Author: Mart Mativo
Young Carers head to the peninsula for Summer Camp
On a beautiful summer’s day in January, 12 young carers took a break from their caring roles and headed down to the peninsula for a three-day camp in Portsea.
The camp was filled with a range of games and activities, giving the young carers an opportunity to develop new skills and connect with their counterparts. Activities included team building exercises on the beach, guided walks, and days out on the water, where they learned how to paddle board and snorkel.
Young carers are one of the most marginalised groups in our community and face increased risks of isolation, anxiety and depression. The camp aimed to provide some fun and relief to these heroes whilst helping them build relationships with other young carers.
One young carer reflected really positively on the experience; “The activities were really fun. They helped us to connect with young carers I hadn’t met before”.
“I really enjoyed the camp and can’t wait for the next one!”
There was fantastic weather throughout the camp, leaving young carers with a nice couple of days break before school started up again for the 2024 year.
Championing LGBTIQA+ communities at Midsumma Carnival 2024
So wonderful to come together with thousands of people at Midsumma Carnival 2024 yesterday to celebrate pride and support rainbow health with people who identify as LGBTIQA+ and allies.
It was a fantastic day meeting new people and chatting about the services and initiatives we lead to support rainbow health, with face painting, rainbow merch, joyful energies and pictures with the selfie frame!
Merri Health is a proud rainbow-accredited organisation that welcomes the LGBTIQA+ community to access our inclusive services.
We believe in creating a safe space for people that identify as LGBTIQA+ who generally experience poorer mental and physical health and are less likely to access support or services due to fear of discrimination. Find out more information.
We also recognise the challenges and unique needs of LGBTIQA+ carers. Carer Gateway has tailored resources to help you in your caring journey. Call 1800 422 737 or visit carergateway.gov.au for more information.
If you were at the festival and met our lovely staff members, please send us a picture or tag us on social media!
Midsumma Festival will be ongoing from the 21st January to 11th February. Click here to find out what programs and activities are happening near you!
More mental health support for people 65+
People over 65 are set to benefit from increased mental health support through our Stepped Care for Older Adults (SCOA) program.
SCOA is a free tailored mental health program to help older adults meet their mental health and wellbeing goals.
We support people with mild to moderate mental illness, and/or who are at risk of social isolation and loneliness.
Bernie, SCOA client said “Don’t give up! If you recognise that you have a problem, don’t bottle it up. Go and see a health professional, there is plenty of help out there.”
The program has had some great success since it began in 2019 including:
- 80% of clients reported reduced loneliness
- 128 clients supported
- increased access for clients with mobility and transport access through home visits
- welcomed the Minister for Mental Health Gabrielle Williams MP to meet staff and clients
SCOA has been extended for a further 12 months thanks to our funding partner North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network.
Nerissa O’Keefe, Team Leader, SCOA said, “With the increase of prevalence of loneliness amongst older adults nationwide, the SCOA program will continue to work towards addressing this need.
We are currently working on building our presence in the Western Metropolitan Region, in order to support older adults located in these areas.
We are looking forward to continuing to break down barriers, increase social connection and addressing mental health needs of older adults in the community.”
If you need a little extra support, or know someone who does, please call us on 1300 637 744, email [email protected] or visit our website page for more information.
Carers connect with nature at Organ Pipes National Park
Merri Health Carer Services & OutDoors Inc. partnered to deliver the ‘Create & Connect through Nature’ program.
In late November, a group of carers from Melbourne’s Western suburbs came together to “Create and Connect through Nature” – a day program aimed to emerge carers in nature whilst building connections with others.
The group headed to Organ Pipes National Park in Keilor North to begin the first component of the day; the Wilderness Studio. Facilitated by OutDoors Inc. staff, the group situated themselves at picnic tables within the National Park and spent time creating watercolour artworks, using the park surroundings as inspiration. Carers devoted the hour to practising mindfulness and creating stunning watercolour paintings.
After a delicious lunch, the group embarked on a walk to explore Organ Pipes National Park, absorbing the sights and sounds of their surroundings while delving into the history of the rock formations. The highlight of the excursion was the Organ Pipes, a rock formation which resembles the interior of a pipe organ instrument.
At the conclusion of the day, carers were left feeling refreshed and satisfied with their outdoors experience.
“A lovely relaxing day. Just what I needed,” shared one carer. “I felt supported throughout the program. Highly appreciated.”
Better sleep and social connection: Bernie’s story
Bernie is “82-years-young” and has lived in Abbotsford for more than 45 years. Since the passing of his wife, Eva, Bernie has experienced grief, anxiety and sleep problems, accompanied by low moods.
He was referred to our Stepped Care for Older Adults (SCOA) program in early 2023 by St Vincent’s Hospital.
SCOA is a tailored mental health initiative for people aged 65+, or aged 50+ if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, with mild to moderate mental illness, and/or who are at risk of social isolation and loneliness. It is available in Melbourne’s northern and western metropolitan areas.
Bernie took part in the program’s Café and Stroll, Active Body Healthy Mind and Sleep Therapy groups. He says it was in the Active Body Healthy Mind group that things “started to get interesting” with camaraderie and a lessening of his burdens through shared experiences.
Bernie had his greatest success with the Sleep Therapy Group.
“I didn’t realise how many bad habits I had in regard to sleep. Now most of the time I’m able to sleep without waking a number of times during the night.”
He liked the way each course was structured, and enjoyed meeting other people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Bernie says he’d definitely recommend the program to other older people who are struggling with their mental health.
“Don’t give up! If you recognise that you have a problem, don’t bottle it up. Go and see a health professional, there is plenty of help out there”.
Please visit our website, call 1300 637 744 or email [email protected] for more information.
Building happy family foundations: Olivia and Abdul’s story
Olivia Gao and Abdul Motraje had been married for nearly 4 years when they became pregnant with their daughter, Maia. Their relationship was sound and happy – but the transition into parenthood was stressful.
To make matters more challenging, they’d just arrived in Australia after meeting and living in Turkey. The couple have no family here in Melbourne, and they started to struggle.
“We had a very strong relationship before the baby came. I never anticipated that things would change so much” says Olivia.
They learned about the Family Foundations program on social media and joke that it probably saved their marriage.
Family Foundations is a free 10-week program for families who have a child under five. Two coaches deliver evidence-based practice through discussion-based activities, modelling, and skills practice to strengthen the parenting team.
Specific skills include emotional regulation, stress management, conflict resolution, attachment, healthy communication, co-parenting, and problem solving. Each session runs for an hour and can be provided face-to-face or online.
The program gave the pair some useful tools and support for navigating life’s new challenges, and helped them feel less alone. Making friends was an unexpected bonus.
Both Olivia and Abdul would recommend the course to other new parents.
“You have nothing to lose by taking part,” says Abdul. “It’s free, and you can take your baby along with you. It has made a huge and positive difference in our marriage and growing family.”
For more information, visit our website page, call 9355 9901 or email [email protected]
Walking in solidarity with victim survivors
Merri Health’s goal is to create a better future for our community – one that is free of violence and is gender equitable, safe and respectful.
To help create a future where all families are safe, equal and respected we took part in the Walk Against Family Violence on Friday 24 November. The walk is organised as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which a global campaign led annually by UN Women.
Jillian Dent, Merri Health Acting General Manager, Family and Community, said: “It was fabulous to see Spring Street turn orange again this year, and so uplifting to stand side-by-side with others who want to see an end to gender-based violence.”
Merri Health stands in solidarity with victim-survivors. By taking part in the walk, we joined communities all around the world calling for the elimination of family violence and violence against women.
We advocate for gender equality, the prevention of family violence, and support victim-survivors through our Family Violence Counselling Service.
If you would like to talk to someone, please call 1300 637 744 or visit our website page for more information.
New partnership tackles urgent issues for older people
We are proud to be the first community health service to partner with the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC).
Led by the National Ageing Research Institute, MARC is a collaboration between health, research, aged care, and advocacy organisations. It aims to provide practical, innovative solutions to urgent issues affecting older people, their carers and health professionals.
Together, we developed a new training resource to help aged care staff recognise the signs of prolonged grief disorder and support older people more effectively.
Prolonged grief disorder affects 21% of bereaved older people. The resource is part of the PG65+ project to improve knowledge of prolonged grief disorder among aged care staff.
The training features 10 micro-learning lessons of 5-10 minutes and is available on the EdApp mobile app. Merri Health collaborated on content development, resource testing, data collection, analysis and reporting.
Surveys results showed staff increased their knowledge and confidence to support adults with prolonged grief after completing the training. Results also show the app is user-friendly and an efficient way to learn.
The Care Mosaic a winner at international podcast awards!
We are very excited to announce that our podcast series, The Care Mosaic, won Bronze at the Signal Podcast Awards, in the General Public Service and Activism category.
Produced by Holstep Health (formerly Merri Health) for the Carer Gateway program, The Care Mosaic is a seven-episode podcast series that showcases the diverse experiences of carers across Victoria. It reaches into their backgrounds, ideas and aspirations, giving everyday carers a platform to share their stories. It also explores the challenges unpaid carers face daily and highlights their incredible resilience and dedication.
Some of the carers interviewed include Rod, a loving father and husband who is the carer for both his son and wife for over 15 years, and Naomi, a young carer juggling school and caring for her two young brothers and grandma.
Each episode of The Care Mosaic focuses on a specific type of caring relationship, including young carers, carers supporting their ageing parents, carers who are partners and carers from culturally diverse backgrounds. By examining the nature of these relationships and how they intersect with other aspects of carers’ lives, the podcast offers insightful exploration of the caregiving experience.
Heleni Bagiartakis, Carer Gateway State Manager says of the series “Carers come from all different walks of life and the nature of care they provide looks incredibly different. Some individuals may have cared for a loved one for most of their life, whereas for others it could be for a short and potentially challenging period. In order to stand-out from other carer focused podcasts, the emphasis is on Victorian carers telling their own individual stories. We’re thrilled at this recognition and hope that it helps illustrate the reality faced by many carers across the State.”
The stories also touch on the support carers have received, including Carer Gateway. Carer Gateway is a free service that supports anyone who is an unpaid carer looking after someone with a disability, mental illness, a medical condition or who is frail due to age. The support includes counselling, coaching, group support, respite and skills courses.
You can access the podcast on all major podcasting platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Celebrating our 11th annual Koorie Lunch
On October 9th, Merri Health’s carer services honoured First Nations carers with our 11th annual Koorie Lunch!
Over 40 attendees gathered for the special event at the Lynda Blundell Community Centre to enjoy good food, music and companionship.
The yearly Carers Week event is dedicated to acknowledging and celebrated the remarkable contributions of First Nations carers to our nation.
Among the crowd were members from the Wandarra group, a local aboriginal community organisation based in Broadmeadows. Merri Health have been strong supporters of Wandarra for over a decade, and the group has been instrumental in ensuring that the yearly Koorie Lunch is a resounding success.
Attendees were treated to a buffet-style lunch, speeches from carers and Merri Health staff, before taking to the dance floor for an amazing live performance from The Stray Blacks!
A huge thank you to the Wandarra group and everyone who helped put together a fantastic day!
Supporting First Nations carers is incredibly important to our organisation, and we look forward to coming back next year!