The Federal Government has warned people to beware of contact from anyone claiming to work for the Government and tries to make them pay an administration fee to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin issued a statement in which she warned people against falling for the scam. “These claims are false. There is no need for people to pay a fee to join the National Disability Insurance Scheme. People should be very wary of anyone asking for payments for Government schemes, including the NDIS,” the statement said. “If people are concerned that their privacy has been breached or they have provided personal details as a result of one of these calls, they should report it to the police. Suspected scams can be reported to the Government’s Scamwatch website or by calling 1300 795 995. Further queries about the NDIS scam can be sent to helpdesk.fraud@fahcsia.gov.au”

Keep your motor running!
FREE MEN’S HEALTH WEEK FORUM & EXPO
COTA SA invites you to attend a free Men’s Health Week Forum & Expo!

Thursday 13 June 2013 10am – 1pm
COTA SA 16 Hutt Street Adelaide
Speakers and information on a variety of topics including:
Nutrition, Physical Activity, Sexual Health, Prostate Cancer, Continence,
Alzheimer’s Disease, Aged Rights and Advocacy, Carers Support and
Services, Mental Health, Alcohol Awareness, Medicine Use.
Refreshments included.
All Welcome. RSVP is required as numbers are limited.
Ring COTA on 8232 0422 by Tuesday 11 June 2013.

The Get Together Club, for adults with a disability and their families. The aim of the Get Together Club is to provide an opportunity for friendship and connectedness and something regular to look forward to.

It will be held at the Life Care Hall, Aldinga Beach on the first Friday of each month. 6.30-8.30pm.

WHEN: First Friday of the Month
DATE: Starts 5th July
WHERE: Aldinga Life Care Hall, Pridham Boulevard – opposite the bus Stop & shopping centre
TIME: 6:30PM to 8:30PM
COST: $5 per family
Shared tea – parents, please bring plate of savoury, persons with disability please bring plate of sweets or fruit.
For bookings, please contact Margaret Potts at the Southern Carer Centre, 8433 9555

Please download The Get Together Club Flyer for further details

Survey for consumers & carers
What is “Gender Safety”, and what’s being done about it?

Across South Australia, creating and ensuring safety within adult mental health inpatient settings presents a range of challenges. Mixed-sex environments, limited physical space, and the severity and impact of mental illness are just some of the challenges people face.

Because there are often more males than females in adult mental health inpatient settings, service providers need to be sensitive to the safety and privacy needs of women admitted to these units. This is “gender safety”. To look at these issues, SA Health’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division is currently working on a project about gender safety in adult mental health adult inpatient settings.

It’s important that we base our project on the lived experience of people with a mental illness, and their families and carers, so your responses to the following survey will be greatly valued.

The following link will take you to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NXB97KN

All responses are anonymous.

This survey closes on 14 June, 2013.

Drug Action Week 2013 (15-22 June)

Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) in alcohol and other drug practice Free Forum and Workshop

Tuesday 18th June 2013

Flinders City Campus, 182 Victoria Square, Room 1, Level 1

Attendance is free but registration essential.

To register for either or both the Forum or Workshop (please specify):

Email: nceta@flinders.edu.au or Phone: 08 8201 7535

Workshop numbers are limited so please book early.

Registrations close Friday 14 June 2013

The REACH Program is a free 9 week psycho-educational support group (based on the principles of responsibility, education, acceptance, connection and hope). The aim of the R.E.A.C.H program is to help participants with depression or bipolar disorder and their families manage their illness and stay well. This program will commence on Wednesdays between 2-4 pm and every consecutive Wednesday onwards for 9 weeks.

 Eligibility criteria for participants:

•18 years and over

•Diagnosis of depression or bipolar disorder, for a minimum of one year

•Capacity to participate in a group setting

•Capacity to commit to attending the 9 weekly sessions

•Acceptance of illness
•Motivation to implement personal change strategies

 Topics include:

 •Fostering Strengths

•Dealing with Loss & Grief
•Identifying Early Warning Signs & Triggers

•Well Being Strategies

•Nurturing Support Networks

Expressions of interest: Date and location to be advised

Please call Navigate on 1800 809 304

Contact: Prue Excell

Are you living with a mental illness and are ready to make some positive changes in your life?

Would you like to join a fun and friendly program that helps you work towards goals based on what’s important to you?

Come and join Flourish

   Flourish is a small group program that will meet fortnightly over 12 weeks to learn how we can focus on recovery and wellness while still living with a mental illness.

   It is run by two Peer Support Workers—people who have experienced mental illness and are living the recovery process.

 
Begins: Wednesday 19th June

   Where: North Adelaide Community Centre

   Please contact Mark or Helen for more information
before 5th of June at Neami on 8281 1955

Stop being a writer in search of a publisher. Why not self-publish, or better yet, e-publish?

Get your head around all the new options for authors in a publishing landscape that is changing to suit our increasingly online-centered environment.

Get an understanding of:

• publishing formats and software
• design and publishing
• distribution, promotion and copyright issues
• direction for advice and support

Access2Arts is running this free seminar to introduce you to the world of e-publishing, and demonstrate how it can be a well thought through strategy and not a writer’s last resort.

Workshop leader:  Marty Cielens is a published author who has developed a wide range of online content. He has also worked with teachers in the TAFE sector, helping them develop online learning resources.

Date: Tuesday, 18 June 3.30pm – 5.30pm Bookings: Go to the event page and book online. We’ll contact you to confirm your booking and any access requirements. Bookings close 5pm, Friday 14 June. Accessibility: This event will have Auslan interpreters and access workers provided. Location: Digital Hub, Grote Street Library, Level 2, 18 Grote Street, Adelaide

JUNE INFORMATION SESSIONS

When:

Wednesday 5 June 2013     15/5 Info Session Ppt

1.00pm – 2.30pm

6.00pm – 7.00pm

Drop in session:

2.30pm – 6.00pm

 

Where:

The Heysen Room,

Chifley Hotel

226 South Terrace,

Adelaide, SA 5000

 

Register your interest in attending info session online today!

ACS SA & NT members now eligible to apply for UTAS Associate Degree in Dementia Care to be delivered in Adelaide. Employees of ACS members may be eligible for a HECS waived place (no fees) in 2013!

The Associate Degree in Dementia Care is an initiative of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre in the Faculty of Health Science. The Associate Degree in Dementia Care is being delivered in Adelaide by UTAS in partnership with ACS SA & NT, from July 2013. The course specifically aims to target current workers in the field of aged and dementia care to improve the quality of care in this sector. Students learn to understand the brain and the process of dementia and to relate this to the rationale for providing the very best approach to care, directly linking evidence-based practice with education of the workforce.

The next intake of students will be in July 2013 and applications are open now! View brochure here!

The first face-to-face component is proposed to be held in Adelaide 22/7/13 – 24/7/13.

The application process for the ADDC is now fully online and can be accessed through the Wicking Website http://www.utas.edu.au/wicking/wca/addc

 Applications are welcome from any Australian resident, however, there are no HECS fees for this course in 2013 when you enrol as a member of ACS SA & NT and you have the support of your employer.

 Please click here for further information about the course, including overview, structure and entry requirements.

Register your interest in attending info session online today!

I would appreciate you passing this information onto your networks. This is such a wonderful opportunity for anyone involved in aged care to be a part of a world first approach to the study of dementia.  This July intake may represent the last opportunity for ACS members to access the HECS waived places so get your application in early!

Please do not hesitate to contact me or Andrea Carr: (03) 6226 4667 A.R.Carr@utas.edu.au  should you require further information.

Erin Stewart isn't too bothered about diagnostic labels - for her, what matters isn't so much the diagnosis, but whether treatments are effective and symptoms get better.

As part of the State’s Government’s strategic priority to support safe communities, the Disability Justice Plan and an accompanying Discussion Paper were released on 21 May 2013. Attorney-General John Rau is leading the change, including the introduction of improved legislation, which will see people with disabilities better able to access the criminal justice system in South Australia, whether as victims, witnesses or those accused of crimes.

The purpose of the Disability Justice Plan is to safeguard the rights of all people with disability in their interactions with the criminal justice system.

The discussion paper highlights particular areas for consideration and public comment, including:

• What support people with disability require to take part in the criminal justice system on an equal basis, such as vulnerable witnesses having access to intermediaries to assist them communicate more clearly and easily
• Overcoming barriers people with disability can face in the criminal justice system
• How people with disability can be better protected
• How abuse and exploitation of people with disability can be better prevented
• Proposed changes to legislation, such as recent laws introduced in NSW making it a crime for a carer to have sexual contact with a person of intellectual disability they are caring for

 

Discussion Paper

A ‘standard’ version and an ‘easy read’ version of the discussion paper is available. Both can be downloaded as a pdf, or read online (for people using screen readers). An Auslan video version of the discussion paper is also available.

Standard version, pdf (764KB PDF)

Standard version, accessible html

Easy read version, pdf (1.6MB PDF)

Easy read version, accessible html

 

Disability Justice Plan consultation online submission  

To access the online survey  Disability Justice Plan survey – link to www.surveymonkey.com

Disability Justice Plan explained – Auslan version, video – link to YouTube

Listen to the Attorney-General John Rau discuss the Disabilty Justice Plan  Attorney-General John Rau discusses the Disability Justice Plan – link to YouTube

It can be intimidating being inside the criminal justice system - especially when you can't make yourself heard.

The latest Diagnostic and Statisticians Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) collapses Asperger syndrome and autism, along with other disorders, into one diagnosis - Austism Spectrum Disorder. 'Aspies' may feel like a little piece of themselves falling away, says Katharine Annear, but she believes a name change in a book doesn't change who they are.

The Elderly & Family Therapy

26th July  2pm – 5pm

Presented by Malcolm Robinson & Catherine Sanders

As our population ages and people live longer, the often neglected needs of older people are increasingly recognized. This presentation will explore the life cycle implications of aging, both individually and in terms of the whole family life cycle as it impacts on all family members and the individual and group challenges this presents. Questions of attachment and the central place of family will be explored, recognizing the unique contribution older relatives make to the family. Particular attention will be made to the phenomenon of middle aged children caught between the needs of adolescent in their immediate family and their own aging parents.

The workshop will place these issues within a systemic frame recognizing the complex interplay of individual issues, family dynamics and wider system constraints which conspire to create difficulties. Questions of elder abuse and exploitation and demands and responsibilities of families will be discussed.

A review of current literature, case material and examples of the application of systemic thinking to this population will join theory to everyday workable practice.

 

For further information, and to register, go to the website.

 

http://www.bowerplace.com.au/workshops.php?id=141

You can have your say about improving the criminal justice system for those with disability in SA Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

.

A  new Disability Justice Plan is being created for South Australia. We want to improve access to justice and safeguard the rights of people with disability.

We want to understand what support is needed and how people with disability can be better protected.

Take part in the community consultation and tell us what you think needs to change and what you think of proposed changes to the law.

      www.saplan.org.au/yoursay

        or call (08) 8463 4364 to find out more

This initiative contributes to the Safe Communities Healthy Neighbourhoods Strategic Priority.

 

The Better Practice Project, in collaboration with the City of Playford, are very pleased to present the Alan Hendry production “What do you see?”.

 

The cast of the Vintage Theatre Co-op will perform at the Mitcham Cultural Village on Friday 14 June 2013.  “What do you see?” tells the story of an isolated older person whose life is changed by an inspirational community worker.

 

For full details, please see the attached flyer.  This event is FREE and includes a light lunch!

 

Be early to book for this wonderful production.  RSVP to Vicki Smith at bppadmin1@agedcommunity.asn.au or phone 8338 8008.

 

Vicki Smith

Assistant Project Officer

Better Practice Project

Phone:  08 8338 8008

Mobile:  0411 278549

email:  bppadmin1@agedcommunity.asn.au

 

 

 

Event: Free Men’s Health Week Expo & Forum, 13 June:
COTA SA, in partnership with Foundation 49 and Men of Malvern, invites you to celebrate Men’s Health Week by attending health promotion talks and an expo. The talks will cover mental health and wellbeing, healthy eating, exercise and prostate cancer.

The expo will include heart health checks and information on diabetes, cancer, dementia, carers, aged rights, continence and sexual health. The morning will wrap up with an open forum about Ageing Well in SA.

What: Men’s Health Week Expo & Forum – Keep your motor running!
Who: men and those who live and work with men
When: Thursday 13 June
Time: 10am – 1pm, light refreshments included
Where: 16 Hutt St Adelaide

For further information and to RSVP please phone COTA: 8232 0422

SACOSS Hardship and Affordability Conference: Perspectives on Energy and Water, 10 July, Registrations Now Open:
SACOSS is delighted to announce that registrations are now open for our major event of 2013, the SACOSS Hardship and Affordability Conference: Perspectives on Energy and Water. This one day conference is taking place on Wednesday 10 July at The Science Exchange, Adelaide.

SACOSS holds a strong view that financial hardship and affordability are relevant to all Australians, and we have particular interest in the ramifications for the poorest in our South Australian community. This one-day conference will focus on further ways to prevent financial hardship, facilitate social and financial health and well-being, and support businesses in dealing with their customers and communities.

The SACOSS Hardship and Affordability Conference: Perspectives on Energy and Water will cover a range of topics and issues aimed at helping South Australians to better manage their energy and water costs, and will also help facilitate collaboration between the health and community services sector, industry and government. With the growing interest in hardship and affordability issues, it is more important than ever that all sectors of the community join together to create the best possible outcomes for all consumers.

For more information visit www.sacoss.org.au/events/Conference2013/index.html

Earlybird prices are available until 5 June.
Group discounts are available for registrations of 5 or more, and current SACOSS and SAFCA Members are eligible for a 15% discount!

To register visit http://sacoss2013.eventbrite.com.au/#

 

 

 

My Choice, My Control, My Future: DisabilityCare Australia

23 – 24 June 2013

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Early bird registrations are now open for the DisabilityCare Australia conference – My Choice, My Control, My Future.

Join speakers such as the Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin MP, Professor Emeritus Ron McCallum AO and Disability Commissioner Graeme Innes, as well as other high-profile speakers from across the country and the world.

The conference will bring together more than 1,000 Australians to discuss DisabilityCare Australia, the national disability insurance scheme.

The conference will provide a forum for people to share their unique experiences with disability, find out about the DisabilityCare, how it will work and how governments will help people and service providers transition to this new system of support.

The conference will also offer a premiere look at the Practical Design Fund projects, an initiative that delivers practical solutions and innovative ways to assist people with disability, their families and carers, as well as service providers, to get ready for DisabilityCare Australia.

The conference will include a dinner on the Sunday evening where delegates can network, share your experience and hear more about DisabilityCare Australia.

Registration

Early bird price (closes 7 June 2013)

• Conference $250
  • Conference Dinner $80

Full price

• Conference $300
  • Dinner $80

Pension card holders*

• Conference $30
  • Dinner $20

*Individuals registering for the conference who have a pensioner concession card are entitled toregister at the concession rate.

To register fill in the form available at www.ndis.gov.au and submit to conference@conlog.com.au

 

 

 

Visit Purple Orange’s website to register for this interesting seminar.

An Address with Melanie Schlaeger
How to organise Personal Support Arrangements in the Context of a Good Life

 

Melanie Schlaeger is a vibrant 25 year old woman living with Cerebral Palsy. Melanie lives the busy life of a typical young woman and credits “self-managed” support for enabling her to live the life she wants.

 

With the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Melanie’s experience will provide a positive example of a young woman making the most of the opportunity to have control and choice in her life.

 

Date:             Friday 7 June 2013

 

Time:              10:00am – 12:00pm (refreshments provided)

 

Cost:              Gold coin donation for people living with disability

$20 for service agency employees

 

To register to attend this event, complete the attached registration form and return to admin@purpleorange.org.au, download a registration form from our website at www.purpleorange.org.au or call us for more information or assistance on (08) 8373 8333.

 

JFA Purple Orange does not work for financial profit. All proceeds from this event will be used to cover costs and assist with future opportunities.

 

 

Susan Peterson I Information & Communications Officer

 

 

Julia Farr Group (Julia Farr Assoc, Julia Farr Housing Assoc, Julia Farr MS McLeod Benevolent Fund)

104 Greenhill Road  UNLEY

PO Box 701  UNLEY BUSINESS CENTRE  SA  5061

p | (08) 8373 8316  f | (08) 8373 8373

e | susanp@purpleorange.org.au  w | www.purpleorange.org.au

 

Visit our New Website!

We have completed the transition to our new brand identity, JFA Purple Orange, with the launch of a new website: www.purpleorange.org.au. The website features information about our work, including research, consultation, training, policy, publications, evaluations and projects, as well as the latest news and information from us and the disability sector.