INSIGHTS for Service Users | Access & Ageing | City of Port Phillip

Issue no. 11 | Summer 2015

The City of Port Phillip respectfully acknowledges the Yalukit Wilam Clan of the Boon Wurrung. We pay our respect to their Elders, both past and present. We acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.

South Melbourne Market extra trading days this festive season! The market will be open extra hours and days at the end of December so you can get all your end-of-year shopping done. As always 2 hours free parking applies to the rooftop and York street car parks, every day the market is open.

Community Bus Holiday Timetable

Please note the Community Bus will be running during the festive season Monday to Friday excluding Public Holidays. The bus will not be running on the following public holidays: Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December 2015 and Friday 1 January 2016.

Tues 22 Dec : 8 am - 4pm Mon 28 Dec: Closed

Wed 23 Dec: 8 am - 4pm Tue 29 Dec: Closed

Thu 24 Dec: 6 am - 4pm Wed 30 Dec: 8 am - 4pm

Fri 25 Dec: Closed Thu 31 Dec: 6 am - 4pm

Sat 26 Dec: Closed Fri 1 Jan: Closed

Sun 27 Dec: 8 am - 4pm Sat 2 Jan: Resume normal trading

Seniors Showcase their Artistic Talents (see images above) During Port Phillip Seniors Week in October, older residents were invited to showcase their artistic talents for the Seniors Festival Art Exhibition held at Gasworks Arts Park. Artwork top left is Brains Trust by Eunice Barter. Artwork top right is Northern Cardinals by Joan Ashbolt.

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Season’s Greetings from Access & Ageing

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‘The Admirals Own’ playing to guests at the Tea Dance.

Local resident Anna Rogalina enjoying afternoon tea at the Tea Dance.

Local artist Teresa Warren at the Art Exhibition next to her painting ‘Untitled’.

Leslie Greagg from the OPCC speaking to the crowd at the Writing Awards.

Seniors Festival Highlights

The annual City of Port Phillip Seniors’ Festival is a week long celebration recognising the valuable contribution older people make to our community. The 2015 festival was a great opportunity for older people to get out and about, meet new people, try new activities and have fun. This year’s festival included 44 events, celebrations and activities for local seniors. The wide variety of events included activities provided by local community and recreation groups, such as croquet, yachting, canasta, gardening, racquetball, and rowing. Seniors Festival Tea Dance The Tea Dance was as always a popular event with 250 people attending this year. Guests were greeted by the musical sounds of The Allsorts as they entered the auditorium. They enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea with many dancing to the big band sounds of the Royal Australian Navy Band The Admiral’s Own. Deputy Mayor Bernadene Voss launched the dance and Dr Jane Sims, Chair of the Older Persons Consultative Committee (OPCC) was the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the event. There were wonderful door prizes from local businesses including Acland Court Pharmacy, Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, Georgie’s Harvest, The Grumpy Swimmer, and the Lions Club Port Phillip. Thank you to the University of the Third Age (U3A) for providing two volunteer photographers for the event. Art Exhibition The art exhibition was open to submissions from older residents. The Mayor launched the exhibition, with artworks being professionally displayed at Angela Robarts-Bird Gallery in Gasworks Arts Park. A number of artworks were sold on the day and during the week of the exhibition. Writing Awards The Writing Awards was the closing event of the Seniors Festival week and organised in partnership with the Port Phillip Library Service. Seventy five guests enjoyed an afternoon of literature, including presentation of the judges’ awards for entries. Lesley Greagg, from the OPCC was the MC for the event and led the readings. Councillor Serge Thomann and Barry Dickins each read an award winning story from the publication Port Phillip Writes: Stories and Poems from City of Port Phillip Seniors Writing Awards 2015. This publication is available at Port Phillip Libraries.

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Important heatwave information

With summer upon us it is important to know how your services may be affected in hot weather and during extreme heat conditions (heatwaves).

Changes to our services in hot weather and extreme heat conditions (heatwaves) The Department of Health will issue the City of Port Phillip a Heat Health Alert on days of extreme heat (heatwaves). Heatwaves have been defined by the department as more than one day where the average temperature does not drop below 30°C. Based on this advice, we will make the necessary changes to services to ensure that essential services are provided, that vulnerable clients are monitored and to provide safe working conditions for our staff. Necessary changes may include the following:

Personal Care Essential Personal Care will still be undertaken on days of Extreme Heat however the services time or duration may be changed. Carers will check that you are well equipped to manage the heat.

Respite Care Respite Care will only be provided if essential. No outdoor respite activities will take place.

Property Maintenance Property Maintenance requests will be attended to early in the day. Emergencies will take priority and non-urgent works will be rescheduled.

Shopping Escorted shopping will not go ahead once the temperature reaches 30°C. Instead, a Carer will do your shopping for you (please provide a shopping list and money). Shopping will be cancelled in extreme heat conditions once the temperature reaches 38°C.

Home Care Single Day: Home Care will not be provided once the temperature reaches 38°C. Services will be rescheduled where possible. Multiple Days: Home Care will not go ahead in extreme heat conditions. Instead Carers will attend for a shorter time early in the day to check that you are well euqipped to manage the extreme heat. You will not be charged for this reduced service.

Delivered Meals Delivered meals will be provided during extreme heat conditions but delivery may be earlier than usual to ensure meals remain within safe temperatures for food delivery/storage.

Social Support Social Support staff will monitor service user’s wellbeing to ensure they are well set up for the summer weather. Programs will be modified for the weather conditions and centre-based programs will be provided when temperatures reach 38°C. Long bus trips will be modified once the temperature reaches 30°C. Service users will be provided with cold drinks and ice packs on the bus.

General Reminder During any hot weather you are requested to consider that your home is our staff’s workplace. Please try to keep your home as cool as possible by keeping blinds drawn and turning on any cooling devices whilst our staff are with you, even if you do not feel the need for yourself.

Should any of the above changes be necessary, you will be contacted by Service Support Staff.

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Your Brain Matters Information Session

On Monday 16 November 2015 more than 80 seniors attended a free information session at the St Kilda Town Hall to learn more about dementia and gain tips to help reduce the risk of dementia. This session was run in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Australia Vic.

Laurel Gourlay from Alzheimer’s Australia (Vic) lead a lively, informative and practical discussion on the key functions of the brain, what dementia is and the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle on helping keep those ‘grey cells’ in peak condition! Laura struck a chord as there were lots of questions at the end of the session and many people took advantage of the additional literature made available as they were leaving.

We are looking forward to next year’s session which promises to be even more interactive. More information will be published in future editions so watch this space. If you were unable to attend this session or would like additional information on Dementia or associated topics, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 or via the Translating and Interpreting Service 131 450.

Aged Care Reforms and NDIS Update

The Home and Community Care (HACC) Program is currently being transitioned from a state funded service to a new federally funded service called the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).

CHSP is a national aged care system which aims to help older people stay independent and remain in their home and communities for as long as they can and wish to do so. CHSP will largely replace the HACC Program in Victoria from 1 July 2016 and will fund a similar range of services currently provided under HACC. This transition will progress over the next four years.

As part of this transition the Australian Government has introduced the ‘My Aged Care’ portal. ‘My Aged Care’ is an Australian Government website www.myagedcare.gov.au and phone line 1800 200 422 which operates as a gateway to information about aged care services. My Aged Care is designed to provide a central entry point for older people, their families, and carers to access information on ageing and aged care, have their needs assessed and be supported to locate and access services.

To access new or additional local services on or after 1 July 2016, you will need to contact My Aged Care to find out whether you are eligible for services. Your current services will not be affected and please continue to contact as us about your services as you normally would.

City of Port Phillip will continue to keep you and the community informed of transition plans. If you would like further information you can contact Leigh Mckinnon Business Support Officer on 9209 6736

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Visit to Maltese Shrine In September the ‘Out and About’ group visited Our Lady of Ta'Pinu, a replica of the Maltese National Shrine, located at the All Nations Marian Centre in Bacchus Marsh. The site was selected as a suitable pilgrimage place in 1992 and was developed with help from the Maltese community and continues to flourish and spread devotion to Our Lady, both among the Maltese as well as other ethnics groups. It was an interesting and spiritual experience walking up to the top of the hill where a huge cross was erected while viewing large statues and the beautiful oratorios along the way. We then drove through the Avenue of Honour World War One (WWI) memorial and finished off with a wonderful lunch at the Bacchus Marsh Golf Club. - Eva Carfora, Program Facilitator Garden World Centre The ‘Early Birds’ group visited the Garden World Centre in Braeside, and experienced interactive talks from Wildlife Australia with Snakes, Bearded Dragons, and all manner of interesting wildlife. Snake handling was definitely the main event! Our snake and Bearded Dragon wranglers Marzia and Kerry were very brave as the photo shows. The wonderful display of Orchids and Bromeliads has inspired us to get our pot plants ready for summer. We

followed this adventure with lunch at the Asian Palace Restaurant in Keysborough. - Julie Armstrong, Program Facilitator Hare Krishna Temple

In September the ‘Friday’ group visited the Hare Krishna Temple on Danks Street Albert Park. We were able to join in the festivities as the temple celebrated Krishna’s Birthday. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) have been a part of the City of Port Phillip Community since 1975 offering their Food For Life Program, the largest Vegetarian food relief program in the world today. They serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner every day of the year. - Effie Venetsanakos, Program Support Officer Fish & Chips for Seniors Festival! For Victorian Seniors Festival we combined two programs, ‘Big Day Out’ and ‘Out & About’ on Thursday 8 October and were treated to a wonderful fish & chip lunch at Beluga in Port Melbourne followed by a trip to the Docklands. We cruised up stream of the Yarra River through our marvellous city on the world's first floating tram. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed a memorable experience and even Melbourne's weather did not let us down as it was a perfect sunny day. - Eva Carfora, Program Facilitator

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Social Inclusion Planned Activity Group Recent Trips

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Nutritious Hot Lunch!

Russian Big Day Out A perfect day out was had by the attendees of the ‘Russian Big Day Out’ group in August. By 10 am our bus of 18 folks were on the road to the first stop of the day - morning tea at Jells Park. We then moved onto the Monash Gallery of Art to see five huge rooms of art including the famous originals of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and old photographs of Melbourne from the 1940's. We then heard the grand piano sounding majestically from one of the rooms so we quickly flocked there and were impressed to find our very own Mila playing a medley of classical favourites. We had lunch at the scenically perched Wheelers Hill Hotel, and then moving on to our last stop of the day at Pellegrino's in Wantirna for some fruit and vegetable shopping. The way home was spent happily chatting about what we'd seen, ate, shared and bought. - Marzia Corso Midweekers The ‘Midweekers’ Group meets every Wednesday to explore our local community as well as further afield. The Midweekers Social Program promotes mental wellbeing,

social connection, physical wellbeing and support for independent living. During September we visited Sandringham Beach and Marina followed by lunch at The Sandringham Hotel with breathtaking views of the bay. We also enjoyed travelling over to the West, to the City of Maribyrnong, where we walked along the Maribyrnong River using the Maribyrnong Trail. After a rejuvenating walk, we ate lunch at The Anglers Tavern with spectacular views of the river and its natural habitat. We went on a Discovery Tour at The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the oldest research institute in Australia. The Institute’s mission is ‘Mastery of Disease through Discovery’. We had the opportunity to meet with Scientists who are working towards preventing and treating diseases. - Effie Venetsanakos

We invite you to come for a nutritious hot lunch in a social

environment at the Betty Day Community Centre. Lunch is served by

the friendly Food Services team and is open to City of Port Phillip

residents aged 55 years and over or any person with a disability and

their carer.

Where: Betty Day Community Centre 67 Argyle Street, St Kilda When: Monday to Friday, 11.30AM to 1PM Price: Soup, Main Meal and Desert $6.00 Soup and Main Meal $4.50 Main Meal and Desert $4.50 If possible please phone: 9209 6422 to let us know if you will be joining us or if you have any special dietary requirements.

If you are interested in more information or participating in the Planned Activity Groups, please contact the Social Inclusion team 9209 6738 regarding availability and eligibility.

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We would love to hear from you if you have any feedback about our newsletter or if you have any ideas about what to include in the next edition, including programs and services that would be of interest. Please contact Leigh Mckinnon via the ASSIST phone number listed below. City of Port Phillip - Access & Ageing Private Bag No 3 PO St Kilda, Victoria 3182 ASSIST Phone: (03) 9209 6777 Website: http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au Email: assist@portphillip.vic.gov.au

Contact Us

Linking Neighbours Café Mornings

All those aged 65+ are welcome to come to one of the regular Linking Neighbours café mornings listed below. Bring some money for a cuppa and find out about the variety of outings and exercise groups that Linking Neighbours holds throughout the year. For more information phone Michael Wood Linking Neighbours coordinator on 9209 6777

Tuesdays: De Cuba Café Elwood cnr Glenhuntly Road & Broadway, Elwood at 10am Tuesdays: Neighbours Café cnr Inkerman & Chapel Streets, St Kilda at 11am

Wednesdays: PM’s Café cnr Bay & Liardet Streets, Port Melbourne at 10am Wednesdays: Hot Honey 40-42 Armstrong Street, Middle Park at 11am

Thursdays: Albert Park Deli 129 Dundas Place, Albert Park at 10am

Changing Places at St Kilda Life Saving Club

Changing Places facilities are cutting-edge accessible bathrooms that include a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench, a hoist and enough room for a person with a disability and two carers. These facilities mean people with disabilities will have a safe and convenient bathroom and change facility to use with their parents or carers. The City of Port Phillip passionately campaigned for a facility on the foreshore through the Association for Children with a Disability last year and we received great support from the wider community. A ‘sod turning’ ceremony in October (pictured) marked the official start to construction of an accessible new St Kilda Life Saving Club. The changing places facility will be part of the club upgrade. If you’d like more information regarding access news, you can speak to the MetroAccess team on 9209 6829 or email access@portphillip.vic.gov.au