Onemda Weekly eNews - Friday 18 November 2022
Dear Participants, Families & Carers,
Welcome to your weekly news from Onemda as we race towards the end of the year! As always, there are plenty of updates this week, so please take the time to read through as some information may affect you, or the person in your care.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is almost here! It is a United Nations observed day celebrated on 3 December every year, which is aimed t increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
If you would like to get involved and plan an event at your workplace, school, or within the community, there are plenty of resources available on the IDPwD website to get you started!
GET INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
LEND A HAND IS UP AND RUNNING!
Lend a Hand is up and running, with the first service delivery kicking off next week on 23 November.
Lend A Hand is an exciting new program for the North, which is funded by a grant Onemda secured from Merri-bek City Council, is set to give program participants in Glenroy the opportunity to get out into the community, connect with residents… and offer them a helping hand.
The Lend A Hand service is operating in the Glenroy area, so if you know of an older person in the area that would benefit from this fantastic new service, please email [email protected] and the admin Crew will respond to any email enquiries.
CHANGES TO THE ONEMDA BOARD…
At our 53rd AGM, we elected a new CHAIR and VICE CHAIR for our Board.
We wish to congratulate Bill Cracknell who is our newly appointed Chair. Bill has held a range of operational management roles within the pharmaceutical industry for both local Australian and multi-national companies. Bill has been a member of the Onemda Board since 2010 and has assisted in shaping Onemda's Strategic Plan.
Also, a big congratulations to Kelly Schultz who has been appointed Vice Chair. Kelly has built her career on improving customer experiences, principally for people with disability and those in vulnerable circumstances. Kelly has been a member of the Onemda Board since 2018.
Our Board members all volunteer their time to provide this important governance function for Onemda, and we very much appreciate their dedication in everything they do. Want to find out more about our Board?
ONEMDA LINKEDIN PAGE
Our LinkedIn page shares some wonderful stories about our partnerships, Team members, research projects and more… If you would like to follow our LinkedIn page, you can connect with us via the link below.
2023 CALENDAR DATES
A list of important dates are available for next year, to help you plan for yourself and the person in your care.
This list is constantly updated during the year, but you can always find the most up-to-date version by using the link below.
PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH PROJECT
As mentioned last week, we are seeking participants to join a research project run by MedTechVic (Swinburne University) in collaboration with Onemda. The research will look at new approaches for enabling better postural support for clients.
Have you ever wondered how positioning affects quality of life? We want to hear from you, the experts in this topic.
We are looking for people who:
- Require postural support, OR
- People who implement postural support for someone as a carer or therapist.
You will be remunerated for your time.
Please feel free to share this information with your network.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
ANNUAL FAMILIES & CARERS’ SURVEY
Time is running out to complete our 2022 Onemda Families and Carers’ Survey.
It’s important for as many people as possible to do the survey to help inform our planning for 2023 and beyond. It will take about 7-17 minutes maximum, depending on how many Onemda services you access and it’s anonymous, so you can be completely honest – we want the results to be a true reflection of the opinions and ideas of our community.
Thanks in advance for your time and your valuable insights! If you have already competed the survey, thank you and please disregard this reminder.
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT
THE BASIN – Living, Learning & Social Skills (LLS)
A big highlight for this cohort has been starting the Soccer Program with the Manningham Blues Soccer Club. A few other campuses are also taking part in this program, and everyone is loving interacting with people from different campuses. It’s been a huge success and has brought a whole new purpose to the group. Everyone loves being out in the community, staying active and being taught soccer by a Special Olympics coach!
We have also been working on our backyard sensory garden. We have installed two small water bowls with plants and floating fish for participants to enjoy and interact with. It’s a beautiful, serene space and we are proud of what we have achieved as a group! Gardening is a popular activity for participants and our campus grounds reflect everyone’s green thumbs.
We have some incredibly inspiring and artistic educators on campus, who regularly set up unique and fun art and craft activities for participants. There is no shortage of artwork on the walls and windows at our campus. One of our artistic accomplishments over the past 8 weeks was creating miniature wall mounted animals. The level of detail in these was fantastic and it kept participants busy and entertained for hours. These miniature creations have received lots of positive feedback from staff and visitors.
Please enjoy the weekend! In the meantime, as always, if you have any questions about anything in this newsletter don’t hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
The Onemda Team
P. (03) 9842 1955
