Connecting the pieces is an Eastern Sector Development Team podcast focused on connecting, supporting and promoting good diversity, wellness and reablement approaches.

Building on the success of the connecting the pieces resource and film, this podcast will further advance the listeners understanding of the interconnected relationship between diversity and wellness.

It will provide insights and good practice on diversity, wellness and reablement from policy through to practice and evaluation. We promote an intersectional approach to service delivery that recognises and responds to consumers diversity, their preferences, lived experiences and supports them to be empowered and active participants in their care.

Hearing from people working across the aged care sector, our podcasts will explore person-centred care through a wellness and reablement model that is intrinsically aligned to progressive and inclusive diversity practice.

View the podcasts below or download via Spotify or Apple Podcast

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Episode 1| A community health response to COVID-19

​Deb Benger is the Senior Manager in the allied health team at Access Health and Community. Deb shares what her and the team put in place in response to COVID-19 and how they maintained safe and continuous health services. Deb discusses the barriers and challenges they faced, but also the processes and flexible approaches which have supported them.

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Episode 2| Inclusive and responsive care plans - Supporting the independence of older people 

Inclusive and responsive care planning underpins community aged care service delivery. It helps the service provider to learn who the client is, what's important to them and what they want to achieve to live as independently as possible. With the onset of COVID-19 and the suspension of face-to-face service delivery, good care planning processes have enabled service providers to respond to to the identified needs of their clients during this difficult time. With the return of face-to-face service delivery eminent, care planning plays an equally important role in understanding what has changed for clients and what they want and need from services. Vicki Bayly, Social Support Manage from BASScare shares their approach to care planning and how they managed the process.

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Episode 3| A conversation on reablement - Part 1 

The first in a 2-part series, this podcast focuses on supporting a consistent and shared understanding about Reablement - a priority for the CHSP programme.   In this podcast, Dale and Lisa (the eastern sector development team) explore the definition of reablement and its relationship with wellness and diversity and discuss some of the key elements that will contribute to good reablement practice.  Dale and Lisa also discuss some of the potential barriers or misconceptions around reablement as well as some of the strategies, processes and practices that service providers might apply to ensure positive outcomes for people accessing a reablement service.
 
In part 2 of this podcast we will hear from a local RAS provider about their approach and experience with reablement.

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Episode 4| A conversation on reablement - Part 2

​In part 2 of our Reablement podcast series, Dale and Lisa (the eastern sector development team) speak with Dee Chand, Coordinator with the Maroondah City Council Regional Assessment Service. Dee shares her insights and experience of identifying, motivating, and assessing people who are likely to benefit from a reablement service. In addition, Dee provides some interesting examples of reablement services; as well as some great advice about how RAS and service providers can work together to help people get back to doing the things that are important to them.

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Episode 5| STAT - Managing demand and supporting improved service access

In late 2020 Katherine Harding, shared her knowledge and experience about the ‘Specific Timely Appointments for Triage’ (or STAT model) with Occupational Therapists across Victoria who support client independence in the CHSP program.
In this podcasts, Katherine provides an introduction to the STAT model and discusses how it can help health services to manage wait lists and reduce waiting times. Katherine discusses the key features and benefits of the model and provides her expert advice on implementing the model within a range of health settings. 
Listeners can access further information about the STAT model at https://stat.trekeducation.org/

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Episode 6| Tackling Ageism - The "EveryAGE Counts" campaign

Ageism is described as the most commonly accepted form of discrimination. Often it's subconscious, but the entrenched nature of ageist attitudes has significant and ongoing impacts on people's health, wellbeing, confidence and opportunities.

In this podcast Joel Pringle from the Benevolent Society and Sharon Porteous from the Inner East Primary Care Partnership will discuss what ageism is, how to tackle it and the EveryAGE Counts campaign from national and local perspective.

The campaign raises awareness about ageism, challenges stereotypes and encourages people to speak up in order to end ageism.

Visit the websites below for resources, pledges and quizzes discussed in the podcast
www.everyagecounts.org.au
iepcp.org.au/key-project/ageism
www.linkedin.com/company/inner-east-primary-care-partnership/

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Episode 7| Return to face-to-face social support groups

Following extended COVID lock downs in Victoria, the return to face-to-face service for social support programs funded through the CHSP is being welcomed by clients and service providers alike. 

In this podcast the ESDT speak with Susi Richter from Accent Home Care and Gillian Roebuck from Donwood Community Aged Care Services about their return to service strategies. Susi and Gillian reflect on their experiences and discuss how their clients’ involvement in risk assessment influenced and shaped their approach.

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Episode 8| Ending elder abuse - A primary prevention approach 

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is recognised each year on 15 June to highlight one of the worst manifestations of ageism and inequality in our society, elder abuse. In this podcast Jill Exon, Elder Abuse Prevention Coordinator at the Eastern Community Legal Centre discusses the need to take a primary prevention approach to elder abuse in order to achieve sustained change and reflects on the importance of WEAAD to raise initial awareness. Jill shares her experiences of talking with older people as part of the OPERA project and gaining valuable insight into their experiences of being older and ageism.  The podcast also explores the role the Eastern Elder Abuse Network plays in supporting members to fully understand and respond to the impacts of ageism and elder abuse.

To listen to the podcast click on the image or subscribe and download the podcast onto your phone or tablet via the Apple Podcast or Spotify apps by search for "Connecting the Pieces"

For further information visit

Eastern Community Legal Centre
eclc.org.au/what-we-do/partnerships-and-projects/elder-abuse/

Older People Respect and Ageing  Project 
opera.eclc.org.au
eclc.org.au/what-we-do/partnerships-and-projects/elder-abuse/prevention-of-elder-abuse-project/

Inner East Primary Care Partnership
iepcp.org.au/