Villa News - Autumn 2008
Villa News Autumn 2008 is now available. You can download Villa News in PDF or read the articles online.
Closing the service delivery gap through innovation | Gateway Kew enjoys the great outdoors | Acknowledgments | Contact Us |
Camberwell SSA has moved on in
Villa Maria’s centenary year ended with an exciting move for the individuals of Camberwell Shared Supported Accommodation (SSA). After years of planning, the six bedroom house was finally ready for the individuals to move in and add the finishing touches to their new home on Christmas Eve.
Camberwell SSA Team Leader, Eileen Gentle said, “the people from the Camberwell house participated in the shopping for furniture and decided on the paint colour that they each wanted in their bedrooms. It really gave them an individual sense of empowerment and a sense of pride
over their things and their new home”.
Staff, residents and their families are all very happy with the new house. The parents of one of the individuals said, “We are so delighted that we have been able to see this dream become a reality... It is a beautiful setting, not the least bit institutional, an exemplar in community based care and a home where our son, and his fellow residents can enjoy their life together.”
The residents have been living at Gildas House in Alphington, whilst their new house was being built.
Work on the My Future, My Choice project will soon begin, now that Gildas House is vacant and will become a significant part of Villa Maria’s history. It will be the first purpose built facility for young people with complex medical needs in Victoria.
Closing the service delivery gap through innovation
Villa Maria has a proud history of challenging itself to meet service gaps when they arise in our community. As we move forward we continue to address these gaps with new services and innovations.
One of the most significant service gaps at present is age-appropriate accommodation for young people with complex medical needs.
In the past these young people have had no other choice but to live in nursing home accommodation. However the State Government is injecting money into this growing area through the initiative, My Future, My Choice.
Announced last year as the successful tender of Victoria’s first purpose-built facility through My Future, My Choice, Villa Maria will receive $1.3 million for construction and significant recurrent funding for service provision from the Department of Human Services.
Villa Maria is also investing heavily in this flagship project, dedicating its Austin Street property in Alphington, currently valued at $2.8 million, to the development and also contributing $1.9 million
towards the construction costs.
To ensure that we build the best facility for the needs of this group, a focus group consisting of people with disabilities, their families, allied health representatives and Government officials was
established. This group meets monthly and is driving the direction of the project to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the ten people who will call this home.
One such piece of technology being considered is a C-Bus automation “smart” house system that will maximise opportunities for these people with disabilities to control their environment. C-Bus is used to control lighting and other electrical devices such as televisions and stereos. It is the use of these technologies that will give these individuals the freedom to choose how they want to live in their own home.
The Austin Street development is due to commence construction in the coming months. I look forward to keeping you updated as the project progresses.
Valerie J. Lyons
Chief Executive Officer
Gateway Kew enjoys the great outdoors
The people at Gateway Kew are enjoying the great outdoors a lot more thanks to The Michael and Andrew Buxton Foundation, who assisted with the funding for a beautiful new garden. The garden was built by Marcus Zikaras Landscaping over the summer break.
The garden area has been levelled off with paths and a cover of lush green lawn. The existing sail now covers the new timber planter box, which is the correct height for wheelchairs to access, and beautiful new shrubs are growing around the border of the garden.
Before the garden was completed, the area was uneven making it difficult for wheelchairs to be manoeuvred around and the existing plants did not stimulate the people at Gateway’s senses, such as smell and touch. The area was not conducive to conducting the programs outside.
Now, the new planter box awaits the green thumbs of those at Gateway, who are very eager to get their hands dirty and plant some seasonal herbs and vegetables that have yummy aromas and taste.
Gateway Kew Team Leader Kath Hill, said “People can now spend time outside and we are able to run programs such as gardening, arts, relaxation and spending time out of their wheelchairs on the grass.
People are able to contribute because of the raised garden bed which is adapted for wheelchairs.
“They will be able to enjoy the smell and tastes of the herbs and vegetables and be able to use their own produce in both the sensory and cooking programs” said Kath.
Acknowledgements
A good nights' sleep
Thanks to The Aged Persons Welfare Foundation, Villa Maria Wantirna Aged Care Residence now has 12 new beds, ten electric Hi Lo beds and two extra long Hi Lo beds.
These new beds will ensure the comfort and safety of the residents who use them, allowing the residents to control the height of their beds with the touch of a button. The beds will also reduce the strain placed on the staff members.
Stepping out
Funding from The Jack Brockhoff Foundation will support the ‘Stepping Out’ project. This project is a 12 month research study
into accommodation and support options for people with disabilities who have independent skills and are currently not serviced by current accommodation and support models.
This project will determine a wider range of accommodation and support options that could be made available to meet the needs of a person with a disability, their families and the wider community.
High – low frequency
St Paul’s Early Childhood Intervention services have been able to purchase equipment for their Therapeutic Listening Program thanks to The William Angliss (Victoria) Charitable Fund.
Therapeutic Listening involves a child listening to CDs with headphones for 30 minutes twice a day. The CDs vary in musical
style (e.g. children’s melodies, jazz, classical, nature sounds), and are changed every two weeks. CD’s are specially modified and have been passed through a filter to separate either low or high frequency sounds. Only high or low frequency sounds are heard at any one time. These are located in random order. This technique assists children to focus on high frequency sounds which contain a lot of information including language and to also relax and feel ambience of low frequency sounds. The aim of the program is to stimulate the vestibular system
(ear of the body) that is responsible for orienting our body in space as well as the cochlear (the hearing ear) that orients us to the environment.
Contact Villa Maria
Registered Office
Address: 6 Studley Park Road, Locked Bag 20, Kew Victoria
3101
Telephone: (03) 9854 5111
Fax: (03) 9854 5151
Toll Free: 1800 036 377
Email: villamaria@villamaria.com.au.
Website: http://www.villamaria.com.au.