Contents

Service Access 9490 4222Home Care 9490 4222Property Maintenance 9434 5783Delivered Meals 9434 5783Social Support 9499 4795Banyule City Council After hours emergency service 9490 4222Your home care area contactSouth Sarah 9457 9911 Belinda 9457 9921Central Michelle 9457 9914 Angela 9457 9980North Carmel 9457 9918 Natalie 9457 9953East Jenny 9457 9924 Nicole 9457 9850

Out of Hours numberShould you need to cancel your HACC service, particularly on the weekend or outside business hours, please contact Banyule City Council on 9490 4222 and your message will be passed on to the relevant person.

Spring 2013

Welcome to the Spring edition of HACC Chat, we hope this issue finds you in good spirits.

In this issue we see what our Social Support groups have been up to. Carerlinks North have sent us information regarding new programs for carers which will help you in your caring role.

Hearing impairment is an issue that can have a major impact on a person’s enjoyment of life. We offer some suggestions not only to the person with the hearing loss but family and friends.

In our fight to stamp out the abuse of older persons, we continue to let you know of services such as the Seniors Rights Legal Clinics that can support you with decisions you may be unsure about.

Lastly don’t forget that Banyule celebrates Seniors throughout October. Grab a copy of the program or visit Banyule City Council’s website and join in on the fun!

As always, your feedback/articles are very helpful and are most welcome. Happy Reading.

Page 2Social Support Groups Out and About Privacy/Confidentiality

Page 3Staff Recognition

Financial Assistance for Seniors

Page 4Older Carers Support

Carelinks North

Page 5Hearing Loss Tips for Individuals

Page 6Hearing Loss Tips for Families

Banyule Seniors Festival 2013

Page 7Suggestions

Page 8Translations

Service DeliverySocial Support Groups Out and About

The Tuesday Macleod ladies Group have had some interesting trips and activities. A highlight was a trip out to Yarra Glen to visit a chocolatiers. The ladies have also had a day out in Montmorency where they enjoyed hamburgers for lunch.

Guest instructors from the Ivanhoe Leisure Centre attended our programs at Binnak Park, Bond St and Macleod to provide some exercise classes for our groups. The instructors provided a variety of exercises for us to try including strength training, yoga, gentle exercise and resistance training. The classes were enjoyed by all the groups who participated, with the instructors making sure the classes were specifically tailored to the needs and abilities of the various groups. They went out of their way to make the classes active, inclusive and above all fun!

The clubs also had two very popular Ceramics classes facilitated by Gayle Lovelace from the ‘Artscool’ program. Gayle provided the clients with blank ceramic pieces and clients traced designs copied from pictures on to them. Gayle instructed everyone on how to use special ceramic paints and glazes to add the colours onto the artworks. The finished products were fired in a kiln and returned the next week and each client was able to take their finished design home with them.

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Friendly Reminder

Staff are not permitted to work in your home when you are not there and no private arrangements are to be made to leave keys etc. Please arrange an alternative day for service by ringing the Home Care office. If you wish to contact a particular HACC staff member, please contact their team leader on 9490 4222.

Privacy/Confidentiality

As well as providing you with Home Care, Personal Care, respite care and other services, another key component of the Home and Community Care program is monitoring your health, safety and wellbeing.

During the assessment process, with your permission, we gather information such as your name, address, emergency contacts and doctor’s contact details. We also collect information regarding your health, other supports you may have and how you are managing tasks such as shopping, cooking, personal care and accessing the community. This helps us to assist you in living in the community independently and in monitoring your wellbeing. You may have also been asked to give permission for your information to be sent to another service provider who could assist you, for example, occupational therapy or podiatry.

This information is confidential and only professionals in the nominated service can see your information, which is guided by our 08289 Privacy Policy. We can only pass on this information if you give us consent. The only other way your information can be released is if it is required by law, such as in a medical emergency.

The information we gather about you is stored securely and treated with confidence in accordance with the Information and Privacy Act 2000 and the Health Records Act 2001. You or your advocates have the right to access this information at any time, or ask for the information to be corrected if this information has changed. You may also withdraw your permission to release information about you to other agencies at any time. Requests need to be made in writing to the Home Care office.

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Support Services

Staff Recognition

On Thursday 13 June at the Banyule City Council staff recognition lunch. Five staff members from HACC were recognised for their years of service to City of Heidelberg and Banyule City Council Home Care Departments. They were:

Lorraine Mackay Property Maintenance 25 yearsAnne Sargent Home Support worker 25 yearsJennifer Clark Team Leader Home Care 20 yearsBeris Cook Admin Worker Home Care 20 yearsGlenda O’Connor Admin Support HACC 20 years

Beris Cook recently retired from Home care and it was lovely to celebrate her 20 years of service.

Financial Assistance for Seniors

Free Legal Assistance for Seniors The Seniors Rights Legal Clinics provide free legal advice to older people on issues relating to ageing including elder abuse, family arrangements and financial matters. The clinics can assist clients who are over 60 or identify as being an older person who have limited assets and income. There is no cost for the service as the lawyers provide their services on a pro bono basis. The clinics are run by the Public Interest Law Clearing House in partnership with Seniors Rights Victoria. There are currently four clinics operating across metropolitan Melbourne located in Bundoora, Niddrie, Caulfield and Footscray. The clinics are co-located with existing health services such as hospitals and community health centres to ensure accessibility for clients. Each clinic runs fortnightly or monthly with three 45 minute appointments available each clinic day. The clinics are able to assist clients with a range of legal issues including:

• Making arrangements to live with family• Elder abuse• Guardianship and administration• Centrelink• Credit and debt• Maintenance in public housing• Grandparenting issues

For further information regarding the legal clinics please call 8636 4408.

Beris Cook being acknowledged for her 20 years of service.

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Older Carers Support

Older Families Support and Planning ProgramThe Older Families Support and Planning Program at CarerLinks North (the Commonwealth Respite Centre auspiced by Merri Community Health Service), offers support for ageing family carers (60+) of sons, daughters, grandchildren or siblings with a long-term disability. During 2013, the team has organised a range of events: skills-based workshops to support carer wellbeing, networking forums giving carers the opportunity to mix with others living in similar circumstances, and information sessions on subjects of interest to ageing carers. Recent events have included a ‘Carer Support Forum’ in May and an ‘NDIS and Housing Update’ in September.

The program aims to be as carer-led as possible, and a recent ‘Be Heard!’ consultation set priorities for the program’s 2014 calendar of events, and attracted many participants. Our events are usually held in Preston. For carers interested in attending, CarerLinks North is able to help with transport and respite costs. For further information about the Older Families Support & Planning Program, or if you’d like a copy of our upcoming 2014 calendar of events, please contact Myfan on 1800 052 222 or myfanj@mchs.org.au.

CarerLinks North is able to fund short-term respite through our Intake Service (1800 052 222) and one-to-one carer support with a designated worker, for ageing disability carers who might be in need of greater support. Just call our intake Team for a chat about how we can help.

Carelinks North CarerLinks North – Aged Program Events - October to NovemberThe Aged Program assists carers of a person aged over 65 (45 for Aboriginal or Torres Strait islanders) or carers of people with an ageing condition such as dementia.

Tuesday 15 October Change, Loss and Moving forward – workshop will provide a safe environment to explore changes and impacts and to consider what can be done to move forward (lunch provided). RSVP by 1 October to Anna on 1800 200 422.

November Carers’ Social Outing – for carers who are socially isolated Contact Sandy or Luciana on 1800 200 422Tuesday 19 November Changing Relationships – Workshop takes a common sense approach to explore

changes and learn new strategies to help carers adapt to a changed reality (lunch provided).

RSVP by 5 November to Anna on 1800 200 422

CarerLinks North can help you to attend by:

• Providing transport to and from the venue• Arrange a respite worker to care for your loved one• Organise an interpreter

Venue for workshopsCarerLinks North, Entrance 2, Level 2, 110 Chifley Drive, Preston 3072

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Leisure and Recreation

Hearing loss tips for individuals

Communication Tips for People with Hearing Loss - by Adrienne Tarnoff and Noreen Gibbens 19 June 2013 Hearing loss can make conversations and social outings a struggle, but there are some steps you can take to make communication easier: 1. Don’t try to hide your hearing loss

If you let the person you are talking with know that you have a hearing loss, he or she will be more inclined to look directly at you and speak clearly and slowly. If you seem to get confused in the conversation, your partner will know it’s due to your hearing loss and not because you are not paying attention. 2. Wear your hearing aids

Wearing your hearing aids should make things easier for you. 3. Use your eyes as much as possible

Hearing will be easier when you can also see the person you are speaking with. Get closer to your speaking partner, and make sure you can see his or her face. Don’t expect to hear everything, especially if it’s noisy in the room. 4. Be prepared for noise!

If you’re going to a noisy restaurant, try to go at less busy times to avoid large crowds. Try choosing restaurants with carpet and drapery; these help absorb the sound, and there will not be as much echoing. It is always best to have the room’s noise behind you, and the person you want to hear in front of you, because your hearing aids are designed to work best in that situation.

If you’re going to a lecture or religious service, get there early and sit in front. Also, many public auditoriums or places such as movie theaters have devices for people with hearing loss. They often work very well; ask for them and try them out!

5. Keeping track of the conversation

Repeat back what you heard to make sure you’re on track with the conversation. This will allow you to not get too lost, and may save you from embarrassment later on. Try to be specific about what you missed during a conversation. Instead of saying, “huh?” or “what?”, repeat back what you did hear. For example: “You’re going out at what time?” This strategy helps the speaker avoid repeating everything he or she said.

If the person is speaking too fast, ask him or her to slow down. Be specific as to what will help you more. 6. Be patient with yourself

Be patient with yourself and your communication partners. You will not always understand everything, but by using these ideas, you should get the most important information.

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Hearing loss tips for families Communication Tips for Family and Friends of those with Hearing Loss by Adrienne Tarnoff and Noreen Gibbens 19 June 2013

Hearing loss can make communication frustrating for everyone. Remember: as frustrated as you may get, it is worse for the person with the hearing loss. But there are some ways of speaking that have been proven to make it easier for people to understand better when they have hearing loss. Here are some ideas on how to make communication clearer for all:

• Please remember that while hearing aids help, they do not make a person’s hearing “normal.” They should make it easier to communicate, but be sure your expectations are reasonable.

• When speaking to a person with hearing loss, the first tip is to just slow down. Pause every now and then.

• If you’re asked to repeat something, say it a bit slower. If this does not work, try saying it using different words.

• Speaking a bit louder might help, but shouting makes it even more difficult. When we yell or shout, our speech gets distorted, but it does not make the important parts of speech any easier to hear.

• Do not cover your mouth when speaking. Look directly at your partner and try not to turn your back.

• When going out to a restaurant, think about how noisy it may be, and recommend some quieter restaurants or go during less busy hours. Trying to listen in a noise-filled environment can be awfully tiring, and speaking up over the noise will strain your voice. Make it easier for everybody.

Please remember to be patient and continue to use the ideas you have read about here. They really do work!

Banyule Seniors Festival 2013

Aged and Disability services will again coordinate the 2013 Banyule Seniors Festival that runs throughout the month of October.

A highlight will be the opening event, a FREE morning tea ‘Celebrating Seniors’ on Wednesday 2 October starting at 10am in the Great Hall at Upper Heidelberg Road in Ivanhoe. Food, tea and coffee will be served. Entertainment will be provided by the Police Show Band and the Heidelberg Allstars. Bookings for the morning tea can be made by ringing 9490 4222. For a copy of the Banyule Seniors Festival Program, contact Jill Taylor on 9457 9971 or at jill.taylor@banyule.vic.gov.au.

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Every suggestion or complaint made is an opportunity for improvement. Your input will help us to improve our service and assure our service quality.

Contact: Banyule City Council - Aged and Disability Services PO Box 51 IVANHOE VIC 3079

Phone: 9490 4222Fax: 9499 9475Email: enquiries@banyule.vic.gov.au

Please complete the following form and return it to the Co-ordinator of Assessment and Service Planning or the Co-ordinator of HACC Service Delivery. Alternatively you can call on 94904222.

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Comments

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