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Flourishing on the Fleurieu

The Southern Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Positive Ageing Taskforce is an open, inclusive and flexible forum of people who have an interest in ensuring positive outcomes for ageing people in the Southern Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island communities.

The Positive Ageing Taskforce is one of 12 Collaborative Projects across South Australia funded to engage with and support the aged care sector to implement the Commonwealth Home Support Programme and other aged care reforms. The Taskforce is the key regional structure with responsibility for identifying local service delivery and planning issues, the impact of policy decisions on current and future service delivery and consultation on aged services policy and planning matters.

Let's dive into... Workforce Forum 2021

Download the Workforce Forum Summary Report

The ‘Let’s dive into… Workforce’ Forum was held on 22 October 2021 at Chiton Rocks Surf Lifesaving Club, Hayborough, Victor Harbor. The Forum was co-hosted by Collaborative Project Officers - Michelle Fuller (Southern Fleurieu & Kangaroo Island Positive Ageing Taskforce), Julie Wilhelm (Hills Positive Ageing Project), Kay Stillwell (Riverland Murray Coorong Taskforce), and Maria Shialis (Southern Services Reform Group).

The interactive format will provided opportunities for participants to:

  • Network and engage with a diverse range of aged care workforce stakeholders.
  • Learn about current workforce initiatives, programs and funding opportunities to support your organisation.
  • Ask questions directly to key government representatives and others.
  • Contribute to the collective discussion and intel about addressing our regions’ workforce needs.
  • Find strategic partners to work on workforce solutions.

Attendees on the day included:
Home and Community aged care organisations – Managers, CEOs, HR / Workforce Development officers, Key government department representatives – Commonwealth & State, Regional partners, Local government representatives, RTOs and training providers, Peak bodies and Aged Care sector advocates, Leaders of innovation and change and others interested in contributing to this important priority area.

Thank you to all our stakeholders who attended the Forum. The day was a great success with your participation, support and contributions. The room was buzzing through interactive activities, Q&A session, networking, and information sharing.

Guest speakers on the day included:

  • Leanne Hill from Local Jobs Program (an Australian Government initiative) - Employment Facilitator Adelaide South, Delivery and Engagement Division, Local Jobs Initiative -  Commonwealth Programs and initiatives presentation
  • Mark Kemperman from Department for Innovation and Skills - Manager, Training Products and Capability, Skills Planning and Purchasing, Skills and Workforce Capability Group - State Initiatives and opportunities

Q & A Panel

Panel members were: Roy Inglis (Department of Health – HERN office), Leanne Hill (Local Jobs Program – Employment Facilitator Adelaide South), Mark Kemperman (Department for Innovation and Skills – Manager Training Products and Capability), Richard Scollin ( Regional Development Australia – Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island – Regional Workforce Program Manager), Craig Frost (ACSA – Team Leader SA&NT Workforce and Industry Development).

Q&A Panel questions and responses

Pitch Presentations included:

Attendees participated in interactive activities, including an imagine activity and a workforce audit game. The following key topics were also explored during a ‘world café style’ collaborative regional think tank.

  • ATTRACT (how can we attract enough workers?)
  • FIT (how do we ensure employees will be the right fit for our organisation?)
  • SKILL (training and professional development)
  • RETAIN (strategies to value great workers)

Attract, Fit, Skill , Retain - collation of top priorities identified

Southern Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Positive Ageing Taskforce - Reports and Minutes

Role and Structure of the Taskforce(39 kb)
Strategic Plan for the Southern Fleurieu Positive Ageing Taskforce (113 kb)

Membership Details form(144 kb)

Next meeting date:

Tues 12 April 2022 12 noon - 2pm.  Victor Harbor Council Chambers or via Zoom. Please contact Michelle Fuller on 08 8551 0571 or email mfuller@victor.sa.gov.au if you would like to attend.

Project Officer Reports:

February 2022 - Project Officer Report

December 2021 - Project Officer Report

October 2021 - Project Officer Report

August 2021 - Project Officer Report

June 2021 - Project Officer Report

April 2021  -  Project Officer Report

February 2021 - Project Officer Report

December 2020 - Project Officer Report

October 2020 - Project Officer Report

August 2020 - Project Officer Report

June 2020 - Project Officer Report

April 2020 - Project Officer Report 

February 2020 - Project Officer Report

Minutes of the Taskforce Meeting:

February 2022 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

December 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

October 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

August 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

June 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

April 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

Feb 2021 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

9 June 2020 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

14 April 2020 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes 

11 February 2020 - Positive Ageing Taskforce Minutes

2021/22 Presentations:

COTA SA Village Hub

Forgotten Australians

Vet for School Students Policy

Good Meal Company

Regional Forums

Government Response to Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

A combined regions Forum, focused on the Government’s Budget Response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety - ‘Through the Kaleidosope – Sharing perspectives on the new aged care reforms’ – was held on 4 June 2021 at Adelaide Hills Convention Centre in Hahndorf.  Please see the links below to access the Summary Report and Presentations from this Forum.

Summary Report

ACSA Presentation

Rebekah Sharkie presentation

Aged Care Workforce Forum

This Forum arose following positive feedback from the first Hills Mallee Southern combined regions Forum, held at Hahndorf in June 2021. Participants requested additional similar opportunities to network together on new reform issues. With Aged Care Workforce currently a key priority and hot topic across government departments and the sector, it was decided that this would be relevant to explore with our regional stakeholders.

Flourishing on the Fleurieu Festival

The Flourishing on the Fleurieu Festival has been held every two years, since 2012, to celebrate ageing well and showcase what our local communities have to offer. This regional Festival is an initiative of the Southern Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Positive Ageing Taskforce, in partnership with community groups, and aims to promote wellbeing and facilitate social connection for seniors.

It is an unfortunate fact that many older people experience loneliness. Addressing the challenges of loneliness requires a whole-of-community approach and each of us have a role to play.

Vibrant communities are connected communities, however with the impact of COVID-19, many social and community activities were put on hold limiting our opportunities to connect with each other. Now, more than ever, we need to encourage opportunities for seniors to feel part of our local communities and explore the vast range of interesting activities on offer.

This year the Festival was held over two weeks, 17 – 30 April 2021; providing a chance for seniors to try something new, reignite a forgotten passion, or simply explore the possibilities in our local communities.

15 community groups participated by hosting events and activities during the Festival period; 7 based in Alexandrina Council, 7 based in City of Victor Harbor, and 1 based in District Council of Yankalilla. The Kangaroo Island community did not have capacity to participate in the Festival this time, due to community energy being depleted as a result of bushfire recovery efforts and the impact of COVID-19.

20 diverse activities and events were hosted during the two-week Festival period – with 7 of these activities offered on more than one date, bringing the total number of activities/events held throughout the Festival to 28. Activities included sport and leisure, gardening, singing, dancing, social events/clubs, games, history, special open days, expos and exhibitions.

A total of 498 people attended the Festival events and activities (40 of these were people who viewed the photographic exhibition, who are excluded from the following data as this information was not able to be ascertained from this event). 236 people (52%) were “new” to the group/activity. 37% (88) of these new people indicated they would like to attend the group again, with many more showing much interest in the activities they engaged in. Comments from participating groups were extremely encouraging with several groups stating their events “exceeded their expectations” and overall feedback from participants was reported to be “very positive”. Most groups stated they gained new members, or interest from people to return to the group, as a result of their Festival activity or event; with one group reporting 24 visitors indicated they would like to return to their group.

We extend a BIG THANK YOU to all the community groups who participated in the Festival by hosting activities and events. What a great way to showcase the range of interesting activities that our local community groups have to offer for seniors to get involved.

To view the 2021 Festival Program, click here

Evaluation Summary can be viewed here

Dementia Friendly Communities

What is a Dementia Friendly Community?

A dementia-friendly community is a place where people living with dementia are supported to live a high quality of life with meaning, purpose and value. This means recognising the need for a person with dementia to continue to participate in the community through activities they enjoy, whether through employment, volunteering or social activities. Each dementia-friendly community will look different, but may include:

  • Businesses that have staff who understand dementia and know how to communicate effectively with people who have dementia
  • Employers that provide support for people living with the disabilities of dementia to continue with paid employment
  • Volunteering opportunities for people with dementia
  • Support groups for people with dementia and their families
  • Sporting clubs and social groups that are welcoming and inclusive of members with dementia
  • Adult education facilities that provide learning opportunities for people with dementia, such as learning a new language or musical instrument.

Free online Dementia Friendly Communities resources are now available:

  • Dementia Friends – free online dementia awareness module
    Access ‘Becoming a Dementia Friend’ at this link: https://www.dementiafriendly.org.au/ This is a great starting point for increased dementia awareness, especially for those who may have never had any exposure to dementia. There are several modules available.
  • Become a Dementia Friends Host
    To discuss the Dementia Friends Host opportunity – please contact Liz Withall at liz.withall@dementia.org.au
  • Dementia Friendly – formal recognition

Organisations that are interested in exploring how to become more dementia friendly and work towards formal recognition as an organisation that is ‘Working Towards Dementia Friendly’ are encouraged to look at the Business/Organisation tool kit, available here: https://www.dementiafriendly.org.au/sites/default/files/resources/The-Dementia-friendly_Business-Toolkit.pdf

Residential care providers are advised to contact the Centre for Dementia Learning team to identify appropriate additional training to meet the needs of staff.

For any other Dementia Friendly Communities questions please feel free to contact Liz Withall on 83722194 or via email liz.withall@dementia.org.au

The CADDY Project – a Dementia Friendly Community initiative : supporting meaningful community participation for people living with memory loss

The CADDY model was conceptualised by the local Dementia Action Group, a work group of the Positive Ageing Taskforce, following community consultation in the Southern Fleurieu region around the opportunities and challenges for people living with memory loss.

The principles of the CADDY model are based on a golfing analogy. Just as a pro-golfer is the expert of a game of golf, so too a person living with memory loss is the expert of their own life who has chosen activities to engage in which are meaningful to them and utilise their core strengths. A ‘caddy’ supports the golfer by carrying equipment and providing other assistance during the game to maximise positive outcomes for the golfer. At times a person living with memory loss may need support with selecting the appropriate resources or other assistance to be able to maintain engagement with their chosen social and community activities – a volunteer ‘caddy’ can help provide this role.

The Taskforce secured an Age Friendly SA grant from the Office for Ageing Well, SA Health to trial and evaluate the CADDY model during 2018. Since a key element of the project was to demonstrate sustainability of the model, grant funding was only used to evaluate the project and support some initial staff development. The project involved a number of significant partners as acknowledged in the Evaluation Report. The CADDY model was embedded into the existing infrastructure of two local community engagement programs; the Caring Neighbourhood Program at the City of Victor Harbor and Community Connect Program in Alexandrina Council.

Please refer to the key project documents below:

Key Messages(637 kb)

Full Evaluation Report(1437 kb)

The CADDY Resource Kit will be available here once finalised.

Resources and Useful Links

‘Planting for Success’ Activity Resources

The Planting for Success activity was specifically designed and developed by the Forum hosts for the ‘Same Same but Different’ Regional Reform Forum held on 20 May 2022 at The Secret Garden, Marion Hotel, South Australia. The purpose of this activity was to encourage participants to reflect on different aspects of their organisation in relation to the proposed new Support at Home Program.

The guided script, along with the supporting Powerpoint slides, may be used within your organisation ensuring acknowledgement is given to the creators of this resource: Collaborative Project Officers of Southern Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Positive Ageing Taskforce, Riverland Mallee Coorong Taskforce, Hills Positive Ageing Project, Southern Services Reform Group.

Designed as a facilitated mindfulness exercise, with individual quiet reflection, this activity takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. You may choose to adapt it to suit your purpose and/or encourage discussion about each organisational element – in this case you will need to allow extra time accordingly. Please click on the links below to access the resources:

Planting for Success - PowerPoint

Planting for Success - Script

Aged Care Reform Information

  • Aged Care Reform Webinars: The Department of Health are hosting a series of aged care reform webinars on various topics. To see what's coming up or watch past webinars, visit this website. You do not need to RSVP for live webinars and there's no limit to the number of participants who can attend.
  • Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub: The Engagement Hub provides a central source of information about current aged care engagement activities with the department. You can sign up on the Hub to be involved in future engagement activities that will inform the aged care reforms. As we progress the reforms together with you, please engage with us and encourage others to as well. Visit the Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub and sign up to get involved on the department’s website.
  • Support at Home Consultation Calendar: The department will undertake consultation in 2022 to inform the Support at Home Program design. This includes workshops, focus groups and bilateral discussions. A Consultation Calendar is available for your reference.
  • Current Reform papers:

Aged Care Quality Standards:

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/
Aged Care Quality Standards: https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/providers/standards

Information about ageing and aged care is available via the Department website https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/aged-care:

This content is primarily directed at providers, assessors, and peak groups while My Aged Care remains the primary source of information for consumers.