Onemda Weekly eNews - Friday 2 June, 2023

Dear Participants, Families & Carers

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

WELCOME, ANDI!

We welcome Andrea (Andi) McQueen, new Therapy Services Manager, to the Onemda community.

Andi comes to Onemda with 25 years of experience working in the disability services sector including most recently with Scope. She is a familiar face to many, having also spent time with Onemda in the past – so it’s really more of a ‘welcome back’! Andi is passionate about Assistive Technology, especially Augmentative Communication, and is very aligned with Onemda’s values and goals, and we are thrilled to have her on board to lead our Therapy Services into the future!

“I'm delighted to be starting a new job as Therapy Services Manager at Onemda,” Andrea says. “It is lovely to be associated with an ethical, creative and passionate organisation with a commitment to working alongside adults with intellectual disability. I am enjoying getting to know the Therapy team and look forward to working together to strengthen and grow our services.”

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

National Reconciliation Week runs from May 27 – June 3rd every year. It is a time to come together and celebrate Australia’s rich diversity and learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements. It presents an opportunity for us to engage in meaningful dialogue, educate ourselves, and work towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

This week is a time to listen, learn, and reflect on our shared commitment to reconciliation. Together, we can foster understanding, respect, and positive change.

Discover more about National Reconciliation Week here

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.

IF YOU’RE FEELING UNWELL…

A reminder, that if you, or the person in your care, are feeling unwell in any way, or have any cold and flu like symptoms, you should not attend Onemda until you are recovered. If you test positive for COVID-19, please do not attend Onemda for 7 days, and do not return to your programs until you are symptom free and well.

If you have any questions about this, please contact us on 9842 1955, or email [email protected]

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 you 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.

HELP US PROCESS YOUR PAYMENTS

A quick reminder from the Onemda Accounts team to please make sure you include the full name of the Onemda participant (not the person making the payment) and the Onemda invoice number when you are making payment by bank transfer, so they can ensure payments are quickly and accurately allocated to the correct account. This is particularly important for session and activity fees.

You’ll find the six-digit invoice number in the top right corner of the attachment you receive from Onemda. When making a payment, there is usually a field where you can include the invoice number. If you don’t see that, please just add the detail in the ‘message’ field. For example, you may add: Session Fees 666000 / NAME SURNAME

If you ever have any queries about an invoice, you can contact the accounts team at any time on 9842 1955.

HAVE YOUR SAY…

There’s lots of exciting opportunities for people with an intellectual disability to be part of some exciting new research projects. Inclusion Australia has a new Easy Read monthly bulletin to help people with an intellectual disability to find out about new projects. This might include doing interviews, surveys, or workshops.

There are a few different projects on the go which are looking for people to have their say about health, safety and employment through projects including:

Talking to the National Disability Insurance Agency about employment
Talking to the University of Melbourne about safety at home
Talking to the UNSW Department of Development Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN) about staying healthy

Inclusion Australia have created this information so you can find out about chances to have your say. In some cases, you may also be paid for sharing your ideas and your lived experience.

To see the full list each month view the monthly Easy Read Bulletin on the Inclusion Australia website.

IMPORTANT – ONEMDA CLOSURE DATES…

Don’t forget that all campuses will be closed on Monday 12 June as it’s a public holiday for the King’s birthday.

Please make sure you mark your diaries and plan for these upcoming campus closures.

JUNE Monday 12th – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
JUNE Friday 30th – Staff PD Day

You can view all important calendar dates for 2023 here

JOIN THE ONEMDA TEAM!

Are you, or someone you know looking for a new job opportunity? Onemda are always looking for great people to join our team. We currently have vacancies for:

Communications Consultant | PT
Physiotherapist | Eastern Suburbs | PT/FT
Customer Service Officer | Doncaster East | FT
Exercise Physiologist | Eastern & Northern Suburbs | PT/FT
Occupational Therapist | Glenroy | PT
as well as volunteering opportunities!

If you are interested in any of our available roles, or know anyone who might be a good fit, please click on the link below and feel free to share with your connections.

View current job opportunities here!

ONEMDA MEMBERSHIP

Are you a current Onemda Member? If you are, please note that your membership to The Onemda Association, Inc. is due to expire on 30 June 2023. To renew your membership, please email [email protected] to request a new membership form.

Not a Member but interested in becoming one…? By becoming an Onemda member, you make a vital contribution to supporting the work we do, now and into the future, including the ability to vote at our Annual General Meeting. Membership is available to family members and the general community. Onemda is managed by a voluntary Board, comprising parents, business and community representatives – you can read more about them here.

Annual membership is just $5 per person, or $10 per family.

You can find out more about Onemda Membership here

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT

THE BASIN – Living, Learning & Social Skills (LLS)

The Basin Campus have been luckily enough to secure a grant from the Knox Council to enhance the Campus and their Paddock to Plate Program. The Garden to Kitchen Grant will support the participants to learn all about edible gardens, learning to grow, cultivate and then cook and use their produce in program. While we are in the planning stages the group are currently doing wonderful things with fresh produce from our current garden beds. This has included, making sauces from our tomatoes and herbs and they also learnt how to cultivate an avocado seed to grow their own avocado tree! We can’t wait to see what they make next week!

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.