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Aged & Community Services
SA & NT Inc©
246 Glen Osmond Road,
Fullarton SA 5063
Phone: (08) 8338 7111
Fax: (08) 8338 7077
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Volume 10, Issue 10, October 2009
Please note some of the articles provided have additional papers which can be downloaded or links to another website page. In some cases these documents are linked to the ACS Members Only section of this website and will require a Username and Password. All members have been issued with a Username and Password. If you have not received this please contact the Communications Officer with your contact details and you will be issued with your access details.
Index
National News
First Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Aged Care
The Charter became law on 1 October 2009. It has been developed to apply to people in receipt of Australian Government funded packages legislated under the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act), namely Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH-D) packages.
This is a significant step forward in explaining the rights of people receiving aged care services in the community as well as the rights of care workers who are providing the care and in raising awareness of the importance of rights and responsibilities in our community.
Read more about the introduction of the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care (the Charter).
For any queries or for further information please contact the Aged Care Information Line on 1800 500 853.
Extended closing date for postgraduate scholarships
Applications for the Aged Care Nursing Scholarship Scheme – Postgraduate and Continuing Education and the Postgraduate Community Aged Care Nursing Scholarship Scheme have been extended to 9 October 2009.
Applications are open to nurses working in aged care.
Local News
ACS 2010 Training Calendar Survey
To enable ACS to offer a relevant calendar of training events, we ask for member feedback about the topics each year.
ACS would appreciate you completing a short survey, to assist us in preparing the 2010 Training Calendar. Click here to go directly to the survey which will only take a few minutes to complete.
Each completed entry (with contact details supplied) will be entered into the prize draw for a complimentary attendance at any single day ACS event up to the value of $100 (to be taken by the end of June 2010). Please complete the survey by Friday 23rd October to be eligible for the prize draw.
Thank you for your time and good luck with the prize draw.
19th Annual Tri State Conference – CALL FOR PAPERS NOW OPEN
The 19th Annual Tri State Conference and Trade Exhibition will be held in Mt Gambier, South Australia, from Sunday 28th February 2010 to Tuesday 2nd March 2010.
The Tri-State Conference will bring together aged care professionals from across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
Speakers who are directly involved and working in aged and community care are encouraged to submit an abstract of a presentation that aims to share their experiences of meeting the growing and diverse needs of residents/clients.
The conference theme - “The Changing Faces of Aged Care”, compels us to explore the future of the aged and community care industry. Above all, the aged and community care industry seeks to provide quality of life for older people.
TRADE and SPONSORSHIP opportunities also available.
Business and Suppliers Survey 2009
ACS has developed this survey to identify businesses and suppliers who provide services to the aged and community care industry. We will use the information you provide to develop strategies to further strengthen the engagement of these organisations in the industry.
Invitations for the ACS Annual General Meeting were posted last week: the AGM will be held on Friday 30 October 2009 at 
11.00 am at the ACS Office and is proudly sponsored by NASANSB.
Coming Events
A briefing session on the NHHRC Report by Professor Justin Beilby
Thursday 15 October
5.30-6.30 pm
246 Glen Osmond Rd, Fullarton
Professor Beilby served as a Commissioner on the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC). He has accepted an invitation to brief ACS members about the NHHRC report and some of the thinking behind the recommendations, particularly those relating to aged care. The session will provide participants with the opportunity to seek clarification on matters contained in the report.
Please RSVP to Kaylene or Alison by COB this Friday 9 October on phone 8338 7111 or email
New workshops on culturally adept communication and workforce diversity
Multicultural Aged Care Inc in collaboration with Working Culture are bringing you two workshops in October and November. These workshops will be delivered by Sophie Diamandi and Patricia Muncey, Directors Working Culture and Rosa Colanero, CEO MAC.
Workshop 1: Culturally Adept Communication – Communicating within a competent framework
14 October 12.30 – 4.30 PM, Registration Form
Workshop 2: Embracing Workforce Diversity – Creating a culturally competent organisation
17 November 12.30 – 4.30 PM, Registration Form
Housing and Ageing presentation by Professor Chris Paris
Radford Auditorium, Art Gallery, Adelaide
20 October 2009, 5.00–7.00 p.m.
At this meeting Professor Paris will present his work on housing and ageing in Northern Ireland. The presentation is proudly supported by ECH Inc.
RSVP by 1 October to ACS reception (phone 8338 7111 or fax 8338 7077) and we will forward to the organiser.
Cognitive Brain Training in Healthy & At-Risk Older Individuals
21 October 2009
Alzheimer's Australia SA
Dr Michael Valenzuela
This workshop is recommended for health professionals from a variety of disciplines including nurses, physios, occupational therapists, and social workers; and students undertaking studies in health disciplines.
Please note that registrations are essential for this workshop. There is no cost to participants.
Arts, Ageing & Creativity Conference - 22-23 October 2009, Adelaide Convention Centre
Lucy's Fantasy Masterstroke . . .
Painting has drawn Lucy Pilmore out of herself and into the world of “Fantasy”. 
The 87-year-old Felixstow grandmother created a dynamic acrylic and water colour painting entitled “Fantasy” in 2006. Fantastic birds and flowers in vibrant oranges, purples and greens, come alive on the canvas (pictured left), which has pride of place at Aldersgate Nursing Home.
Lucy took up painting classes as a way of moving on with her life after her husband’s death. After some years her interest waned and may have been lost forever following a stroke in 2002. “I was in hospital for a month,” she said. “I had to learn to walk again and I couldn’t use my arm.”
The diversional art therapist at Aldersgate, Katherine Tumes, encouraged Lucy to return to painting. “With Katherine’s help and understanding I tried a different style. I used to paint landscapes and use oils.”
Fantasy was selected to illustrate the brochure for the 4th International Conference on Creative Expression, Communication and Dementia: Arts, Ageing and Creativity- unlocking the potential.
Lucy’s painting and those by other artists ranging in age from 80 to 96, all of whom have varying degrees of dementia, will be on display on October 22 and 23 at the Convention Centre as part of the conference. Read the full media release.
Find out more about the conference.
ACS Education & Training Events
ACS 2009 Training Program
The 2009 Training Program is constantly updated. Registration forms for the events will be placed on the website as they are prepared, and also sent to members. Please mark this page as a bookmark and return to it regularly to view any changes and additions.
Free workshops on the Fair Work Act 2009 - September to December
ACS SA & NT, in conjunction with Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) and the Aged Care Association of Australia (ACAA), has secured funding to conduct workshops to outline the key changes to workplace law as a result of the Fair Work Act 2009.
The workshops will give an overview of the relevant key features of the Act, including:
- The safety net of minimum employment conditions;
- Unfair dismissal provisions;
- Collective bargaining and enterprise agreements;
- The Fair Work Australia institutions and
- Modern awards.
In SA, six sessions across metropolitan and regional SA are being offered. In NT, two sessions are being offered, one in Darwin and one in Alice Springs.
Upcoming RDNS clinical courses
ACS is pleased to provide information about upcoming RDNS clinical courses and education events.
The RDNS Education Centre is excited to offer its new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, tailored to the health and community services industry, and available from October this year. This course joins the new Certificate III courses in Disability and Home and Community Care also launching in October. The Education Centre’s popular education consultancy service is undergoing an upgrade with new content soon to be released including male catheterisation training and education on how to navigate the constantly changing health system. For further information contact the RDNS Education Centre on 08 8208 5300 or visit the website.
Papers and Presentations from ACS Forums
Papers and Presentations from some of the recently held ACS Forums are available for members-only access. Click here to view the list of presentations available.
Visit the ACS Training & Events Program
Industry Supporter News
ACS warmly welcomes EMA Consulting, who have recently formalised their agreement to become Industry Supporters.
About EMA Consulting
EMA Consulting was established in 1997 and provides services and products to employers across all States of Australia. Our clients vary from sole traders and partnerships through to some of Australia’s largest organisations, public and private. We operate offices in Melbourne and Adelaide providing services to our clients in the areas of Industrial Relations, Occupational Health and Safety and Work Injury Management. Whilst we provide traditional type services such as consulting and training, we pride ourselves on our point of difference - practicality and innovation through all of our services and products. We invite you to find out more about the benefits we may offer for your business. Find out more.
Pr
ime Medical Placements stands tall as one of Adelaide’s quality nursing agencies. Prime’s stringent recruitment methods and placement of quality staff onto our client sites places Prime Medical Placements head and shoulders above the rest. Prime Medical Placement’s professional approach with clients in terms of honesty and quality guarantees a positive result every time.
If you pick the right supplier, you will actually have fewer problems on your site. If quality staff are provided to you from your nursing agency – it is worth every cent. Also ensure you speak with your Client Services Manager on any issue – if they have a good customer service attitude and knowledge of the industry – you can only improve on the relationship and service and that is a win, win for all.
Riessens Corporate Services through our principal, Wayne Riessen brings more than 25 years' experience in the fields of Aged Care Services, (in both the For-Profit and Not-for-Profit environments) and Viability Management through an open, consulting environment. Riessens Corporate Services provides a wide variety of services to meet the Corporate, Management and Business needs of Clients. Find out more.