Services offered by the Trust in the Southern Highlands of NSW are:
In June 2000, the Trust received funding from the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care to implement the Active Linking Initiative (ALI) program in Licensed Residential Centres (sometimes referred to as Boarding Houses). These residential centres are located in Mittagong, NSW, 'Sunshine Lodge' and in Bundanoon, NSW, 'Rosnel guest House'.
The ALI program is part of the NSW Government's Board House Reform Program (1998) and is being implemented throughout the NSW State's Licensed Residential Centres by various service providers.
LRC's are licensed under the 1973 Youth and Community Services Act to provide accommodation and support to adults with a disability (generally developmental, acquired brain injury and/or psychiatric). These facilities are privately operated. Residents are charged a fee which pays for accommodation, meals, showering facilities, toiletries and laundry services. This fee also includes support with medical and other appointments, medication supervision, shopping assistance, money management, family contact, handling mail, work placements and leisure activities.
These are approximately 140 residents living in these NSW Southern Highland's Residential Centres. Generally, most of the residents have moderate to low support needs.
The aim of this program is to assist residents to access recreational, vocational, educational, cultural, leisure and social activities of their choice. The initial step is to identify an activity and this is done on an individual basis between the resident and his/her ALI Support Worker. An ALI worker then supports the resident to participate in their chosen activity. The next stage involves the ALI worker creating 'links' to enable the resident to participate in the activity as independently as possible. 'Linking' may include training programs, paid activity providers, volunteers and transport arrangements.
This ALI service also offers activities that are open to all the residents. These activities include art, craft, singing, dancing, darts and gentle exercise.
ALI workers are in regular contact with the residents and the activity providers to ensure all issues regarding the activities are addressed.
Funding for this program covers brokering other services to provide an activity or support, transport costs as well as equipment the resident may require for that particular activity. In some instances, the resident may be asked to contribute towards the activity cost.
Some of the activities this ALI program provides or arranges residents to access are:
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This service commenced in January 2004 and is funded by the South Western Sydney Area Health Service in NSW. This ‘non clinical’ support service aims to compliment the clinical service provided by the referring Mental Health service.
Clients eligible for this service must reside in the Wingecarribee, Wollondilly or Macarthur Shires of NSW and be consumers of the Mental Health service within one of these shires. Referral is via the shire’s Mental Health service.
This program is targeted for people living in the community who have low to moderate accommodation needs such as support with shopping, cooking, budgeting, transport, bill paying, accessing vocational services, community based recreational facilities and employment services. Support also includes assisting the client when liaising with services such as Centrelink, Mental Health service, medical services and housing services.
It
is widely acknowledged that people suffering from a mental illness experience
social isolation. This program encourages and supports these people to access
community based services and facilities and develop social networks.
Support is provided on an individual basis and is very flexible to suit the
individual’s needs.
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For
further information, please contact
Southern Highlands Co-ordinator
Peg Ludwig
02 4884 4495
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