What's a mutual benefit anyway?
This is Maree Ireland’s take on the wording and meaning:
Continue reading “What Does “Mutually Benificial Relationship” really mean?”
What Does “Mutually Benificial Relationship” really mean?
How Does Self-Direction Affect Carer Relationships?
My name is Maree Ireland and I work at field – furthering inclusive learning and development.
We are trying to set up an information page on our website around people with disabilities experiences and stories (good or bad) of setting up their own self directed approaches, whether they, be self directed planning or funding or self-directed employment. We are interested in seeing if there’s a change in the relationship with your workers. We want to do this to show people what is really happening with self directed approaches and maybe encourage more people to want to try it.
We are keen to get people’s stories and are willing to go and meet people and record their stories either by taking notes or videoing them as they tell their stories.
We were wondering if you might know any people from your trials of self-directed approaches who may be interested in telling their experiences. Alternatively, could you pass this information to people who may be interested in being involved with this.
If people are interested, can they please contact me on maree.ireland@field.org.au.
- Maree
Breaking Point: 4 Corners Tonight
On Four Corners Tonight, the documentary Breaking Point covers families in crisis because of the lack of disability support available to people with a disability.
The heart-rending story that tells what it’s like to live with a disability, or to care for someone who is disabled, in Australia today. Reporter Wendy Carlisle meets the families the nation has neglected.
The system of assistance for people with a disability in Australia is broken. Carers know it, charitable organisations know it and so do the governments. Now the federal government says something must be done. It’s holding an Inquiry, with the intention of creating a new and fairer system. It’s even considering a national disability insurance scheme. But will the system be reformed in time to save the families now at breaking point?
If you miss the show and have a broadband connection, check out Four Corners on iView to watch it via your computer for the next 4 weeks or so.
We’d love to hear your comments after the show. Did you think the show was well done, and showed the perspective of people with a disability and paid carers as well as that of families? How do the issues raised in the show affect you? Do you think they missed important factors? Post your comments here.
- Ricky Buchanan and the NJW Team
Overseas Research Trip
By Debbie Mackenzie.
Peter and Debbie in Hawaii
Whose Support Worker Are You?
By an anonymous contributor.
Government House in Melbourne
He thought I might like to go with him instead of taking a support worker and I said yes – my big chance for afternoon tea at Government House! We were all dressed up ready to go and the manager from the organisation arrived. I opened the door to her. She was dressed up too, but did not make eye contact with me at all. As she came in she ignored me and walked past me into the kitchen and started talking to my partner. Continue reading “Whose Support Worker Are You?”
The importance of disabilty support workers
By Peter Gibilisco and Debbie Mackenzie. Reprinted with permission of authors from On Line Opinion.
Peter and Deb Working
Some Very Special People And Our Relationships
By Vince Pirrottina
Vince and Gus at Melbourne's opulent Crown Casino.
They say if you have a couple of good friends in your life that you are very lucky.
I feel blessed to have had rewarding relationships with some of my Attendant Carers.
Each relationship has had a unique value to it and along with my wife Rosanne helped me achieve many goals that I would never have attempted.
Besides spending much of my time with my wife Rosanne, I would also spend 5 to 7 days a week with Gus who is my major attendant carer, he starts at approximately 8:30am, doing 3 shifts a day and finishing around 10:45 pm at night. Continue reading “Some Very Special People And Our Relationships”
Relationships with Non-verbal Clients
By an anonymous contributor.
Non-verbal clients don't have to be invisible.
Terry’s Tuesdays
By: EW Tipping Foundation, 2009 Calendar.
Terry and James Playing Golf
Terry received five hours of support every week from Vista as part of its federally-funded dementia support program, leading the way in showing how creative support can be. Continue reading “Terry’s Tuesdays”
Successful working relationships with disability support workers
Written by Maree Ireland.
Maree in a meeting.
The Birth Of The Client/Attendant Relationship
By Vince Pirrottina.
As always communication is the key to any relationship, this starts when a Client and Attendant meet for the very first time. It is natural for both parties to feel a bit uneasy at first especially with someone new to Attendant Care work. It’s important to make them comfortable and discuss any fears they may have. Letting them know there will be someone helping and giving one to one training. Continue reading “The Birth Of The Client/Attendant Relationship”
Gus and Vince – A Close Relationship
By Gus.
Gus, Vince, and Rosanne.
Creativity with Gifts and Appreciation
By Ricky Buchanan.
Woven bag I made as a going away gift for a PCA.
Sometimes these gifts and their worth are specific to the carer involved. Once I secretly learned a Russian song and sang it as a “gift” to a carer who was Russian and was teaching me Russian during our PCA shifts. Then we laughed a lot and she explained to me what the correct pronunciation was and I sung it again! Several times I have made tiny pieces of artwork like hand-made gift cards with drawings on them for carers who I knew loved art. I made a 2 inch square woven bag as a “goodbye” gift for a PCA who moved to England after working with me for four years – she was an art therapist as well as a PCA and we did lots of arts and crafts together while she was here, so I knew she would appreciate the little bag. Continue reading “Creativity with Gifts and Appreciation”
Simon and Frank
By Simon.
Simon in a meeting.
I was asked by my co-ordinator to go meet a man, Frank (not his real name), who had been in a car accident resulting in huge injuries. He had been living in a busy, noisy ward in a private hospital for a number of years and was very withdrawn and disengaged from life. The co-ordinator told me he had sent a few carers to try and encourage Frank to go out and enjoy something. All having no luck. “I don’t know if you’ll have any success but give it a bash” my co-ordinator said. Continue reading “Simon and Frank”