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We are excited to welcome Leonie Way to the BCR Communities team as our new Lifestyle Activities Coordinator. Leonie has many years of experience organising programs and activities for NDIS participants and is really looking forward to applying her knowledge, enthusiasm and experience to aged care as well as disability. Leonie has spent her first two weeks getting to know the rest of the team, learning all the many, many aged care acronyms and busily planning a social, fun and exciting calendar of activities for clients in the northern Shoalhaven area. When not at work, Leonie enjoys having a chat, listening to music, going for walks in nature and she really loves cooking, especially Thai! She has a passion for adventure and loves to try new places and activities but is also partial to a nap! She can't wait to meet all our Social Group clients over the coming weeks.

Our BCR Communities Youth Collective participants have been working hard to organise the first Sanctuary Point Youth Markets on Friday 3 May from 2pm to 6pm at the BCR Communities Wellness Garden. As well as a stall of handmade products and gifts perfect for Mother's Day, there will be outdoor games, food, entertainment and information about youth employment, volunteering and learning pathways. See you there!

BCR Communities’ new ‘Ls to Ps Driver Mentoring Program’ is about to hit the road and the search is on for local volunteers willing to help disadvantaged learner drivers in the Shoalhaven to get their licence. A driver’s licence opens up a world of opportunity and having one in a regional area means better access to employment, education, training and social activities. BCR Communities CEO, Heather Marciano, said the organisation is partnering to deliver this urgently needed service in the Shoalhaven, especially for disadvantaged young people, newly arrived migrants and people with a disability. “While the required 120 hours of driving time a learner needs keeps everyone safer on the roads, it does make getting a licence very challenging for some people,” Heather said. “Not everyone in our community has access to a vehicle or a licensed family member or friend who can mentor them for the required time.” “We think this volunteering opportunity will be very rich and rewarding for anyone looking to broaden their connection to their community and have a real life-changing impact on the people they mentor,” Heather said. Volunteer mentors need to be fully licensed, with a good driving history, and available for a minimum of one hour per week to help learners gain on-road experience in different conditions. BCR Communities vehicles are supplied for mentoring sessions. If you are an experienced driver, have a positive attitude, patience and a little free time, BCR Communities would love to hear from you. To express your interest or to find out more about volunteering for the ‘Ls to Ps Driver Mentoring Program’ please email info@BCRcommunities.com phone 1300 222 748 or visit BCRcommunities.com/Job-Board. Check out this video from the Driver Mentoring Program (Y-Drive) operating in the Eurobodalla region to hear what Driver Mentors say about the experience!

ARIIA GRANT HISTORY The Regional Provider Blueprint for Developing a Values-Based Culture and Values-Driven Care Plans through Engagement, Empowerment and Technology BCR Communities, along with our partners ExSitu, University of Wollongong (UOW) and CarersNSW, secured an ARIIA grant to generate a regional provider blueprint for developing a values-based culture and values-driven care plans through engagement, empowerment and technology. . The Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) grant was created to support the aged care sector by providing funding that can be used to build increased workforce capability and capacity. They are especially focussed on funding projects that address areas like dementia care, mental health and wellbeing, and social isolation. BCR Communities uses values-based care plans which put the client firmly at the centre of their own decision-making and wellbeing. Using technology developed by ExSitu, our clients are provided with a simple tool that can be used to create their individualised hierarchy of values. Clients use online card sorting to identify their most important values and goals, with the information transferable into documents like support plans and Advance Care Directives. ​ BELOW IS THE PROJECT'S BLUEPRINT SUMMARY Blueprint Summary BCR Communities was awarded a grant through the Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) program to deliver a Regional Provider Blueprint based on our values-based care program. The aim of the Blueprint is to share the learnings from our ARIIA project, so that as a sector, we can lead the change towards a values-based model of care. The aim of the ARIIA project was to test our assumptions that, with positive values-driven culture, and a commitment to empowerment and simple, efficient technologies, we could operationalise care processes to support human rights so those we care for can make their own decisions in alignment with their individual values. The results we were hoping to achieve through the research findings, and implementation of new processes and technology, was to increase meaningful social connection and reduce social isolation through the development and delivery of services which were aligned to an understanding of each person’s values and wishes. The key challenge explored was the balance we needed to strike as an aged care provider to: Support a person’s right to dignity of risk in the context of their right to self determination Uphold our responsibilities in relation to duty of care. Create a clear transparent process to navigate the potential conflict between dignity of risk and duty of care and align that to each person’s individual values. Methods used in this research project included the review of previously developed BCR in-home care client personas, client surveys, focus groups, regular project review meetings, and individual and group consultation sessions with key stakeholders including BCR Executive and Care Managers, Care Staff, BCR Clients and research partner representative from Carers NSW, University of Wollongong, Autonomy First Lawyers and technology partner ExSitu. Using a participatory research, research-to-action approach (Cornwall, 1995) the project team progressively consulted and communicated with key BCR stakeholders on challenges, opportunities, findings, and actions through regular meetings, and also communicated the outcomes of internal changes and key findings through client and staff newsletters. As a result of this project, our key findings include that: •social connections can be improved within communities through simplified and efficient engagement, training and referral processes values-based technologies can be used effectively to address our three key challenges working collaboratively with values-driven organisations creates opportunities to positively impact older people by focussing on supported decision-making practices. This project identifies opportunities to further this research and create sector wide change by professionalising key roles and improving supported decision-making practice. By progressing this research, we aim to improve models of care and the experience of older people by expanding providers understanding and delivery of rights-based decision making practice.

OUR TEAM ALEX SMITH MAX JOHNSON RIVER WATTS

BCR EVENTS CALENDAR