News and views from our community

The power of a healing touch

It is difficult to fully understand the power of a healing touch, despite the fact, that the medical field are continuing to find ‘healthful’ benefits for patients in the form of non-verbal communication. Luise Westwood, Chaplain at Baptcare The Orchards Community says that it is a way of connecting with another, without saying a word to communicate, especially when a resident has commenced a comfort care or palliative care pathway.The role of a chaplain has significantly changed over the years, Luise sums it up by saying “Chaplaincy today, lies at the heart of a holistic approach to healing which encompasses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – enabling a chaplain to listen with their heart to another person’s struggle, joys and pain”. Our chaplains are trained to listen to the resident’s story, to be present to the resident’s values and to reframe the crisis/life changing situation.One example of the power of a healing touch is Luise’s interaction with Beth, who was on a palliative care pathway. Beth, who generally was resistant to many forms of assistance and was known to be verbally abusive at times, was referred to Luise at the start of March this year.Upon her first visit, Luise found Beth lying in her bed in a foetal position and experienced Beth to be somewhat initially resistive to her presence. After a period of silence, Beth asked Luise to rub her back. She wasn’t in any physical pain but was expressing a need for human contact, a gentle touch, to reassure her that someone was there for her. Beth eventually closed her eyes and whispered to Luise, “Thank you, no one has done something like that for me in a long time”.Luise was able to visit Beth once more before she passed away in late March. During this visit, Luise recalls that although Beth was semi-conscious, “she appeared to respond to my presence”. Whilst Luise will never know to the full extent her presence, words or gestures may have had on Beth, she believes that Beth experienced some sense of peace or acceptance of her current situation.The nursing staff at The Orchards Community noted that following Luise’s initial visit, Beth was more accepting and less resistive to their care.The work of our Pastoral care team and chaplains like Luise, is very important to Baptcare’s holistic approach to aged care. Providing spiritual and emotional support to our residents, is less about filling up every moment with words, and more about discovering the gifts of sacred silence and the potential power of a ‘healing touch’.“It is an incredible privilege to work with elderly people at their most vulnerable time”, said Luise. “Chaplaincy is a vocation, not just a job”.

• 11 Jun 2019

Foster care support to aid most vulnerable across Tasmania

Baptcare is excited to partner with The Department of Communities Tasmania to extend its recruitment of foster carers across Tasmania, offering training and ongoing support to help create more positive environments for children most at risk.With the rate of children receiving child protection services in Australia continuing to rise, with around 158,600, or 1 in 35, children having received child protection services in 2017-18, Baptcare Family and Community Services Operations Manager, Chris Demeyer says foster carers offer a crucial lifeline for those most vulnerable.“Foster carers are the unsung heroes of our community who provide positive and nurturing environments for some of our community’s most at risk children”, said Mr Demeyer.“We know fostering a child can be a richly rewarding experience but sometimes people are apprehensive in their approach to begin and are unsure of how the process works. Baptcare will now be able to provide training and ongoing support to help potential foster carers know what to expect and how to achieve positive outcomes. Baptcare is excited to help even more children and young people find a caring place to call home,” said Mr Demeyer.Baptcare welcomes foster carers from all types of households, family units and backgrounds who can offer respite, emergency, short term (3-6 months), and long term (6 months or more) care. All applicants are required to be over 21 years of age, have adequate space in their home, have no criminal record, and pass a police and relevant working with vulnerable persons/children check.This new partnership complements our longstanding delivery of foster care opportunities within Victoria which last year saw 102 children provided with a safe and nurturing environment.For more information call 13 22 78 or visit https://www.baptcare.org.au/services/family-youth-and-foster-care/foster-care .

• 27 May 2019

Food to the rescue

This National Volunteer Week Baptcare celebrates the generous contribution of our 790 passionate Baptcare volunteers, like Jeff Davies whose profile is shared below, who have contributed over 42,000 hours to volunteering this year alone. Our youngest volunteer is just eight years old and plays chess with one of our residents at Hedley Sutton Community while our oldest is 95 who assists in the kiosk at Strathalan Community. Baptcare will hold 19 events this week recognising the contribution of our volunteers within our communities and programs. Volunteers will also be recognised for their length of service and receive acknowledgement in the form of badges and certificates.Looking for a chance to improve the lives of people seeking asylum, Jeff Davies decided to join Sanctuary, becoming an important member of the volunteer team.“I was looking for a way to do something positive to help”, says Jeff.Joining Sanctuary three years ago, Jeff originally assisted residents with writing resumes and developing interview skills. This is an important area of Sanctuary’s work, with education and employment crucial to a resident’s transition into Australian society.Currently, Jeff assists Sanctuary by picking up and distributing food donations to our Brunswick and Preston sites. Both of these roles have given Jeff the chance to chat and listen to the experiences of residents.“I find the incredible endurance, intelligence and positivity of many of the residents, in the face of very challenging circumstances, truly admirable,” says Jeff.Through his volunteering efforts, Jeff has seen first-hand the dedication of Sanctuary’s volunteers and the generous donations that make Sanctuary possible. He continues to volunteer as he feels a great sense of pleasure in meeting and assisting residents.“It is a very satisfying thing to do, particularly given the attitude and education of the Baptcare staff. I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone looking to make a difference,” says Jeff.Jeff’s wife, Geunolee has heeded his enthusiastic recommendation to join Sanctuary as a volunteer, currently assisting residents with their English skills.“Hopefully I will link in some more helpers in the future,” says Jeff.Outside of Sanctuary, Jeff has 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is a Founding Director of CBE, a consulting company in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.Volunteering has always been a prominent part of Jeff’s life. His work with CBE has involved working with developing countries in increasing the production of vaccines.Jeff also dedicates his spare time to fundraising through fun runs and cycling events such as The Great Cycle Challenges.Baptcare and Sanctuary are forever grateful to people like Jeff, as their generosity makes a positive difference in the lives of Sanctuary residents.Around 73 per cent of our Baptcare volunteers say they want to make a difference and that Baptcare supports them to achieve this. Baptcare volunteers not only make a wonderful contribution to the Sanctuary program, but also to our residential aged care residents, our famillies and their children, our staff and our foster children and we cannot express our gratitude enough for their hard work. From all of us here at Baptcare, we say THANK YOU for everything our volunteers do!

• 21 May 2019

Celebrating our volunteers

This National Volunteer Week Baptcare celebrates the generous contribution of our 790 passionate Baptcare volunteers, like Stanley Thomas whose profile is shared below, who have contributed over 42,000 hours to volunteering this year alone. Our youngest volunteer is just eight years old and plays chess with one of our residents at Hedley Sutton Community while our oldest is 95 who assists in the kiosk at Strathalan Community. Baptcare will hold 19 events this week recognising the contribution of our volunteers within our communities and programs. Volunteers will also be recognised for their length of service and receive acknowledgement in the form of badges and certificates. Retiree, Stanley Thomas, recently begun volunteering as an Administration and IT volunteer for Baptcare’s Sanctuary program. Stanley was eager to help support a not-for-profit organisation and welcomed the opportunity after learning of the program via the Baptcare website.Not new to volunteering, Stanley currently volunteers for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) tutoring migrants in English. His previous volunteering has seen him tutor two Melbourne Polytechnic students of refugee backgrounds undertaking bookkeeping courses, develop finance procedures for the Compass Club which is part of Melbourne City Mission, and conduct computer training for new migrants at Whittlesea Community Connections.Baptcare’s Sanctuary program prides itself on providing people with safety, opportunity and a fair go. This is done through Sanctuary’s work in providing education, developing skills and knowledge, work opportunities and building a respectful community.During his one day a week at Sanctuary, Stanley works on spreadsheets, formatting documents and consulting on developing new databases. His work enables Sanctuary staff to spend more time focusing on the residents.When asked about how he feels about volunteering, Stanley says he gains a real sense of satisfaction through his volunteer work at Sanctuary.“I truly feel like I am making a difference and a real part of the community,” says Stanley. “There is a sense of belonging at Sanctuary, through the friendly atmosphere of staff and volunteers”. “During my short time so far at Sanctuary I have thoroughly enjoyed and admired the work undertaken to protect such vulnerable members of the community,” says Stanley.Stanley went on to recommend the opportunity of volunteering to others describing Baptcare as an “organisation which can utilise the skills, talents and experience of volunteers in order to meet its objectives”.Baptcare is forever grateful for people like Stanley, as their generosity makes such a positive difference in the lives of all who reside at Sanctuary.Around 73 per cent of our Baptcare volunteers say they want to make a difference and that Baptcare supports them to achieve this. Baptcare volunteers not only make a wonderful contribution to the Sanctuary program, but also to our residential aged care residents, our famillies and their children, our staff and our foster children and we cannot express our gratitude enough for their hard work. From all of us here at Baptcare, we say THANK YOU for everything our volunteers do!

• 20 May 2019

• Residential Aged Care

Hear from our Mornington Peninsula aged care residents

When Margaret Grey’s family felt she wasn’t coping at home, they started looking for a residential aged care community that could provide the extra support she needed. “We chose Peninsula View because it had a great atmosphere and lovely staff,” says Margaret.

• 03 Sep 2018