Onemda Weekly eNews - Friday 19 May, 2023

Dear Participants, Families & Carers,

As always, there is plenty to catch up on in this issue, so please take time to check the updates below, as some information may affect you, or the person in your care.

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK 2023

Happy National Volunteer Week!

Onemda is a not-for-profit and a registered charity and our community of volunteers help us do, what we do, on a daily basis. Onemda would like to use this week to thank everyone who generously volunteers their time, effort, and expertise to us – you are the change makers that help make things happen and make a positive difference to the lives of participants.

Thank you to our board – our board is voluntary, and they meet monthly at Onemda, after hours to provide their expertise and input into all Onemda projects. To the community organisations we have partnerships with to help us deliver our programs – thank you! Many of these organisations are run by volunteers (such as the community gardens, men’s shed and more). These incredible volunteers work with Onemda participants to teach them new skills and valuable life learnings, such as horticulture, woodwork and much more!

Last, but not least – a big thank you to the Onemda participants, who are always giving back to their local communities through a variety of volunteering opportunities. The Work Skills program has Onemda Participants volunteering their time and energy at Manningham Library, Bulleen Library, Woolworths and currently Bunnings (just to name a few places!) Ringwood and Doncaster East PIE participants have also recently completed the training modules at Eastern Volunteers in readiness to volunteer if a position becomes available. Because giving back to the community that gives us so many opportunities makes everyone feel proud and connected.

Would you, or someone you know, like to volunteer at Onemda?

Onemda is always on the look out for volunteers who can help make a difference to the lives of participants! If you, or someone you know, has a special skill (playing a musical instrument, cake decorating, dance – whatever your skill may be!) that you’d like to come and share at one of our campuses, please email us at – [email protected] to discuss. Or give us a call on 98421955 – we would love to chat and see how you could be a Change Maker at Onemda!

CATHY CELEBRATES NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK…

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, Manningham Council hosted a cocktail reception on Wednesday evening, to acknowledge the work of local volunteers and thank them for their contribution to the Manningham community. As a keen volunteer, Cathy, a participant from Templestowe PIE, attended the event, and enjoyed meeting many other of Manningham's volunteers and talking with the Mayor and Councillors.

Cathy volunteers on Manningham's Disability Advisory Committee, which provides advice and insight to Council on a range of matters such as the accessibility of the proposed Aquarena redevelopment, and development of key Council documents into easy-read formats. She also volunteers on a Tuesday evening with Vantage Point who run a local food bank for people who experience food insecurity.

Cathy is making a difference to people with disability, by volunteering her knowledge, time and expertise to the Council and Vantage Point to help enhance our community and resources for everyone. People like Cathy are true Change Makers – thank you for your incredible contribution to the community, Cathy!

EVENT: DISABILITY ROYAL COMMISSION: WHAT AUSTRALIA TOLD US

Next month, the Disability Royal Commission (DRC) will hold an event in Melbourne to report on what they have heard about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability. The Melbourne event will be held on:

Tuesday 13 June, 9:30 – 11:30am at Ibis Melbourne Hotels & Apartments, 15/21 Therry Street, Melbourne.

The DRC has heard some very serious and upsetting allegations, but has done important work to ensure these issues are seen and addressed, and is currently finalising its final report recommending how to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to ensure a more inclusive and just society in future.

Click here to book tickets.

NEW RESOURCES TO HELP WITH LOSS & GRIEF

Talking about loss and grief can be challenging, but VALID and Palliative Care Victoria have just released some new resources to help navigate those conversations with people living with a disability.

As well as providing professional assistance in these situations, the organisations have developed a set of easy-to-read and easy-to-digest tools and resources, which are free to download from the VALID website.

You can access the resources here - Palliative Care Easy Read Resources | VALID

NDIS REVIEW TO CONSULT YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES

The NDIS Review has joined with community organisations around Australia to hear experiences and insights from children, young people, and their families and carers on how their NDIS journey can be improved.

From May, there will be a series of online and in-person sessions focussed on early childhood (0–8 years), young children (9–14) and young people (14–29). Families and carers of children and young people from culturally diverse and First Nations communities will be given further opportunities to contribute in focussed sessions.

You can read more about this here

BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY | FLU & COVID-19 VAX BOOSTER ADVICE

Just a reminder that the season of flu, COVID and other Winter nasties is now upon us, so it’s time to consider getting your vaccinations up to date. Flu vaccinations and COVID-19 booster shots are now widely available through GPs, chemists and other locations.

ATAGI recommends an annual influenza vaccination for people aged 6 months and over and advises that all adults can get a COVID-19 booster if it’s been 6 months or more since your last COVID-19 vaccine or confirmed COVID-19 infection – whichever was most recent.

To protect our community while these viruses are circulating, we remind you that all visitors to Onemda should have a scheduled visit. You should only visit if you are symptom-free and well, and must wear a surgical mask at all times.

Dedicated support including COVID-19 information for people and families with disability can be found here. Dedicated carer support including COVID-19 information can be found here.

NEW GIG WORKER SUPPORT SERVICE LAUNCHED IN VICTORIA

A new support service for gig workers was launched earlier this month, to provide Victorian workers with resources to help them understand their rights and entitlements when working through online platforms.

Among the resources provided are information on entitlements and help with dispute resolution, how to make informed decisions, access to government agencies and other services, and help connecting to translation and interpreter services. The service complements the roll-out of the new Fair Conduct and Accountability Standards for on-demand platforms that began on 1 May.

To find out more or access the resources on the platform, click this link.

CONSENT FORMS - REMINDER

Thank you to all of you who have returned the Consent Form. The NDIS requires that every participant in Onemda programs returns a completed Consent Form. This is needed to comply with their regulations and to ensure we can continue to deliver services to you or the person in your care.

If you are yet to return your form, someone from Onemda will call you soon to follow up.

If you have any questions about this form, or how to return it to us, please contact us without delay. You can email Onemda’s Contracts Administrator at [email protected] or call us on 9842 1955.

EXTRA SUPPORT & RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR CARERS

If you’ve not yet come across it, Carer Gateway offers a range of supports and services for carers, including Peer Support Groups, Counselling, Tips and Skills Courses, Information Resources, links to Emergency Respite Services and more.

Importantly, it also provides access for you to apply for tailored support packages which could provide free access to things like services or equipment to help with your education, planned respite services, cooking and cleaning services, assistance with shopping or transport to help you do things like go to medical appointments or do your shopping

You can find more information and access the services via the website at carergateway.gov.au

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT

DONCASTER EAST – Enrichment & Wellbeing (ENW)

Recently, we advised everyone that Onemda changed the name of the High Care & Wellbeing stream to Enrichment & Wellbeing (ENW). We cover everything from music and art, to learning activities, exercise and wellbeing, sensory experiences, armchair travel and community exploration – all in a friendly, fun and supportive environment – we believe the new name more accurately reflects the experience of being part of this fantastic cohort.

Over the past couple of months, we have enjoyed keeping warm indoors as the weather has turned cooler. One of our favourite things is when music therapist, Adam joins us - the group are always excited to see him!

We’ve also been taking part in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen program which has seen participants growing seeds in pots and getting them ready to plant in the garden. One participant, Archie, has thoroughly enjoyed this program and even asked for more pots! Archie has been successfully using eye-gaze equipment to communicate with staff in the room – and that’s how he was able to communicate his want for more pots for seeds. This assistive communication device provides Archie with a voice and a way to exercise choice and control – it’s a wonderful journey to be part of! Research and technology are so important within the disability sector – there are changes happening all the time and we look forward to seeing what the future offers.

Stay warm and we hope you enjoy your weekend! Please remember; you are always welcome to contact us if you have any questions or need information.

Just call on 9842 1955 or use the email addresses below.