speech pathology service - Community Links Wollondilly

speech pathology service - Community Links Wollondilly

Inside this issue:
Issue 15
Oct - Dec 2014
New Services available at Community Links
1
UWS Medicine In Context - a students’ experience
2
Youth Events
What’s On
4
5
Our office will be
closed from
23.12.14-5.1.15
for the Christmas break
Newsletter
COMMUNITY LINKS WOLLONDILLY
SPEECH PATHOLOGY SERVICE
Community Links Wollondilly now offers a Speech Pathology
service based at our new office in Camden.
The service is delivered through individual therapy sessions,
group sessions, assessments and home or school visits. Please
ask about the various payment options we have available which
will allow all families to access this service.
Phone 4655 6947 or e-mail [email protected] for
appointments.
Community Links Wollondilly
23 John Street, Camden NSW 2570
www.communitylinks.org.au
PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY OF
WESTERN SYDNEY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Community Links Wollondilly is a
Community Par tner w ith the
University of Western Sydney
Medicine in Context program (MiC)
that has been in place for
approximately six years. Our
Casework Team Leader has
supported eight School of Medicine
students from the Macarthur Campus
to complete their 3rd year community
service placement this year. Student,
Edgardo Solis talks about his
experience in the program on page
two.
“Through my MiC
placement at
Community Links
Wollondilly I have
come to appreciate
and truly understand
how a patient’s social
environment can
impact on their health.
My understanding of a
patient’s well-being
has certainly grown
and it will definitely
impact on how I treat
and manage patients.”
UWS MEDICINE IN CONTEXT - a student’s experience
Medicine at the University of Western
year onwards we leave university lectures
Sydney (UWS) has its grass roots with the
to be integrated into the hospital
community. Ever since the medical course
environment full time through different
commenced at UWS the focus has always
medical and surgical rotations. The
been about the important relationship
difference between the UWS medical course
between health practitioners and their
and other medical courses is its innovative
community.
Medicine in Context (MiC) rotations that are
Delivering good health care is not only
part of the year three curriculum. MiC is a
based on being a skilled and knowledgeable five week rotation, like other medical and
surgical rotations, that send the students
physician regarding medical matters but
also understanding the social
out into community health services
context behind each patient
and allows them to experience an
and appreciating how that
alternate side to health care, that is,
impacts in their overall well-
to appreciate the social factors that
being and health.
influence a patient’s well-being.
The five year medical course
As a current 3rd year medical
at UWS is designed to
student, I’ve had the pleasure to
continuously incorporate the community
have my first MiC rotation with
aspect of health care into our training. The
Community Links Wollondilly, a non-for-
first two years are the theoretical teaching
profit non-government agency working in
years in which we learn the science of
Wollondilly, Camden, Campbelltown and
medicine and the human body but
Wingecarribee Local Government Areas.
incorporated are lectures regarding
The service supports all members of the
community health and the social
community and provides resources to help
determinants of health. However, not all is
them achieve positive personal and
just lecture teaching as UWS. Medicine
community outcomes. Community Links
from the very beginning has an integrative
Wollondilly provides Case Workers that
teaching environment in which we are
intimately work with families and young
integrated into the hospital environment
people who are experiencing difficulties and
one day a week from first year. From 3rd
empowers them to achieve the goals they
want to achieve and improve themselves. I
Page 2
NEWSLETTER
had the pleasure to be under the
paying bills with minimal income and
supervision of Carmel Flavell, Family
dealing with children who may have some
Support Team Leader.
kind of disability or be simply misbehaving
Community Links Wollondilly certainly
and driving mum and dad up the wall. It is
engages with families with a holistic
all those social factors that truly impact on
approach as they deal with the social and
the family’s sense of well-being for those
emotional aspects of their clients and the
factors have a deep effect on the patient’s
impact it has on their well-being. This
mental health. Their poor mental health
rotation has certainly taught me the
would send them into a bad state of
importance of the social factors affecting
anxiety and depression that made it
people’s health. Having spent my first two difficult for them to enjoy life and feel well
rotations in the hospital environment I had as a whole. Their poor mental health had
become accustomed to its demanding and a much bigger impact on their sense of
stressful environment which often required health and happiness than a broken bone
at times seeing over forty patients in one
or infection ever could.
day. With such demand for health care,
Through my MiC placement at Community
and a student trying to learn as much as
Links Wollondilly I have come to
possible, it was easy to develop tunnel
appreciate and truly understand how a
vision focusing purely on medical
patient’s social environment can impact on
treatment. However, MiC really cemented
their health. My understanding of a
the importance of understanding the
patient’s well-being has certainly grown
patient as a whole and understanding their and it will definitely impact on how I treat
personal life, as doctors would often
and manage patients, not only to consider
highlight when seeing patients. When a
their medical illness but ensure I
patient presents to a hospital with a
understand their life outside the hospital.
broken bone or infection that is not the
Thank you to Carmel and everyone else at
only issue affecting their health and
Community Links Wollondilly for their
overall well-being, which was only another warm welcome and friendliness, they
issue that they had to deal with on-top of certainly made me feel like part of the
everything else. Once the patient was
treated for their illness they would have to
once again return to their home
environment which could involve
team.
Edgardo Solis
3rd Year UWS Medical Student
uncertainties about housing, demands of
Page 3
NEWSLETTER
Youth Events
WEAR IT PURPLE DAY
On 29th August, Wear It Purple Day was officially
celebrated in Wollondilly for the first time. The
Wear It Purple campaign has a simple message:
you have the right to be proud of who you are and
sexuality or gender identity does not change this.
The day was initiated by a group of local young
people who met with teachers and youth workers to
setup events for the community become involved.
This included a brief presentation and the
opportunity for students at Picton High to show
their support by wearing something purple. There
was also an afternoon tea at Tahmoor Community
Centre where community members could come and
grab a purple cupcake and help celebrate the day.
It was fantastic to see so much support for the
Wear it Purple campaign and such great initiative
from young people in setting it up. We hope to see
this campaign grow each year and continue to build
community involvement.
Tahmoor BMX Trails Jam is on
again 15th November 3pm7pm. At the last Jam we had
over 200 people attending
with some traveling long
distances for a chance to
compete at the popular DNA
Dirt Park. This time should be
even bigger with a live DJ,
stalls and heaps of great
prizes for amateurs, experts
and pros. Comp registration is
$10 each and will go towards
funding the next Jam. Under
18’s must have a parent sign
their waiver and under 11’s
must be accompanied by an
adult. All riders must wear a
helmet. This is a drug and
alcohol free event. For info
contact Luke on 0427488599.
Page 4
NEWSLETTER
WHAT’S ON
Positive Parenting Program
(Triple P)
is a system of family interventions for parents of
children who are at risk of developing behaviour
problems.
It is a preventively orientated program which aims
to promote positive, caring relationships between
parents and their children. Triple P aims to assist
parents to develop effective management strategies
for dealing with a variety of childhood behaviour
problems and common developmental issues.
The group will run over 8 weeks commencing
February 2015 with 4 weekly face to face group
sessions then 3 weekly telephone sessions. The
final week will be a get together to discuss any
outstanding issues and a certificate presentation.
The group will be held at the Tahmoor Community
Centre on Wednesday mornings
For bookings or further information phone Vida on
4683 2776.
COURT SUPPORT SERVICE
Court Support will be available at Community
Links Wollondilly from January 2015 for:

Procedural advice and info on court matters

AVO’s

Family law

Criminal law

Civil claims

Neighbour disputes (e.g. fencing issues)

Assistance with referrals to appropriate
agencies

Witnessing of Powers of Attorney

Enduring Guardianships

Justice of the Peace

Providing court forms
Please phone Jessica on 4683 2776 or e-mail
[email protected] to make a booking.
Page 5
NEWSLETTER
Check our website www.communitylinks.org.au for regular event updates
COMMUNITY
LINKS
WOLLONDILLY
6 Harper Close
Tahmoor NSW 2573
PO Box 71
Phone: 0246 832 776
Fax: 0246 832 778
[email protected]
www.communitylinks.org.au
www.facebook.com/
communitylinkswollondilly