In Short

IN SHORT

COVID AND YOUR WELLBEING

Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed as the pandemic continues? Know that you are not alone. Sonder’s COVID & Your Wellbeing service is keeping older adults connected with their community. Sonder can help you to cope better with new changes in your life and look after your wellbeing. Find out more about this free mental health service by calling the friendly team at Sonder on (08) 8209 0700 or go to www.sonder.net.au

COVID-19 VACCINE

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the next thing we all need to do to protect ourselves and the South Australian community. For current information on the free vaccine and South Australia’s rollout plan visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au or phone the National Vaccine Helpline on 1800 020 080. Information is available in multiple languages including Arabic, Bosnian, Croatian, Dari, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Khmer, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Rohingya, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. Remember to always protect yourself and others by washing your hands with soap and water, staying 1.5 metres apart and getting tested as soon as symptoms appear.

RAISING AWARENESS

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, held 15 June each year, raises awareness of physical, financial, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect that older people may be experiencing.

Caroline, a keen knitter, decided to support the campaign and has been busy turning purple yarn into items to be included in Council’s display which raises awareness of the day.

If you are experiencing abuse, want to make a report or would like more information, contact the South Australian Elder Abuse Prevention Line on 1800 372 310 or the Adult Safeguarding Unit at

stopelderabuse@sa.gov.au

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Want to learn more about digital technology? Tech Try Tuesdays can help you learn about mobile phones, 3D printing, web browsers, video calling, the cloud and lots more. To find out what sessions are on offer visit

www.salisbury.sa.gov.au/digitalliteracy

CARERS SA

Carers SA is here for you if you provide personal care, support or assistance to someone who has: • a disability • a mental illness • dementia • a long term health condition • a terminal illness • an alcohol or drug related problem or • is frail due to age Call 1800 422 737 or visit www.carerssa.com.au for more details.

WORKSHOPS

The Jack Young Centre hosts Connect Workshops on the third Thursday of the month. Unpaid carers are welcome to come along and hear from guest speakers on a variety of topics. For details contact Helene on 1800 422 737 or at

Helene.George@carerssa.com.au

NDIS AUDIT

City of Salisbury is committed to providing quality services for people with disability. Salisbury Home and Community Services was recently approved by the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguard Commission confirming if its NDIS programs met the standards required. The outcome was that the city achieved a rating of ‘2’ across each of the eight quality indicators. A level ‘2’ rating is the highest currently being given to NDIS providers. We are very pleased with this result and want to thank everyone who contributed to this successful outcome.

IN SHORT

AGED CARE REVIEW REACHES NEXT STEP

The final report on the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was released on 26 February and presents a once in a generation opportunity to transform Australia’s aged care system. Detailing 148 recommendations, the report found critical issues including a lack of funding for the aged care sector and the need for a new aged care act that highlights the rights of older people. The report recommended the future aged care system be built on the principles of respect and care, placing the older person first and central and it emphasised the need for the system to allow an older person to receive services that supports them to remain in their own home. The aged care sector is now in the initial stages of a complex transformation to ensure past failures are not repeated. In mid May the Australian Government announced a $17.7 billion aged care reform package in response to the Royal Commission report. If you like to know more about the report or provide feedback please contact Susantha on 8406 8364 or email sathurugiri@salisbury.sa.gov.au

DIGNITY AND RESPECT

Ongoing learning ensures dignified and respectful services for seniors

Salisbury Home and Community Services offers training to all its staff members, volunteers and contractors to ensure they understand how to provide excellent services for older people. To inform the training, the following question was posted on the Salisbury Seniors Community Facebook private group page. Can you tell us what being treated with dignity and respect means to you? Two early responses were:

‘To have your presence acknowledged, to take time to listen without judgement and with empathy. Everybody matters’ C Lacey

‘Listen to my views, keep me informed when policies that affect me change and avoid jargon when explaining policies and other information to me’ A Rutherford Thank you to all who replied. These and other responses will be included in future training.

MEN’S HEALTH WEEK

Men’s health is important, as is the need to seek help sooner rather than later. Tips include: • Get medical help when you don’t feel well, have a problem that won’t go away or you notice unusual symptoms • Seek help. Don’t try to do everything on your own or bury problems. Talk to your partner, friends and workmates • Get the help you need to manage your life, work, family and financial needs • Use phone hotlines or webchat. Speak with professionals to get the best course of action and be persistent For more details visit www.menshealthweek.org.au