White Oak News - September 2023

WHITE OAK NEWS

The latest news from White Oak Home Care Services

Success for Ageing Well Expo

ACCPA Ageing Expo PAGE 1

Aged Care Exployee Day R U OK Day PAGE 2

Flare Benefits Program

Christmas Party - save the date PAGE

Transitional Car

Farewell

PAGE

Client Robert hap Oak serv PAGE

PAGE Spotlight on: T Photo of the Compet

In August White Oak had a booth at the ACCPA Ageing Well Expo at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre The popular expo is a great starting place for families and their older relatives to make informed choices on all things aged care.

Many of our staff members volunteered their time to represent White Oak and chat with people about our services offered and how we can help. Thank you to all who made this weekend a success.

White Oak team members (L to R) Prue Burrows, Cholita Andal-Pierpoint, Jane Riddell and Bonnie Hodgkiss. s

Message from the General Manager

Springhasonceagainsprungandit’shardtobelievethat wearehurtlingfasttowardstheendoftheyearIt’sbeen anaction-packedfewmonthswhereWhiteOakrecently exhibitedatAustralia’slargestageingexpo.Apresentation toveteranclientsatSASHousewasasuccessandinhuge news,WhiteOakhasbeenselectedasthepreferred providerfortheTransitionalCareProgramReadontofind outmoreonthisexcitingdevelopment

I’malsodelightedtobeabletoshareanotherclientstory, wherewehavebeenabletopositivelyimpacttheirlives throughourservicesReadontolearnmoreabouthowone ofourmuch-lovedclientshasgainedmorefreedomand independencewithWhiteOak’shelp.

Ihopeyouenjoythisspringeditionofourstaffnewsletter onallthelatestdevelopmentshappeningacrossWhite Oak

Treasa

Thursday 8th September marked the annual R U OK Day which is aimed at helping us notice the signs of mental health struggles in family, friends and colleagues.

This year’s theme is “I’m here to hear”, which highlights in the first step, it’s important to genuinely listen to what comes after It’s not always easy to initiate a conversion with people when it can often be assumed that things will pass

Sometimes reaching out and letting that person know you’re here to listen can be literally lifesaving.

Aged Care Employee Day

Aged Care Employee Day was celebrated again on August 7th, a very special day created to recognise the invaluable efforts of our phenomenal Support Workers, Nursing Team, Allied Health Professionals and Admin Staff

To our wonderful White Oak team, we thank you for continuing to deliver to our clients by providing the very best of care.

Welcome to our new team members who have recently joined the White Oak Family:

Deborah Williams

Alison Maddever

Yvonne Aitchison

David Bamidele

Clare Bowley

Mikayla Tolley

Deena Esquivel Peters

Kinley Gyeltshen

Chinh Nguyen

Christine Denys

Leden Bhutia

Thara George

Ugyen Lhamo

Elissa Stiles

Elizabeth Githaiga

WHITE OAK SHINES AT SAS HOUSE

SAVE THE DATE

Mark the Sunday 10th December in your calendars, the date for White Oak’s annual Christmas party has been set. We are once again looking forward to hosting a family picnic at Whiteman Park, where staff members along with their spouses and children are invited to The Pavilion for a fun afternoon

It’s always a great opportunity for us to all get together and celebrate another successful year. More details will follow.

General Manager Treasa was recently invited to speak at a veteran’s event, held at SAS House in Swanbourne

Treasa was able to showcase White Oak and explain how our services work and how the referrals process works.

Also touching on how a combination of veterans services can be delivered, the presentation was very well received by all.

Employee Benefits Program in full swing

Flare Benefits, White Oak’s very own Employee Benefits Program, has launched and is available for all staff to make the most of the great discounts on offer

If you haven’t yet checked it out, you can log in to Elmo and click on the ‘Benefits’ option. This will take you to Flare HR’s website where you can start the process of creating an account

Once your account has been created, download the Flare app and you’ll then have access to hundreds of discounts from groceries to fashion, restaurants and entertainment.

TransitionalCareProgramSuccess

White Oak recently received confirmation that we have been selected as the preferred provider for the Community Transitional Care Program. This is huge news, giving White Oak the exciting opportunity to expand our services

The Transitional Care Program aims to provide short term packages that include low-intensity therapeutic interventions such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, nursing and personal care. The program typically has a 7 week duration, however this can be extended up to 12 weeks if required

With only a certain number of Transitional Care places within the community, White Oak was successful in being allocated 30 community places out of 35, across the north metropolitan, east and hills areas

Additionally, White Oak will be the only provider across these regions who will provide the Transitional Care Program to eligible consumers upon their discharge from hospital.

FAREWELL IAIN

With news of this successful tender, we are excited to announce White Oak has appointed a new Physiotherapist commencing in October, who will be assisting in delivering the allied health services.

This wonderful result would not have been possible without the hard work from all who have worked tirelessly on this proposal. Well done to all!

With a heavy heart we say goodbye to our Corporate Service Manager Iain Reid, at the end of this month

Since joining White Oak two years ago, Iain has made a huge impact to the company and has been a huge asset to the team. His helpful, calm and proactive nature along with his very dry and hilarious sense of humour will be sorely missed by us all.

Iain, we will miss you and we wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.

Robert delighted with care delivered by White Oak

A well-loved White Oak client Robert, has achieved some additional independence and freedom with the help of the team at White Oak.

At 93 years of age, Robert has been receiving weekly cleaning and personal care services for the past few years. Support worker Kylie Fisher often assists Robert in cooking meals and ensuring he has enough leftovers for lunches and dinners. Kylie will often take Robert to the local park that he often visited with his late wife, Dallas. “We get along so well, she’s just like one of the family”, Robert says.

Additionally, Robert received Allied Health services from White Oak where Occupational Therapist Ian Walker assisted in organising the installation of ramps and rails to make his house more accessible.

The cherry on top for Robert was the organising of a 3-wheeled scooter, which now enables him to navigate some uneven areas of his floor. Of his new independence, Robert commented “it’s been simply marvellous”.

Well done to Kylie Fisher, Ian Walker and the team on achieving another great outcome for Robert. It’s always heartwarming to see our clients being able to live their best life possible through the love and care delivered by White Oak. “I’m so happy with White Oak”, Robert said. “I tell everyone about them”.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT ON...

Tracey Wilson Support Services Officer

Tracey is based at our Claremont hub and if you’ve called the office number, chances are Tracey has assisted you. Her friendly and helpful nature are a huge asset to the White Oak family.

How long have you been at White Oak? 2 years as at the end of last month.

Describe some of the things you do in your current role. General admin support for the HCP team – take initial enquiries & intake new HCP clients, collate sign-up & review documents, send referrals for equipment and allied health services, issue purchase orders, liaise with clients and assist where able.

Can you tell us what do you enjoy most about working at White Oak? I really enjoy working to assist our clients to continue to live a fulfilling life in their own home environment It’s very satisfying to know that they & their families appreciate the care & support they receive from the White Oak team.

What do you like about our company culture? I really appreciate the sincere and authentic way our team supports each other & our clients. I hope I am able to benefit from the same standard of care in future years should I need it.

What is your favourite hobby? I’m an avid paper crafter & card-maker. All things stamps and ink.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why? Pushing hard for ‘May USA’ next year to visit my daughter in NYC.

Photo of the Quarter Competition

We once again received another round of fabulous entries for consideration, including Iain Reid’s freaky cloud formation, Judy Cleeve’s very handsome rooster Tommy Lee, Prue Burrow’s aptly named ‘Lilian Burrows’ flowering peach blossom tree, and so many more.

It was a very tough decision but in the end, our two winners for this quarter are Support Workers Denise Saxild and Samantha Moor.

We had all the heart eyes for Denise's super-cute puppy pic of birthday girl Molly, and we adored Samantha’s stunning sunset photo taken at Yanchep Beach.

Denise and Samantha, 2 x Gold Class movie tickets will each be making their way to you.

Until our next edition due out in December, you can send your winning photo to alison.visser@whiteoak.com.au for your chance to win

Good luck to everyone and even if you missed out this time, keep them coming!