Our latest Annual Review is now online, showcasing the milestones we’ve achieved over the past year. From heartwarming stories to exciting innovations in aged care, it’s been a year of strength, focus, and growth. Explore the highlights from 2023/24, meet the people behind the scenes, and discover the events and programs that have brought joy and connection to our community.

Tony Zappia MP supports Helping Hand’s request for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

On Monday December 9, Mr Zappia joined staff and residents at the Mawson Lakes care home for high tea and to formally present them with the requested flags and a new national flag.

When preparing for this year’s Remembrance Day service, Natalie McCarthy, Acting Wellness Program Manager for Helping Hand, discovered there was no Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags at Mawson Lakes care home. It was an omission she was determined to fix.

“I believed it was very important to obtain them,” she says. “There is an Aboriginal resident in the Mawson Lakes care home and plenty of staff who also wanted these flags available to include in cultural events.”

Mabel is a Kaurna elder who has been a significant figure in Australia as an Aboriginal rights activist. Her grandfather was an Anzac who died at war, and her father was born on 25 April 1915 (the first Anzac Day) and was named Anzac. The family is now up to five sons named Anzac, including Mabel’s grandson.

Natalie put her head together with Lifestyle Assistant Magda and decided to reach out to MP Tony Zappia’s office to request the flags. The response from his receptionist Anne was both immediate and positive.

“Anne was incredibly helpful and asked if we would like Tony to present the flags to the care home.  We discussed this offer with the residents, and it was agreed that we should put on a high tea for Mr Zappia, as well as family and friends to formalise the occasion.”

The occasion was attended by around 25 people. Mabel’s son John performed a beautiful Welcome to Country and Mr Zappia explained the significance of each flag.

The new flags will be proudly hung up and displayed around the care home during future events.

Helping Hand would like to thank Mr Zappia for his generosity and time.

Helping Hand is proud to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer for 2024-2025 by Diversity Council Australia (DCA).

We are dedicated to supporting a diverse and inclusive culture across the Helping Hand community, which we achieve by living our values: compassion, respect, excellence, and community.

This is important recognition, and the second time Helping Hand has been recognised by DCA as an Inclusive Employer. At Helping Hand, we celebrate diversity as an integral part of our culture and our workforce reflects this commitment, with team members representing 64 cultural backgrounds from 46 countries and speaking 60 different languages. This rich diversity enhances our ability to provide culturally appropriate care and respectful services.

Our inclusive workplace helps everyone feel respected, connected, and supported. We know that each person’s experience of inclusion is different, and we value the unique backgrounds and preferences of our residents, clients, staff, and volunteers.

Chris Stewart, Chief Executive Officer at Helping Hand said, “I’m incredibly proud that Helping Hand has been recognised as an Inclusive Employer 2024-25 by the Diversity Council of Australia (DCA). This achievement reflects the heart of our culture—one that values and celebrates diversity in all its forms.

Recently, over 600 of our team members shared their experiences through the DCA survey, and the results highlight just how diverse we truly are. Our team represents 64 cultural backgrounds, speaks 60 different languages, and comes from 46 countries. This diversity is not only something we celebrate, but it strengthens us, enabling us to provide care that’s culturally sensitive and services that are respectful and inclusive.

The survey also showed that our team members feel respected, supported, and connected. They’re excited about their career opportunities and take pride in how their individual strengths contribute to our overall success. Our team have created an environment where everyone can belong and thrive.

At Helping Hand, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity isn’t just welcomed—it’s celebrated. This recognition from the DCA is a testament to the positive, welcoming, and supportive organisation we’ve created, and it motivates us to keep building on this strong and inclusive culture.”

The Real Care Toolkit

The Real Care Toolkit is a ten-step program for implementing trauma aware, healing informed aged care for Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers. The toolkit steps aged care providers through a six month program where you can roll out training, embed practice and demonstrate changes so you can seek specialisation verification. Everything is free – training, templates, guidance and is available for you to use as is appropriate to your organisational context.

Having respectful and inclusive conversations with older people from a background of trauma

In September 2024, Helping Hand launched a second training module: Having respectful and inclusive conversations with older people from a background of trauma.

It was developed with Relationships Australia South Australia and older people with lived experience to assist aged care professionals to provide aged care workers with the knowledge and practical skills to navigate the crucial intake process, to prepare for sensitive topics as they arise, and provide continual support and care. This training program is free to access, and will take around one hour to complete.

Evaluation with more than 1100 people who have completed the training shows that 94% of participants report feeling more confident in conducting sensitive intake conversations; and 96% said they will use the learnings in their work.

“I will incorporate this with everyday workload to enable me to capture the right information at the right time for the resident.”
“This training will enhance my ability to provide holistic care for the diverse clients at my organisation.”
“This training has made me more comfortable in having difficult conversations in a sensitive and appropriate manner.”
“It has reminded me to listen and how to help without judgment.”

For more information about our Real Care the Second Time Around project, and access to all resources and online learning materials, visit our webpage.

Helping Hand is partnering with the newly-established Port Augusta Technical College to help create a pipeline of skilled students ready to graduate and work in aged care, allied health and social support.

Due to open in 2025, the Port Augusta Technical College will support students in years 10 to 12 across the region to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in state-of-the-art specialist facilities.

As a key industry partner, Helping Hand will provide work experience for up to 20 students per term at its Port Pirie, Whyalla and Jamestown residential aged care homes, and work placements of up to 60 per year for year 11 students. Helping Hand will also support up to 20 school-based apprenticeships, with many of those students able to gain employment after completing their studies.

Helping Hand Chief Executive Chris Stewart said the partnership with the Port Augusta Technical College would be extremely positive for the Spencer Gulf cities, where there was a need for more staff in aged care.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain practical skills in an industry which is in-demand, particularly if they’ve grown up in the area and want to work locally,” Mr Stewart said.

“Many of these students will have close ties to our aged care homes in Port Pirie, Whyalla and Jamestown as well, and having that personal connection and understanding of ageing will make a significant difference to their training.”

The industry training programs will help students develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to transition into apprenticeships, traineeships or entry-level employment, or progress to further or higher education. Mr Stewart said Helping Hand had this year partnered with Findon Technical College, which opened in January, to offer the first program of its kind, and students had significantly benefitted from the industry experience.

“Many young people are interested in caring roles including in allied health, aged care and social support roles, and they’re particularly interested in learning close to home,” he said.

“Working with Port Augusta Technical College allows us to create a pathway for students by encouraging them to consider a career with an aged care provider, which they can walk into immediately after completing their studies.”

“We’re thrilled to be involved in this new partnership after having seen how rewarding the Findon experience has been for the students, and we’re pleased it has been able to expand into a new area where these skills are highly valued and much needed.”

Mr Stewart said Helping Hand had a strong commitment to regional South Australia, having transitioned Yeltana and Copperhouse Court care homes in Whyalla to Helping Hand in 2022 and releasing plans for additional beds and significant upgrades earlier this year. With residential aged care homes in Port Pirie, Whyalla, Jamestown and Clare, Helping Hand is one of South Australia’s largest regional aged and home care service providers.

Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said the technical college would be co-located on the Port Augusta Secondary School site and was one of five technical colleges being built as part of a $208 million plan to equip students with the workplace skills needed in areas of high demand.

“Many regional students are interested in pursuing a vocational career while in school, yet the options for working directly with employers are limited,” Minister Boyer said.

“Students finishing Year 12 at the technical college will not only walk out with their SACE but, ideally, they will also walk straight into work.”

Helping Hand has been operating across metropolitan and regional South Australia for more than 70 years and supports more than 7,000 older people in more than 20 locations. With an ageing population there is a growing need to increase its workforce to ensure its community clients and care home residents, who it provides services for, are looked after with care and understanding.

Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers refers to the 500,000 children that were placed into institutional and out-of-home care in Australia in the last century. Of this group, 7,000 were former child migrants, 50,000 were indigenous children from the Stolen Generations and over 440,000 were non-indigenous children. We respect that not everyone will identify with the terminology ‘Forgotten Australians’.

Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers often face barriers to accessing aged care and are recognised as a special needs group under the Aged Care Act 1997. The idea of requiring care as they age can be deeply retraumatising as their experiences as children in care were often traumatic.

Over the past several years, Helping Hand Aged Care has developed training and resources relating to care of Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers as part of the Real Care the Second Time Around (RCSTA) project.

With the Strengthened Standards and new legislative requirements to provide trauma aware, healing informed aged care, this work is more important than ever. We are proud to have worked alongside people who identify as Forgotten Australians or Care Leavers to co-design the training and resources delivered as part of the project and are very thankful for the assistance of those with lived experience.

The RCSTA resources and training were designed to support aged care providers to provide trauma aware services for Care Leavers, and to give Care Leavers practical information about the questions they can ask and what to expect in aged care. The resources and training are free and are available at the links below and will assist any provider wishing to apply for specialisation under the Verification Framework.

Webinar: Trauma aware, healing informed aged care for Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers

Aged care, health and allied health professionals are invited to attend a free webinar where we will share our learnings from the RCSTA project including the benefits for Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers as they access aged care services, the positive impact people working in aged care reported from increasing their skill set to include knowledge about trauma aware care, and the training and resources available. The webinar will take place on 15 November 2024 at 11.00am-12.00pm ACDT.

At the webinar we will hear from an Aged Care Provider who will share a case study demonstrating the value of trauma aware service provision in the aged care context. Jan – a Forgotten Australian – will also talk to us about what it means to her for aged care providers to be able to speak to her comfortably about her being a Forgotten Australian. Her life experience has had a profound impact and strongly influences how she would like aged care conversations and intake processes to be approached. For instance, feeling believed is crucial, building trust takes time and care must be personalised.

This webinar will benefit leaders, educators, quality managers, and senior clinicians in aged care seeking further insight into the delivery of trauma aware services.

Further resources

Two e-learning programs, developed in collaboration with The Australian Institute of Social Relations, Relationships Australia South Australia, and Elm Place, provide an introduction to understanding the impacts of childhood trauma for people now entering aged care, and insights for aged care workers on having sensitive intake conversations with older people from a background of trauma. These can be accessed here. There are also several publications that can be downloaded from the same page, that give insight and assistance to working with Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers.

First, they prepared to say goodbye. Next, they wrote a screed to the doctors and hospital begging to bring him home. Now, about a year later, Daryl’s family is in awe of the health improvements brought about through Helping Hand’s Allied Health services. Daryl is living at home with his beloved wife Sue and regaining strength and capability.

Not long before the first of four medical episodes, Daryl had undergone a medical assessment for work. As usual, the report was essentially ‘fit as a fiddle’ which made the sudden decline in his health incredibly difficult for everyone to comprehend. As his stepdaughter Chelsea explains, ‘he was the one that could do anything and who would do anything for anyone’.

‘Daryl was always “Mr Fix It”. To see him change was incredibly challenging because in many ways he lost his identity. But he never lost his spirit or his character. To see his strength increase, and to see him at his easel painting again, is the most heartening thing for all of us. My Mum is now a 24/7 carer. Her life has also changed completely. Daryl improving means that her life is also a little bit easier and that’s a huge relief for me.”

When Sue first met Daryl, it was at the swimming pool, a location that featured heavily in Daryl’s life. Growing up, he was more interested in sport than school and diving was his passion. He left school early, much to his parents’ disappointment, and got a job packing shoes. That ended quickly due to him getting caught taking time off to go diving. His talents were significant. He earned himself a sports scholarship and eventually a worldwide reputation as a coach, judge and competition manager. He is responsible for setting up a successful diving community in Singapore. Daryl didn’t only make a splash in the diving world (a small one in the pool, of course) he also became South Australia’s first ever male house mother, having completed a diploma in social work.

He’s also a painter and in keeping with his rich and interesting existence, Daryl found out at age 54 that he had been adopted and he is Aboriginal.

Daryl is most likely to claim meeting Sue as one of his greatest achievements. The day she brought her daughter Emma across town for a competition, laid eyes on Daryl and subsequently fell in love, both their lives changed for the better. Sue talks about their shared life with much joy and pride.

‘When I met Daryl, he’d spent eight years raising three boys on his own. We became the Brady Bunch after a while and have had a wonderful life. We both became involved with diving and after we retired in 2013, we lost our hearts in Cambodia. We got involved in a small rural community, relishing the chance to do something to help. While we were still being flown back to Singapore to help run diving programs, we would add on a trip to Cambodia and spend six months there volunteering.’

Such is their commitment and kindness that both received Order of the Medal of Australia in 2019 for services to diving and Cambodia.

Unfortunately, in 2020 Daryl’s health meant their packed bags would go nowhere. He experienced two strokes, brain seizures, time in a coma and a lengthy stint in ICU. His recovery was slow and emotionally challenging. He was often cold and listless and disheartened by his inability to do things such as connect brush to canvas even with ideas at the ready. Thankfully, he was living closer to town (at the request of his children) when hit by another episode of brain seizures. Two months later, after the family demanded he come home from hospital, he was assessed and awarded a Home Care plan.

Daryl is a big fan of his Exercise Physiologist Harry Beresford and very grateful for all the treatment and support he receives through the plan.

‘The team has been fantastic. I see them twice a week and do my exercises for strength and standing. The change is unbelievable. I can shut my eyes and stand and not fall.’ Which Daryl does while explaining his progress, grinning from ear to ear as he stands and sits repeatedly.

‘I can’t believe how well I’ve got in such a short time. I can go back to painting. I can put clothes on. It’s just so good that I can do so many things. Exercises have helped with coordination and my brain is getting better too.’

Both Chelsea and Sue credit Helping Hand’s Allied Health team for the huge turn around in Daryl’s quality of life. Sue will admit that she was a bit reluctant to hand over control at first but that the change is immeasurable.

‘Daryl’s now going back uphill as opposed to backwards. And the help I get is massive as I’m now having to do the stuff that Daryl used to, like cooking.’

Sue and Daryl get house cleaning and gardening help. Every six weeks Sue sees a podiatrist and she also has her own physio sessions which is excellent for preventative health. No services are outsourced and there are more they can access as required which makes Chelsea, a Helping Hand staffer herself, feel exceptionally proud.

Sue says Home Care is ‘just as the word says. It cares for you and allows you to stay home and live your best life.’

Then Daryl chimes in, wrapping his arms around both Chelsea and Sue, exclaiming with tears in his eyes how he couldn’t live without them helping him too.

And Daryl’s right, family support means a lot. The interview may have taken place over Facetime, but the love and care in this family is still palpable. In fact, by the time you read this, the extended family will have escorted Sue and Daryl back to Cambodia for a visit, as their own team.

Story by Kate Holland

The Albanese Government’s continued investment in aged care will enable Helping Hand to significantly upgrade and expand our residential care homes in Whyalla, providing more quality care for local residents.

Helping Hand Chief Executive Officer Chris Stewart praised the Albanese Government for their $17.2m funding boost.

“This funding means more Whyalla residents will have access to quality care locally and be able to spend their final years close to their family and community,” Mr Stewart said.

“The investment will allow us to expand our services to make sure no one has to leave in order to get the care they need.

“With the support of the Albanese Government we will be able to upgrade all shared rooms to individual rooms with private ensuite bathrooms and increase capacity at our Yeltana residential care home. We will also be able to increase capacity and improve the amenities for our residents at our Copperhouse Court home.

“Developing facilities to meet modern day standards and expectations comes at a significant cost. The traditional hostel model of aged care, with share rooms and amenities does not deliver on dignity, safety and privacy. Rightfully, residents expect to be able to move into a private room with a private ensuite, which is why funding like this is crucial.”

The Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said the government was committed to supporting aged care services in regional Australia.

“The Albanese Government continues to provide more than $600 million in grant funding to support building and upgrading aged care services for First Nations, regional, rural and remote communities. When the time comes, older people in Whyalla want to access aged care services in the community they know and love and be close to their families and cultural connections. This funding will support that to happen.

“Our investment directly supports aged care providers operating outside the major cities to build, modernise and improve their services so older people in Australia can have access to better quality aged care services where they need them.”

The recent Aged Care Taskforce report found Australia’s aged care needs are increasing as the population ages, and expectations of quality improvements are high.

“Residential aged care will always have a place in the community, and as the population of older South Australians rises, we need to make sure we keep up with improving the quality of the care available in regional communities,” Mr Stewart said.

Since acquiring Kindred Living in November 2022, Helping Hand has been determined to build on the legacy created by Whyalla locals to assist older and vulnerable people to remain living in their community as they age. Aged care services in Whyalla were established by the local community, and since first being invested into in 1968 have continued to grow.

“At Helping Hand, we take the responsibility to honour this history, and to continue this legacy, very seriously. We’re delighted that we have been able to secure this funding to develop and enhance the aged care services available to regional South Australians.”

The funding will help provide:

Yeltana

• A new wing of ten rooms;
• An upgrade of all shared rooms to individual rooms;
• Private ensuite bathrooms for all rooms;
• A new dining area and multi-purpose activity space;
• An upgrade of electrical systems;
• Improved back of house entry and external areas; and
• Additional two rooms for new residents.

Copperhouse Court

• Six additional rooms;
• A flexible multi-purpose space for activities;
• An upgrade to rooms and amenities including electrical systems like nurse call and security; and
• Landscaped and sheltered external areas.

(pictured above L-R: Chris Stewart, Helping Hand CEO; Graham Harding, Helping Hand Whyalla Residential Services Manager; Phill Stone, Whyalla Mayor; Melinda Richardson, Helping Hand Executive Manager Residential Services)

Helping Hand partners with Findon Technical College to offer career opportunities in aged care.

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Helping Hand is inviting consumers to establish a Consumer Advisory Body, and we are looking for people to register their interest in becoming members and representing the many voices and shared experiences of consumers across our residential and home care communities.

The introduction of a Consumer Advisory Body is one of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It offers a unique opportunity for consumers to make a difference to the way we deliver and continuously improve our services and improve quality of life for everyone. As part of the selection process, we are committed to ensuring that membership is inclusive and reflects the diversity of Helping Hand consumers.

The Consumer Advisory Body will meet four times a year and will provide updates to the Helping Hand Board of Directors, through the Client Care Committee. These updates will include identifying issues and sharing key themes and feedback that are based on real-life experiences. The Consumer Advisory Body will support our ongoing consumer engagement activities and Helping Hand’s highly experienced engagement team will provide ongoing support, advice and guidance to members.

Anyone who is currently, or has previously used our services, as well as family members, friends or representatives can register their interest to become a member.

Expressions of Interest close 15 December 2023.

If you would like to request further information and an Expression of Interest form please contact Chelsea Lewis, Manager Engagement and Partnerships at [email protected]