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Diagnosed with younger onset dementia at the age of 57, Adelaide mother of three Lee Martin found herself without work and unable to drive. Afraid to go out by herself, she became isolated and depressed.
Two years on, things have turned around for Lee, whose artwork is part of a visual art exhibition in Adelaide.
‘Remember My Story’ is the result of an eight-month series of workshops run by The Art Bus Australia in collaboration with ACH Group’s Tailor Made Service and Alzheimer’s Australia SA.
Workshops run by professional artists focused on drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and sharing stories. It also involved excursions to The Art Gallery and Botanic Gardens.
Lee said she has loved being part of the group.
“I didn’t even think I could do art, but I love it, especially pottery – it’s awesome,” Lee said. “It’s been great making friends here and meeting these wonderful artists.”
After her diagnosis Lee’s neurologist suggested she contact ACH Group, a leader in innovative dementia services.
Today Lee takes part in a weekly golf, lawn bowls and art classes.
The Art Bus co-founder Claire Harris said she was inspired to run the Remember My Story program by a friend who was diagnosed with younger onset dementia aged in his 40s.
“Through this program we can offer the opportunity to learn new skills, to create and share and exploring our imaginations through the visual world is very rewarding. We’ve learnt a lot together in this program.”
Remember My Story was made possible through Arts South Australia Community Arts and Cultural Development Project Funding.
The exhibition is on at the Eastwood Community Centre until Tuesday December 12.
ACH Group’s Riverside Artists will mark its 30-year anniversary with an exhibition at the Arts Centre, Port Noarlunga.
The group was formed at ACH Group’s Perry Park Day Therapy Centre in 1987 and was first known as Perry Park Painters.
During the 1990s the class expanded and moved to the Port Noarlunga Arts Centre on the banks of the Onkaparinga River.
Today the group meets every Friday morning and provides an opportunity for older people to come together to create artwork and connect with others.
Group coordinator Gaynor Jarvis said over the years the group had brought together many wonderful artists to learn new skills or rekindle old ones in a fun environment.
“I am there to support them but they support each other, that’s the lovely thing about the group,” she said. “The social benefits are just as important as the art that happens. It really is a special place.”
A highlight of the exhibition will be a tribute to founding member Bob Guild, who passed away this year at the age of 93.
Bob, along with his wife Evelyn, signed on as a volunteer in the 1980s. He went on to become an accomplished artist, mentor and friend to many in the group.
Brian Hibben joined the group two years ago and now works across a range of mediums, from painting, printmaking and clay to mixed media. “I never thought I had an artistic bone in my body,” he says. “Now I can’t imagine life without it – it’s been brilliant for me. What I enjoy most is the art, but also the companionship with others.”
Fred Artis, 80, is a volunteer driver for ACH Group and now combines his driving duties with painting as a member of the group. “For me being part of the group helped me discover a new passion in painting,” he said.
Alma Pope, 85, has been drawing and painting since she was seven years old and joined the group in 2012.
ACH Group, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, runs a wide range of social activities across Metropolitan Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, providing opportunities for people to engage and connect in the community.
The exhibition opens on Friday 10 November and runs until Monday 11 December. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm and Saturday 12pm to 4pm.
ACH Group Retirement Living residents enjoyed the good things in life at recent Annual Residents Meetings. Held in October in both South Australia and Victoria, the meetings saw a combined 450 people attend from 46 different retirement living sites across the two states.
Residents enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal while hearing from speakers such as ACH Group CEO, Ray Creen, about developments of the year, key achievements and strategic directions for their retirement living sites. The highlight for many were the wonderful guest speakers, Anne ‘Willsy’ Wills and Kevin Sheedy who shared the crowd on ‘living a good life’. Having grown up with these familiar faces, residents relished the chance to relive their fond memories of each guest.
To learn more about the day and the good life living in an ACH Group Retirement Living Unit click to watch the video below.
Akhter Rahman braved the skies above West Beach today to take on the ‘MegaJump’ at Mega Adventure aerial park.
The 75-year-old took on the challenge as part of The Exchange’s 10 Dares Challenge, an initiative of ACH Group’s Exchange membership program.
Akhter climbed 83 steps to the highest platform where she was strapped into a harness, then stepped into an 18-metre free fall jump.
The Norwood practising clinical psychologist also braved on the ‘MegaBounce’ trampoline, jumping up to eight metres from a harness.
“I was pretty nervous, but it was great, just amazing!” Akhter said after the jump. “I wanted to challenge myself to do something new. There are so many benefits for your body and your brain.”
During August and September, Exchange members have been invited to try a range of dares, from karaoke and a ukulele lesson to trying out Garmin fitness bands and eating real crickets at the Adelaide Oval.
The Exchange’s Fiona Telford-Sharp said the Challenge aimed to encourage people to do something new or different that keeps them growing, learning and reinventing. “It’s about stepping outside your comfort zone and putting your hand up for something new and exciting,” she said. “Just because you have reached a certain age doesn’t mean you have to give up trying new things and challenging yourself in different ways.”
The Exchange is free membership network open to anyone aged 50+ established by not-for-profit care provider ACH Group last year to encourage people to reinvent, rediscover and find a voice.
The dares will be showcased at the Open State festival, a state-wide celebration of new ideas and collaboration, on October 8.
WHAT: 10 Days 10 Dares event at Open State festival
Four new chooks at Kapara, Glenelg South, are the inspiration behind a hen-themed exhibition in this month’s South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival.
ACH Group is the first aged care provider in South Australia and the second in Australia to introduce HenPower, a creative ageing program based around creative activities, arts, social connections and keeping chooks.
Henny Penny, Chooky Looky, Chicken Licken and Priscilla have inspired residents, staff and volunteers to create a range of artworks including paintings, knitted hens, tea cosy and egg warmers, and more.
As part of the project, Adelaide artist Rebecca Campbrell (pictured) volunteered to paint a chooks scene, before residents painted and created their own works.
The hen exhibition, on display at ACH Group’s head office at 22 Henley Beach Road, Mile End, ties in with this year’s SALA theme: ‘Reconnecting with nature – people, places and plants’.
ACH Group SALA Curator Gianna Miller says SALA acknowledges the value of artistic expression as an integral part of everyday life.
“It brings art to the community and fosters the community through art,” she says. “Our long-standing involvement with SALA is just one way in which ACH Group has been able to demonstrate its Healthy Ageing Approach to support people in our residential living homes to ‘choose to be active, remain connected and engage in what they love to do’.”
Kapara’s hens were welcomed to the Memory Support Unit, Rose Cottage, in May, with thanks to the Hart family and their business PetStock who donated the hens, coop, feed and accessories.
HenPower was launched in the UK by creative ageing charity Equal Arts in 2011 with the aim of using hen-keeping to tackle social isolation, reduce depression and improve people’s wellbeing. It has since been rolled out to more than 40 care homes in the UK, bringing hens to older people in care settings.
Port Noarlunga artist Brian Hibben has used his skills in printmaking to contribute to a New York art exhibition.
Brian created a series of moths to contribute to artist Hillary Lorenz’ Moth Migration Project, a crowd sourced art installation to highlight the importance of moths as pollinators.
They’ve joined 40,000 moths collected from around the world – representing the number of moths eaten each day by a grizzly bear before hibernation.
The moths will ‘fly out’ from Brooklyn, New York, then ‘fly’ from city to state to country, tracing the migration of people’s participation.
Brian has become an active and accomplished artist since joining ACH Group’s Riverside Artists two years ago.
He’s mastered acrylic painting, lino cut and Japanese wood block printmaking and is learning watercolour painting, mixed media and clay.
Brian’s works are on display as part of ACH Group’s South Australian Living Artists (SALA) exhibitions at various locations.
You can watch Brian paint live at King William Road on Saturday August 12 from 12pm to 3pm as part of a community day. Painters from our Riverside Artists group at Port Noarlunga will join artists from 15 other locations on King William Road, including body painter Emma Hack, to meet members of the community and talk about their hard. Look for Brian near The Pot by Emma McCaskill.
Having lived with depression for many years, Brian says art has changed his life.
“I’m a qualified boat builder, but I never thought I had an artistic bone in my body,” he says. “Now I can’t imagine life without it – it’s been brilliant for me. What I enjoy most is the art, but also the companionship with others.”
Find out more about the Moth Migration Project here.
Find out more about what’s happening on King William Road here.
That’s what our ‘cover girl’ Helen Vincent thinks is the secret to living and ageing well.
And, judging from the cover photo of her traversing Morialta Falls in South Australia’s foothills, we think she’s on to something.
This particular walk was a veritable stroll compared to the worldwide walks she’s participated in since she turned 60 – she’s done parts of Everest and Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail and treks in Patagonia, just to name a few. Helen’s passion for walking – all sorts of walking in all sorts of places – came in more than handy when, as a volunteer at ACH Group Residential Care Home Highercombe, she designed a ‘Walking Around Australia’ initiative with residents.
More than 90 residents ‘virtually’ walked around Australia and recorded their progress on a large map – clocking up more than 8,500 kilometres. It’s just one of many initiatives Helen has poured her heart and soul into since commencing in a volunteer role in 2010, when seeking a career change.
Now Helen is in paid employment with ACH Group, currently working part time on a Customer Experience Project which sees her contact current and former customers to uncover just what they think of ACH Group. Having volunteered in a variety of roles with ACH Group, Helen says she has been able to amass a range of knowledge that has helped her to connect with customers and ‘join the dots’.
At 68 she is in no hurry to leave the workforce. “Working is important to me – whether in a volunteer or paid capacity, because it’s really important that we feel connected, and part of a team. I wanted to continue working, but in a new direction, and I made some other subtle changes as I began looking for worthwhile volunteering/work – learning to play contract bridge and mahjong – because I just knew the danger of leaving work and not having something else to stimulate me.”
Helen says she has been really lucky in her journey with ACH Group so far, and feels privileged to work with others who are passionate about what they do. “I’m surrounded by positive, kind and caring individuals who respect and want the best for their customers, and I’m also blessed to have customers share their stories so generously – frequently mind blowing!”
Sprout Cooking School and Health Studio co-founders Callum Hann and Dietitian Themis Chryssidis share five tips to STAYING HEALTHY AND FEELING GREAT.
Variety
Variety is the spice of life but also the key to good health. Eating a wide, varied diet ensures your body receives all the nutrients it requires to function healthily without overdoing any particular nutrient. Variety ensures you meet your needs while reducing the health complications associated with over consuming specific foods. Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, meats and dairy daily.
Eat colourful fruits and vegetables
The colour in fruits and vegetables translates to nutrition. Each colour contains unique health-promoting phytochemicals, including antioxidants. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables helps ensure you consume a range of phytonutrients daily, which are important for immune function, heart health, eye health and disease prevention.
Seasonality
Seasonality is nature’s way of keeping us healthy and ensuring our bodies receive the nutrients we need, when we need them. This time of year, firm, hearty root vegetables are readily available and these lend themselves well to braises, slow cooks, roasts and stews. Oranges, kiwi fruit, grape fruit and apples are full of vitamin C which is important for maintaining a healthy immune system. It’s also a powerful antioxidant and is important for efficient metabolism, the absorption of plant-based iron and healthy wound healing.
Healthy fats
Don’t be afraid of fat, just choose the right type. Fat adds flavour to food but it also helps keep us feeling full and satisfied for longer. Try to eat small amounts of healthy fats from plant and seafood sources such as olive oil, nuts, avocado and oily fish. Healthy fats are important for healthy cardiovascular function and a healthy and functioning immune system.
Keep moving
Exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, strong heart, healthy immune system and strong bones. It’s also a great stress release and important for mental health. Ask, “am I getting my 30–45 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily?” If not, you need to tie up those laces, put an extra jumper on and get outside or hit the gym or indoor exercise equipment. No matter what you choose, you have to keep moving.
Lamb tagine with pearl cous cous
(serves 4)
Ingredients
500g piece lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm–4cm cubes
2 tablespoons wholemeal plain flour
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika (smoked or sweet)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
700g jar tomato passata
Thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled, finely grated or chopped
Preheat oven to 140˚C. Place lamb pieces in a clean disposable sandwich bag. Add flour, cumin, and paprika to the bag. Twist bag closed and shake to cover the lamb in the spices and flour.
Heat a large oven-proof crock pot or other suitable pot over high heat. Add 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, then the lamb. Cook, for 1–2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn and cook until the other side is golden. Remove lamb from pan and set aside. Slice half the onion and add to the pan the lamb was cooked in. Add remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil and garlic. Cook for 2–3 minutes or until translucent. Dice remaining onion and set aside.
Return lamb to the pot, along with tomato passata, ginger, cinnamon and stock. Stir briefly to evenly distribute ingredients. Cover with the lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 3–4 hours or until lamb is very tender.
Carefully remove lid, then stir in pumpkin and dates. Return to the oven and cook without the lid for a further 20–30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.
Cook pearl cous cous in plenty of boiling water for 8–10 minutes or until just tender. Drain, transfer cous cous to a bowl and stir through orange zest and juice, parsley, spinach and diced red onion. Spoon onto a large serving platter, top with the tagine and roasted almonds then serve.
ACH Group is pleased to welcome Jane Reilly OAM as its ambassador.
Jane is one of South Australia’s most recognised and loved media presenters. She is passionate about South Australia and all South Australians.
Jane has enjoyed a distinguished media career spanning four decades, including 17 years as a news and weather presenter for Adelaide’s Network Ten.
She won a TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular Female Personality in 1984 and is involved in numerous charities including Variety SA, The Children’s Charity, St John Ambulance and Royal Society for the Blind.
Jane’s media career was launched in 1974 after winning the Miss Australian Beach Girl Title.
In August 2015 she received an Order of Australia Medal for services to the broadcast media and charitable groups.
Currently a valued contributor of the FIVEaa Radio Breakfast Team, Jane is the program’s roving reporter, travelling far and wide searching for quirky and fun stories.
Jane has a six-year-old Golden Retriever, a lovely partner and two great sons.
She loves to grasp life with both hands and make the best of what life dishes up.
Her personal mantra is “Get on with it, this is not a dress rehearsal!”.
Jane says she is looking forward to raising awareness of ACH Group’s commitment to supporting ‘Good Lives for Older People’.
“What I love is that ACH Group really shines a light on the wisdom of older people in our community,” she says. “They challenge the stereotypes of ageing and with their support, you can do as little or as much as you like, whether it’s help with the shopping, maybe getting to those appointments, helping with the gardening, or looking at an alternative style of accommodation.”
This year ACH Group commemorates its 65th year since its foundation as a not-for-profit organisation in 1952.
It may be the traditional age of retirement, but we’re far from retiring – in fact in some ways 2017 has been a year of new beginnings.
We’re thrilled to welcome our new ambassador Jane Reilly who is looking forward to spreading the word about who we are, what we do and our vision for the future.
ACH Group:How did it all begin?
In the early 1950s, Federal Liberal Senator Sir Keith Wilson saw a dire need for jobs and housing growth in SA. He also observed the homelessness being experienced by Veterans and War Widows, and saw an opportunity to bring the two causes together. Wilson invited the then Prime Minister Bob Menzies to SA, and more than a thousand people came together to create a movement that brought to life the ‘four to one’ housing policy, under which the Federal government would build four houses to welfare agencies’ one. This approach addressed both the homelessness and job shortage predicaments in one fell swoop.
And so ACH Group was born – as Aged Cottage Homes. Within 12 months the organisation’s first three independent living units were built on Wear Avenue in Payneham.
A track record for service innovation
During the past three decades ACH Group has been a pioneer in developing new models of care, including Community Options, the forerunner to today’s Commonwealth Home Support Program, a Nursing Home Options Program (now known as Home Care packages) and, in partnership with Ashford Hospital, one of the first Hospital Substitution Programs in Australia (now known as Transition Care).
Using research from UniSA and Flinders University, we designed the first CDC trial in Australia, and we engaged an external evaluator to share our learning with the Australian Government to inform a national trial that is now a cornerstone of aged care reform.
In 2014, in collaboration with SA Health and Flinders University, we established internationally innovative concept ViTA in a purpose built facility at Daw Park. Under this model, we put people at the centre of their own health; bringing wellbeing, aged health and innovation together.
Our Exchange membership network offers opportunities for people aged 50+ to reinvent, rediscover and find their voice through newsletters, bulletins and invitations to courses and events.
The future is bright
Fast forward 65 years and we have evolved from humble beginnings to become known as one of Australia’s leading aged care organisations, employing more than 1,700 staff and supporting more than 20,000 older people in South Australia and Victoria to live a good life at home, in the community, in residential care and in independent living units.
We are joined by approximately 400 volunteers who along with our staff, share a passion, commitment and desire to make a difference to the lives of older people.
ACH Group Chief Executive Officer Ray Creen says this year will be an exciting one for ACH Group as it continues to build on its position as a leading, trusted provider of health and wellbeing services in South Australia and Victoria.
“There are a number of major projects on the horizon this year, including the redevelopment of the Repat site at Daw Park and the creation of a new health and wellness precinct, Healthia, adjoining the Lyell McEwin Hospital in the City of Playford,” he said. “We’re proud to reach this important milestone in our history and look forward to continuing to build on our vision of creating good lives for older people.”
Jane has a six-year-old Golden Retriever, a lovely partner and two great sons.
She loves to grasp life with both hands and make the best of what life dishes up.
