is a valuable collaboration for both the students and staff at Brightwater,” says Joe Raheb, lecturer at the Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy at Curtin University.

Students enjoy the experience and identify the value this adds to the work that staff can do. “If you educate enough staff it will hopefully set a chain reaction in motion and they pass their knowledge on to other staff. Our goal is to teach Brightwater staff the right approaches to dental hygiene that they can then apply at work,” says Camilla, one of Curtin’s students that participated in the program. During the sessions, the staff were shown the correct approaches to good dental hygiene and how to support our residents appropriately in this aspect of their care.

“This fantastic project was only possible due to the tremendous support from management and staff at our Edgewater, Huntingdale and Oats Street facilities. This is the first time that Brightwater has collaborated with Curtin Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy and we hope that this successful relationship will continue for many years to come. It is a great form of staff training for Brightwater and at the same time enables Curtin students to undergo their student projects onsite,” says Timothy Lo, Allied Health Services Consultant at Brightwater.Staff practicing their knowledge under the guidance

of a student at Brightwater Huntingdale

Down to businessBrightwater Care Group recently received a very generous second donation from Downer EDI. Having already contributed to the capital campaign to rebuild Oats Street, this pledge goes towards the Brightwater Lyn Beazley Scholarship as featured in the October edition of On Tap. Mike Sutton, Chief Operating Officer, Downer EDI (West) and Kerry Sanderson, Director at Downer EDI visited Oats Street to get to know the facility and clients.

The group was joined by Jennifer Lawrence, General Manager, Services for Younger People and Major Projects, Ian Craig, Executive Manager Philanthropy and Partnerships and Steven Cole, Chairman of Brightwater’s Board. Oats Street client Michael visited for a chat and to enjoy a scone.

Thank you Downer EDI for this kind donation.

Pictured above from left to right: Kerry Sanderson, Steven Cole, Mike Sutton, Michael Ellison, Jennifer Lawrence and Ian Craig

Donna Petersen wins WA nursing and midwifery excellence award Donna Petersen, Deputy Care Manager at Brightwater Madeley, won the 2013 Nursing and Midwifery excellence award in the category Residential and Aged Care. Donna was honoured during a Gala Dinner on Sunday, 27 October 2013.

The awards are an important opportunity to publicly recognise and celebrate the achievements of nurses and midwives who have made an outstanding contribution to their professions in Western Australia. The Residential and Aged Care category is for enrolled nurses or registered nurses currently working in area(s) of residential care or a setting where aged care is provided.

“I’m very honoured to receive this award. Anyone who works in aged care deserves recognition as it is a tough gig,” says Donna.

Congratulations Donna!

Scholarship winners 2013Every year Brightwater Care Group awards the Don Hutchison and Peter Lane Scholarship. The Board continually receives fantastic proposals by applicants to undertake unique and innovative projects that are intended to benefit the quality of care provided to clients and residents.

The Don Hutchison Scholarship was established in 2001 to acknowledge the outstanding commitment to the organization by Mr Don Hutchison, who served for 25 years on the Board of the Homes of Peace, now Brightwater Care Group. Mr Hutchison was Chairman of the Board for the last 13 years of his service until his retirement in October 2001.

The Peter Lane Scholarship was established in 2008 through a generous donation from the Lane family in memory of their son, Peter. Peter and his family had experienced the devastating impact of acquired neurological disability, resulting in Peter residing in Brightwater facilities prior to his death in 2004.

This year Adelene Yap, Rehabilitation Coordinator at Oats Street, Yan Pin Lim, Physiotherapist at Oats Street and Kristylee Sharp, Rehabilitation Coordinator at Oats Street were successful in securing the Peter Lane Scholarship. Adelene and Yan’s aim is to create and assess the use of audio visual aids to complement visual care plans. Kristylee will instigate the research and development of culturally competent services for Aboriginal people with an Acquired Brain Injury and their support networks in regional Western Australia.

Sarah-Jane Brummage, Occupational Therapist at Edgewater, Gaynor Noonan and Angela Lowe, Manager Brightwater Edgewater, Debbie De Freitas, Manager The Oaks and Wendy Hudson, wellbeing and dementia coordinator won the Don Hutchison Scholarship.

Sarah-Jane and Gaynor will be implementing and evaluating service design and sustainability of a model of wellbeing mapping (WBM) at Edgewater over twelve months. Debbie and Wendy are going to work on a dining enhancement project that will develop, pilot and evaluate a process in two houses at the Oaks for 12 months to enhance the lunchtime experience.

Congratulations to all recipients of this year’s scholarships!

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLE

Peter Lane Scholarship recipients and Mrs. Lane (right)

Don Hutchison Scholarship recipients and Mrs. Hutchison (seated)

CARE LEARNING INNOVATION PEOPLECentenarians all aroundFrieda Sullivan who lives at Brightwater The Cove and Rosa Lannu from Brightwater The Oaks recently celebrated their 100th birthdays. They both enjoyed morning tea together with their friends and families.

Happy Birthday Frieda and Rosa!

Frieda celebrating her special day with The Honourable Dr. Kim Hames, Minister for Health

Rosa enjoying her birthday celebration at The Oaks

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Brightwater Clinical Symposium 2013This year’s Clinical Symposium was a big success with over 300 staff attending over 5 days at four different venues. Staff came from right across Brightwater – from Joondalup to Mandurah - from Services for Younger People, Residential Aged Care and At Home Services. Attendees included a wide range of multidisciplinary staff including a variety of positions with team leaders, coordinators, allied health, nurses and care managers.

Attendees also included IPE students, committee members from the Brightwater Board Care Committee, Carers Recognition Advisory Group (CRAG) and Disability Access Inclusion Group (DAIG).

The Clinical Symposium’s focus for this year was on Dementia, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease “Embracing the opportunities”.

The day included expert speakers on the topics, case presentations and showcasing special events. Volunteers also presented on how they work to support our residents/clients and residents and clients shared their stories about what it’s like to walk in their shoes.

“There were lots of learnings from the various speakers including understanding how sometimes we contribute to ‘excess disability’, for us to focus on the ‘ability and what are clients/residents can do’ as opposed to focusing on their disability. That is embracing the opportunity to see and do things differently,” said Marian McCarthy, Manager Health Care Deliver at Brightwater.

Presentations are available on SharePoint, for all staff to access. Go to Clinical Care tab, Clinical Symposium 2013 for all presentations.

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If you would like to view a previous version of On Tap please visit our website www.brightwatergroup.com