Saluting Excellence Participants Experience the Power of Memory
23 November 2017
Once again held at the Fenix Restaurant in Richmond, with 180 degree views of the Yarra River and surrounding trees, board members, sponsors, speakers and staff met for a day of inspiration and celebration.
CEO, Janna Voloshin (pictured left), continues to surprise with her fascinating personal history and discerning insights. This year, she recounted how memory makes her a traveller in time: visiting Israel for the first time this year, she saw sights and smelled smells that transported her back to her childhood. She was once again in her grandparents’ home with her grandmother’s baking; she was back at a meal with her father as he tapped the table to the music.
The theme of memory was taken up by our guest speakers from Beyond Words: this not-for-profit organisation has professional biographers who volunteer their time and talents to help older Australians record their life stories. The stories, as told by the narrator (without family or friends present) are recorded, written up and then published. Some people choose not to have their story read until after their death, while others are happy to share it with family straightaway.
Linda D’Sylva, Lifestyle Coordinator at Vasey RSL Care Bundoora, showcased a few residents who have told their stories and received their printed copies from Beyond Words.
Vasey RSL Care Brighton East resident Barbara Goodey and staff member Rose Capp (pictured right), combined to provide us with some amazing comparisons of nursing in Barbara’s day and today. Barbara shocked us with some of the tasks the nurses were expected to perform – yes, they even had to empty the patients’ ash trays!
Warrant Officer Brendan Woodsell from HMAS Cerberus shared his memories of forty years in the Australian Navy, including the life-saving rescue of round-the-world French sailor Yann Elies in 2008 in treacherous seas in the Indian Ocean, and a dangerous mission in the Persian Gulf near Kuwait. We send our best wishes with Brendan and his wife as they take on their next posting in Singapore.
Staff from Frankston South presented their journey to rethink and recreate their Memory Support Unit, with expert guidance from Dementia Australia (formerly Alzheimer’s Australia).
Mining for Gold was the title of Vasey RSL Care Brighton’s presentation and Linda explained how we might all become gold miners!
Vasey RSL Care Brighton East won a Better Practice Award this year for their ‘Memories Through Music’ program and they shared this program with us today.
Demonstrating how person-centred care actually works to provide unique care to each individual, the Home Care team presented some true stories: one lady who now has regular coffee meetings with a French-speaking support person to enable her to maintain her French conversation; and another who had been able to start walking her dogs again with assistance from a support person.
Carmel Brownbill (left) with Sylvia Lindsay from Bentleigh RSL (middle) and General Manager Aged Care Services, Lee-Anne Suryn.
For our grand finale, Dr Helena Popovic showed us all how to Boost Our Brains – she had us all on our feed doing fast and furious exercise for a 30 second stint (carried out before every meal will help your metabolism!) and highlighted the top 20 things we can do to boost our brain power, including eating walnuts (a brain super food), continuing to challenge ourselves with learning new skills, smiling, meditating and remembering to fill our ‘grateful box’ every day!
The day was full of memorable highlights and was our Chairman, Mr David Paroissien OAM FCPA AGIA, offered his thanks and congratulations to all winners and participants.
We are very grateful to all our Major and Supporting Sponsors, without whom we would not be able to run this important annual event:
