Staff Matters September 4, 2020 Issue 273 Week 10
CARING ABOUT OUR STAFF SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR VIC SUPERSTARS Thanks to the continued dedication and hard work from our Melbourne staff members, Afford has been able to run the business as usual and continue to provide supports and services to our two Victorian residents who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Due to the selfless nature of our Lifestyle Assistants Geneva Kara and Fraol Woldemikael, our residents recently returned home safely and smiling after being cleared of the virus. The challenges from the pandemic have been difficult for our team in Victoria and banding together in these hard times is important. A few weeks ago, the news that two of our supported accommodation residents in Victoria tested positive to COVID-19 and as a result were immediately relocated to another Afford property to avoid spreading the virus to the other residents and staff in the home. Unfortunately, the virus didn’t only infect our two residents Jesse and Michael, but also our Lifestyle Assistant Geneva.
In This Issue 1
Shining A Light On Our VIC Superstars Trivia Swag Selfie
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Annual Report Photo-Shoot Staff Profile Access Pay - What You Need to Know
Many people are not aware that COVID-19 can react with your body in different ways. Some people can experience extreme symptoms such as difficulty breathing while others may not notice a difference to their overall health and may just feel like the flu.
Reminder
Geneva took Jesse to get tested for the virus and her diligence in caring for Jesse was wonderful. Unfortunately, Geneva became very unwell and tested COVID-19 positive, after going into hotel quarantine. Her health quickly deteriorated to the point where she was admitted into the ICU. Afford supports not only our clients but also our staff. During this difficult time, we supported Geneva and her family so her primary focus was on getting better. Thankfully she is on the road to recovery and is now back home with her loved ones.
Kicking Goals at Windsor
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Selfies Of The Week Upcoming Events Afford Trivia Answer
With Geneva being admitted to hospital, we still needed an LSA to provide support to our two clients. Lifestyle Assistant, Fraol Woldemikael volunteered to move into the home temporarily to provide support and care around the clock for Jesse and Michael until they recovered. Fraol tested negative to COVID-19 and did not contract the virus over the two weeks that he was providing support. He was diligent, sticking to strict guidelines to keep himself safe while supporting our clients. Fraol’s use of correct PPE and proper COVID safe procedures ensured him to stay safe and still provide care when needed. “Wear your PPE at all times and follow the protocols that are in place and sanitise every hour, not every two!” said Fraol. Fraol is back in the comfort of his own home and is in isolation for the next two weeks. “Michael and Jesse are back in their homes as well and are doing well and their families are super happy,” said Edward Boghikian District Manager. Our thoughts and prayers have always been with Geneva and we are so happy she's returned home safely to her family and is recovering well. Two of our other stars in Victoria are LSA’s Farai Chikosi and Feruth Beletse. In true Afford fashion, their strength of character shone through when they unselfishly stepped up to live in the Trafalgar Group Home for two weeks with our other two clients who were in close contact. Their dedication to continue providing supports for our residents for such a long period of time, even in the face of this awful global pandemic, is a testament to their amazing commitment to our client's ongoing care needs. A big shout out also goes to the families of our stars, who we know supported them through these difficult times so they could ensure our residents received the very best of care. In the face of unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, we say a massive thanks to our Victorian staff as they continue to provide our award-winning disability supports and adapt to new operating environments. You are superstars and on behalf of our CEO, Steven Herald and all of Afford we cannot thank you enough for being our Victorian heroes!
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
STAFF PROFILE NAME: Sachin Pathak POSITION: Lifestyle Assistant LOCATION: Chipping Norton NSW FAVOURITE MUSIC/SONG Summer of 69 FAVOURITE MOVIE? Fast and Furious FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Swimming FAVOURITE FOODS? Pizza IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? Tiger WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Japan IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? Help people to help each other IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? Driving SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I'm a helpful person
September 4, 2020 Issue 273
ANNUAL REPORT PHOTO-SHOOT Afford’s Marketing and Events team recently organised a day with clients and staff from across Far West Day Programs and Accommodation for an Annual Report photoshoot! The day was a buzz of fun with plenty of smiles and laughter the group kicked off the photo-shoot in the sunshine at the picturesque Yarramundi Reserve in Western Sydney. We had 5 day program clients attend the event, Jarrod and Sabrina from Mount Druitt, Roscel and Olivia from Jamisontown and Daniel from Windsor. Supported by their Lifestyle Assistants, Sue, Shanice (Shiny) and Chris. We were blown away by the amazing energy and ideas that our clients had for photos, with a special mention to Sabrina who had so many amazing concepts for different poses we could incorporate on the day. We had many different props which were used to create some eyecatching images such as bright balloons, matching shirts and hats, photo frames, huge Afford branded beach towels, shells and more! Later in the afternoon we visited Dolphin Cove, a supported accommodation site in Penrith and took a few special effect water images with residents Dougie, Carmen and Andrew. We had an aim to get a special type of photo which plays on the watering of the flowers and plants with different types of angles to capture a unique shot. We’re taking our Annual Report to the next level this year with special effect photos so we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved, can’t wait to see the final report! Photos can be viewed via this link: https://proof.ben-williams.com/ gallery/12774815/gallery/12774815/home
www.afford.com.au
September 4, 2020 Issue 273
Staff Matters ACCESS PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Hey Affordians, did you know you could have up to $15,900 per year of your salary tax-free? This means $15,900 extra in your bank every year! AccessPay is one of our Employer of Choice benefits to help you make the most of your hard-earned money. Read below how you can maximise your salary! AccessPay is an optional registration which allows you to set up payments for reoccurring bills to be paid before the money is taxed –maximising your pay. You can use this to pay for the expenses you already have, such as: • Rent or mortgage payments • Household utilities such as gas, electricity and water • Car expenses including petrol and registration • Health insurance premiums
All employees receive an AccessPay form in their welcome pack which you choose to complete and email to the address at the bottom of the form. Once this is received by AccessPay, they make contact with you directly to set aside a time to speak to you about options to suit your circumstances. For this discussion, you will need documentation to show the payments that you would like to include as part of your package, an example of documentation required is a rental agreement. The amount you qualify for will then be taken out of your salary before tax, and paid into your bank account as a separate payment fortnightly, alongside your Afford salary transfer. If you would like any further information please contact our HR team at hr@afford.com.au, or if you would like to revisit your package details, call AccessPay on 1300 133 697.
Reminder! Staff please be reminded about the importance of the following: •P lease note that all New South Wales and Victorian staff need to wear masks while working – inside and outside. Afford masks now available, staff can double-check with their Team Leader. I f you have any doubts or issues with stock please discuss with your Team Leader or Manager.
www.afford.com.au
September 4, 2020 Issue 273
Staff Matters KICKING GOALS AT WINDSOR Recently our Windsor Day Program linked up with their local football club in a bid to provide football activities to our clients that have not been able to attend other programs due to COVID-19. The day program has been kicking goals thanks to their dedicated super coach and Senior Lifestyle Assistant, Keith and a generous donation from the local football club. Keith is a first-grade coach with a level 1 coaching ticket. He has been coaching NRL football for juniors and seniors for around 13 years. It was the perfect opportunity to utilise some skills from a staff member we already had on-site to improve our clients experience at day program.
His love of the game has fostered football supporters at Windsor Day Program. Clients, Kieran and Daniel are strong Roosters supporters. Scott loves the Tigers. Luke and Kyle barrack enthusiastically for the Panthers and Keilan supports the Rabbitohs. Throughout COVID-19, the Windsor footy fans haven’t been able to participate in the Afford Heroes with Ability football program. That, of course, didn’t stop Keith and the Windsor team. Following safe health and hygiene practices, staff organised an on-site football program for clients. “It’s great to see a few of our clients who wouldn’t normally get involved, participating and becoming part of the team,” said Keith. Thanks to Keith’s contacts and organisation, Windsor clients Kieran, Daniel, Scott, Luke, Kyle and Keilan received a surprise when professional NRL Panthers football player, Reece Alderton, visited their site. Reece presented each of the Windsor footy fans with jerseys, so they look the part when playing footy! Luke’s words say it all: “It’s the best program ever, and I look forward to going every week.”
Handyman Timetable
Meet Our Handyman Tahier
Our Handy Man, Tahier, will be at the following sites this week: - Monday 7th September: Baulkham Hills & Minchinbury Head Office - Tuesday 8th September: South Windsor & Bligh Park - Wednesday 9th September: Condell Park & Chipping Norton - Thursday 10th September: Sunshine, Panthers & Bluebird - Friday 11th September:
Attend to urgent requests
SELFIES OF THE WEEK
Buzz lied Health NSW Selfie Above: Al ell rew Fa d. Pawsome Se en ek t we lfie Above: night in Penrith las ivia as she hands! Jam Shake Ol ist log tho Pa is on to our Speech st. Herman with town LSA, Ally in the Middle Ea in hra he Ba r to fu s ve rry best frie mo Bruce. nd
UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:
EVENT:
6 September
Father's Day
7 - 11 September
Women's Health Week
10 September
R U OK?DAY
23 September
International Day of Sign Languages
A: A crane.
www.afford.com.au
