The Disability Information and Resource Centre

PlanNET SA is a new non–government organisation who specialise in helping people with disabilities and their families to plan for the future and surround themselves with freely given community support.

There are a couple of upcoming events they wish to let you know about.

“Planning in Partnership” programs

Plannet will now be regular presenters at the ‘Planning in Partnership’ courses run by Commonwealth Respite (UCW Bowden) and Carer Support & Respite Centre (CSRC). They are a series of information/focus groups for older (and some younger) carers to find pathways to planning for future care. Up-coming series are: For younger carers sessions: April 21 – May 12, 4. For older carers sessions are: May 26 – June 30, 6.

To enrol, phone PIP Co-ordinator on 8346 8329.

USA comes to Adelaide

Two of the gurus of person centred thinking, John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, will be in Adelaide from the USA for a two-day event entitled “INTERSECTIONS: Person-centred work, community building, and leadership”, on Friday 30 April – Saturday 1 May 2010. John and Connie advise and assist advocacy groups, service organisations and governments throughout the world and have authored many books on person centred practice. As an organisation, we are constantly in touch with people in this field, to share ideas and to build on best practice.

To enrol, visit www.juliafarr.org.au.

An invaluable free information evening for older people (& their families) to learn ‘must know’ information about applying & living in a residential care facility
This information session is designed for people needing information on aged care residential admissions and individuals on a residential facility waiting list and the family members, to learn more about living in low level care (hostel) or high level care (nursing home) and to help make the admission process smoother.
It will back up the information you already have from your aged care provider or get you started.
You will hear really useful information to gain a fuller understanding of the entire admissions process, including the important must know financial details.
Topics will include:
◊ Applying to an aged care facility – important hints and tips, how different residential facilities
manage their waiting list, policies and keeping applications current
◊ What to expect when moving into residential care – preparation required, rights of residents and accepting an offer
◊ The financial implications – costs involved, pension/DVA impact and will I have to sell my home
◊ Information displays from not-for-profit aged care providers
When: Tuesday 23 February 2010  6.15–8.15 pm

Where: Adelaide Pavilion, Veale Gardens, Park View Room, Cnr South Tce & Peacock Road, Adelaide

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL: Phone 8338 7111 or email acs@agedcommunity.asn.au to book your place

This document provides an update on the Siblings Australia Adult Sibling Project (funded through a grant from the Julia Farr MS McLeod Benevolent Fund). It was prepared by Kate Strohm.

Why is this Project important?

The Project is aiming to develop strategies and resources which will support adult siblings, both in relation to any of their own emotional issues and also in their role as a support person to a brother or sister living with disability. It is hoped the project can contribute to helping to maintain and / or strengthen relationships between adult siblings and their brother or sister living with disability.

In the current ageing population it is likely to be the siblings who will have the longest relationship. Having a positive, strong relationship with a sibling may add to the quality of life of the person living with disability.

You can check the Siblings Australia web site for more information about the Project at www.siblingsaustralia.org.au/ps_cprojects.asp.

Recent Adult sibling project activities

Our previous email update talked about the Focus Groups which were run for Adult Siblings to let us know their needs now and into the future. As highlighted in those sessions, adult siblings would like information about a number of issues related to future planning, including legal and financial issues, models of funding & accommodation options etc.

Information Session

Based on feedback from Adult Siblings at the Focus groups we planned an Information Session focusing on “Legal Issues for Adult Siblings” of people living with disability. The session was held on 26 March 2009 at 7pm at DIRC and presented by Ian Bidmeade, AM. Ian is a legal consultant with a particular interest in the areas of health and disability. The session was attended by 20 people. Ian presented information about the Guardianship Board, the Office of the Public Advocate, Wills and Financial Trusts. Ian’s presentation concentrated on these issues from the perspective of Adult Siblings and the roles they might play in the lives of their brother or sister living with disability.

Those who attended the session gave positive feedback about the relevance and quality of the session. Some comments about what was useful in the session included;

“Exposure to legal terms and overview of [Guardianship] boards and roles in the law”,

“Defining roles of siblings – legal and chosen”

“Clarification of need for will and provisions to include in will”.

Participants expressed an interest in knowing more about Future Planning for their brother or sister living with disability, legal issues and Advocacy.

Where to from here?

Consulting people living with disability

We plan to talk to people living with disability about their relationship with their sibling(s). We hope to find out which factors contribute to maintaining strong relationships between people living with disability and their siblings and which factors contribute to a negative experience of the sibling relationship.

We have developed an Information Sheet for parents/carers/guardians of people living with disability, an Easy English Information Sheet for people with an intellectual disability / cognitive impairment and an Information Sheet for people living with disability.

We are looking to interview or survey people living with disability either in small groups or individually about their perceptions of their relationship with their siblings.

Further Information Sessions

We are having discussions about future information sessions to be held for adult siblings based on the feedback from participants at the Information Session held in March. Please contact us if you are interested in attending Information Sessions or you have ideas on topics that need to be addressed.

Written resources

We are developing brochures for adult siblings on a number of topics. If you would like to review these and provide feedback please let us know and we will send you a copy.

Siblings Australia ‘Creating Connections’ National Conference November 09

In late 2004 Siblings Australia hosted the first national conference on sibling issues and attracted 140 delegates, including 10 from overseas. We are repeating this conference in November this year in Adelaide and we are planning on including a full adult sibling stream, covering many topics of relevance to adult siblings. You can register your interest at http://sapmea.asn.au/siblings09/

Sibchat

If you would like to make contact with other adult siblings please consider joining Sibchat, our online forum for adult siblings. We have members from around Australia but also from the UK, Sweden and the Czech Republic!! Visit http://www.siblingsaustralia.org.au/forum/register.asp and register

How can you help?

There are a number of ways in which you might help.

Consulting People Living with Disability

If you are a person living with disability please make contact and we will send you the information sheets so that you can decide whether to participate in our consultations.

If you have a family member living with disability who might be interested in taking part in the project make contact and we will send you information sheets about the project so that your family member can decide whether to participate in the project.

If you are a service provider, you could identify people living with disability in your service who might be interested in taking part in either a group or individual discussion about their relationship with their brother or sister. Make contact with us and we will send you information sheets about the project so that individuals (and/or their parents/guardians) can decide whether to participate in the project.

Parents & Friends Groups

We are keen to present information about the project to, and gain feedback from, “Parent & Friends” or similar groups.

Consumer Groups

We are keen to present information and gain feedback from “Consumer Groups” for people living with disability.

If you are interested in being involved in the project in any way please contact;

Kate Strohm (Director, Siblings Australia) 0408 720 558 or email kate@siblingsaustralia.org.au,
Vicky Waldren (Project Officer) on 0418811238 or email vickyw@internode.on.net.

Thank you in advance for your support

Kate & Vicky

Kate Strohm

Executive Director

siblings: acknowledged, connected, resilient.

ph: 08 83571214

mob: 0408 720 558

23a King William Road, Unley, SA 5061
kate@siblingsaustralia.org.au
www.siblingsaustralia.org.au

A guided journey toward a desirable future for people with a disability and their families.

During Pathways to Possibilities, a small group of families and people with a disability work together to encourage each other.  Families have an ally or professional whose role is to support them and to work between sessions to action goals set during the sessions.

This program consisting of six sessions during May and June is being conducted by Parent to Parent Qld, and held at:

Disability Information and Resource Centre, 195 Gilles St, Adelaide.  Dates and all other details are in the:

booklet,  flier and enrolment form

Carer Support & Respite Centre are auspicing this program, so carers need to live within their catchment area, metro south and east -  see the  CSRC boundaries list.

All participants have the opportunity to learn new skills or develop and share the ones they already have.  The essence of the workshops is collaboration, where individuals, families, allies and professionals work together towards challenging the assumptions usually made about individuals who have a disability.  A booklet is provided which is adapted from the Frameworks for Accomplishment Personal Profile, developed by John O’Brien and Connie Lyle O’Brien, and based on person centred thinking.

Family members of a person with a disability very rarely get this kind of opportunity to sit down with others and plan for the future in a structured and guided manner.  Families have told us that planning gives them:

*  goals, direction and logical steps to follow,
*  confidence to ask for what they need and to say when things aren’t right and
*  they feel more informed, articulate and empowered.

For more information or to enrol, contact Bev Corner

Phone:  0413 144 698

pathwaysproject@iprimus.com.au