Archive

Building client-caregiver relationships with Jubilee Community Care support workers during services is vital to our clients’ wellbeing and happiness.

Consistency of care of a client can have several benefits including greater connection and trust, better communication, early identification of subtle changes in emotional and physical health, and peace of mind.

It has been a longstanding practice at Jubilee, as much as is possible, to match clients with suitable support workers – people who may have common interests or backgrounds, and for whom the relationship will be mutually positive and rewarding.

However, Jubilee also aims to match two or three support workers to an individual client – people the client will see regularly and with whom they can build trust, routine and connection with.

This practice allows Jubilee to build flexibility into a client’s services, allowing our Brisbane home care assistance team to roster a known support worker to a client when their other regular support workers may not be available for a service due to annual or personal leave, illness, or other reasons.

But this practice also has other benefits – helping support workers and their clients to maintain professional boundaries. Our support workers should be respected by clients as employees first. A client’s home is their workplace. This practice means a client does not potentially rely solely on one particular support worker for their needs to be met and does not become too ‘’attached’’ to one individual. It also means a support worker does not become overly involved in a client’s life, potentially hindering their ability to provide professional and objective support, and sometimes leading to high stress or burnout.

If, as a client or family member of a client, this is something you would like to discuss further, please phone Jubilee’s office on 3871 3220.

Thank you to clients, families, employees and volunteers for your continued messages of support to Jubilee Community Care’s office-based staff for their wonderful work over recent months.

Recruitment, induction and training of employees continues to be a top priority at Jubilee to ensure we provide the highest quality of services and supports for clients. I am delighted to introduce Diane Evans as our Human Resource Manager. Diane will provide our service with strategic and operational know-how in the complex area of human resource management. Diane is supported in the HR area by Deanne Garner who returned to us in April. Deanne, with Jubilee previously for 12 years, concentrates on staff induction, training, and quality assurance. We have also welcomed back other former employees. These include Tracy Burton in a business development role; Lorraine Kiss as a client support coordinator; Adele O’Halloran returns as our scheduler; and Mary Menelaws and Emily Menelaws work across administration, reception and finance areas.

We also have seen the employment of several new support workers, and current staff being redeployed with Eileen Williams now our office coordinator and Fran Cox working alongside Vicki Burden in the activities program.

The recruitment outlined above, together with existing employees, has increased our procedural knowledge and provided a stable platform for the benefit of clients and the service. Thank you to all staff and volunteers – your great work is recognised by the Jubilee Community Care Board members and myself.

Recruitment for support workers is ongoing. If you know of someone who may be interested in a career in aged care, please ask them to contact the Jubilee Community Care office for further information.

A reminder that the two main aged care programs we offer are the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Home Care Packages. Eligibility for both programs and access to support services are provided following an assessment by My Aged Care (phone 1800 200 422). Jubilee Community Care can provide assistance and guidance in organising this assessment if required.

For eligible clients we offer:
• Allied Health Brisbane services such as podiatry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology;
• Nursing, transport, social support (individual) including shopping;
• Domestic assistance including light domestic household tasks;
• Personal care such as assistance with showering, bathing and dressing;
• Flexible in-home respite care;
• Meal preparation;
• Social support group and social outings.

The annual client satisfaction survey will be sent out in the coming weeks. I encourage you to complete and return your survey form. Information from the survey will provide important feedback to the Jubilee Community Care Board members and management that will assist in shaping your services into the future.

Kind regards,
Shaun Riley, Executive Director

Jubilee Community Care client Ken Moore has loved sailing all his adult life. But when Ken suffered a stroke in early 2020 a change of tack was required to help him continue his beloved pastime.

Ken’s wife and carer June says Ken is keen to get out on the water whenever he can – something made easier with the help of Jubilee support worker Jason. During Ken’s regular services Jason takes him to Manly Boat Harbour where they clean and maintain Ken’s yacht Rapture. At other times they will join Ken’s friend Willem on his yacht and have a short sail around Moreton Bay before heading home again.

‘’Ken has had his own boat for more than 20 years now but has not sailed it since he had the stroke,’’ June said. ‘’He bought his yacht after he retired and he wanted to do renovations on it which was a lot of work but it looks wonderful inside (pictured above).

‘‘Ken loved sailing from when he was a child when he went on holiday to Stradbroke (Island) and his uncle took him on a small dingy with sail. ‘‘He always enjoys it and his ability to go out now gives him a natural high.’’

As a former civil engineering draftsman Ken has always had an eye for detail. That has stood him in good stead with another of his former hobbies – building remote-control model boats. ‘’He has designed and built several remote-controlled model boats for himself and family members,’’ June said. ‘’He used to sail them in various places, including the Wynnum/Manly wading pond.’’

Jubilee senior client support coordinator Nicky said the support provided to Ken to go sailing during his Jubilee services was just one example of how Home Care Packages could be used to encourage clients to take part in social activities that promote and protect the client’s lifestyle, interests and wellbeing. ‘’This could be a support worker accompanying or taking a client like Ken sailing or to a weekly organised club to play bridge or mahjong, or to yoga or the like,’’ Nicky said.

Former Governor General of Australia, the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, will be the guest speaker at Jubilee Community Care’s Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, November 21 at Indooroopilly Golf Club.

Jubilee staff, clients and their carers are invited to hear Dame Quentin speak before staying for the AGM after should they wish.

Also, as part of the event, Jubilee clients are invited to attend a sumptuous high tea at the venue at 3.30pm.

At 5pm there will be the chance to mingle with Jubilee staff, the Board and Dame Quentin before she is interviewed about her life. There will be time for questions after.

The usual business matters of the AGM, including election of the Jubilee Board, will begin at 6pm.

Clients wishing to attend the high tea at 3.30pm must book. The cost is $25 each. Bus transport may be available although private travel to and from the event is preferred as bus seats are limited. Please note the bus will leave to transport clients home straight after the completion of Dame Quentin’s interview. If clients wish to stay for the AGM they will need to find their own way home.

To book high tea and/or your AGM attendance phone the office on 3871 3220.

Thank you to our clients, families, employees and volunteers for your messages of support on my recent reappointment to the position of executive director of Jubilee Community Care.

The Board of Jubilee and I are aware of the challenges ahead to ensure we deliver the quality of service and support to you that have underpinned the history of Jubilee. A number of Board members, myself and many of our existing employees were part of that history and, together with new Board members and employees, we are motivated and committed to ensure we deliver the highest quality of services and supports to you as your service provider.

I am delighted to inform that we have been fortunate to bring back into our employment a number of key staff with knowledge and experience of processes and procedures in care coordination, finance, payroll and administration.

We are recruiting a manager for aged care services to lead our care coordinators and a client support coordinator with registered nurse experience. These two positions will provide needed support to our existing client support coordinators for the benefit of clients, families and employees.
We are advertising for the new roles of human resource manager and human resource assistant who will have responsibilities for all aspects of human resources and will include first-line supervision and communication with support workers, conflict resolution, competency assessment and performance appraisals. The changes will ensure HR best practice and streamline and strengthen the human resource area of Jubilee for the benefit of employees and clients.

We are recruiting additional support workers to meet the service needs of clients. Please be aware if you have multiple services on a day or services on different days throughout the week that most support workers work part time so you may receive services from different support workers. It is not always possible to roster the same support worker to a client’s service because of their unavailability due to the person’s chosen workdays/times/sickness/annual leave etc. Jubilee will always try to roster a support worker to your agreed time/day of service.

Regrettably, on occasion we may have to offer you a service at a different time or day due to the shortage of staff within our industry. This situation is a challenge to our rostering staff but please be assured that whilst as people we are all different, we do induct and train support workers in a consistent way to provide an acceptable level of service. Furthermore, we are always asking employees if they would like to extend or change their availability, even on a short-term basis.

We have deployed additional resources within our finance area to address the unacceptable level of administration experienced by clients and families for which, on behalf of Jubilee Community Care, I sincerely offer my apologies. I can assure you it is the aim of the Board, finance staff and myself to bring about a speedy resolution to the issues of client billing, budgets and the issuing of monthly statements.

I ask for your continued support and patience whilst we work through the operational challenges ahead.

Kind regards, Shaun Riley, Executive Director