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A new golf group at West Beach is part of an innovative project that aims to transform the way services for people with younger onset dementia are delivered in South Australia.

The weekly golf group kicked off in November with help from an ACH Group Foundation grant and support from Alzheimer’s Australia (SA) through the Younger Onset Dementia Key Worker Program.

Each participant is living with younger onset dementia, a condition that occurs in people under 65 years old.

The program is run by a golf professional from Adelaide Shores Golf Club, with support from an ACH Group support worker and volunteer.

The program is coordinated by Louise Bower, through Swan Cottage respite services, and is also being supported as part of ACH Group’s Tailor Made Project, which aims to develop a ‘tailor made’ respite model for younger people living with dementia, their families and carers.  Tailor Made explores the notion that other forms of respite care can provide better outcomes for both the person with dementia and their carer or family member.

Dementia Learning and Development Unit Senior Project Officer Kelly Quinlan says there is a lack of specific services to cater for this group, which numbers about 2,500 across the state.

She says most encounter challenges in accessing services that are mostly provided through the aged care sector, and may not be appropriate for their age, level of fitness or interests.

“People often have younger children and mortgages and might still be working at the time of diagnosis,” she says. “They also tell us that their social networks fall away because people just don’t know how to deal with it – it’s not easy.”

She says being engaged in the community, being physically active and having opportunities to learn new things are all important.

Group member Ian Drummond, a former police officer who had to retire early due to his diagnosis, says the social and physical benefits of the golf group are invaluable.

“We help each other out where we can, and we have a bit of fun – we don’t take things too seriously,” he says. “It’s great to get outside to have a go at golf and with others who know what you’re going through.”

To find out more about the Tailor Made Project contact Kelly Quinlan on 8159 3462 or email [email protected]

Volunteer Betty Wolf combines her passion for art and counselling as lead artist at ACH Group’s ‘Continue the Flow’ Community Art Group at Murray Bridge.

Betty is a much-loved contributor to the weekly program, which offers art workshops for older people living with memory loss.

She was born in Holland and has lived in many parts of the world including Scotland, her last port of call before moving to Australia with her husband and three children in 2001.
With a background in social sciences and education, Betty spent much of her career working with cancer patients as a counsellor.
“I discovered that creative activities can help put minds at rest, and that instilled in me a desire to use my creativity for therapeutic reasons,” she says.

On her arrival in Australia Betty studied a diploma of visual arts, specialising in tapestry weaving, and became an active member of the local arts community.

She helped establish the Continue the Flow Community Art Group five years ago following the successful ‘In the Flow’ street banner project in Muarry Bridge.

She loves seeing the benefits that art can bring, particularly to people living with dementia.

“I love working with people to bring out their creativity and to see them learning new skills, interacting socially and relaxing is very rewarding,” Betty says. “It brings people together to engage with one another and it’s stimulating for the mind, as well.

“The upbeat atmosphere shows the value of being together, sharing stories, being creative and having fun.”

Each week Betty consults with the group before choosing a theme that is meaningful and tries to draw on long term memories that many people find are still accessible.

“Some people say to me ‘I haven’t thought about this for a long time’,” she says. “There’s so much joy in remembering old songs and things people can share together.”

“The process of making art is just as important as the finished product. It gives people a real feeling of achievement.”

The group works with a variety of art techniques including painting, drawing, clay work, collage, weaving and mixed media.

Their work on the theme of ‘Love’ will be exhibited as part of this year’s South Australian Living Artists (SALA) festival in August.

To join the weekly Thursday program or for more information please contact ACH Group on 1300 224 477

Thelma Pope became the oldest person to take in the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience when it toured Adelaide in March.

The 106-year-old created a buzz when the national exhibition organisers discovered her age and her photo and visit was recorded on the group’s Facebook page.

Thelma, who lives at Kapara in Glenelg South, was one of several ACH Group residents who toured the exhibition.

A group from Perry Park at Port Noarlunga also took in the stunning photography, audio and interactive displays that brought Australia’s war years to life, from the eve of the First World War to World War 2 and beyond.

They included Pearl Uden, 86, who was nine and living in the UK when World War 2 broke out in Europe.

She and other Perry Park residents wore red poppies crocheted by residents during the visit.

See a virtual tour of the exhibition via www.spiritofanzac.gov.au.

Men’s shed motors to life at Port Noarlunga

A new men’s shed at Port Noarlunga is breaking the mould of the traditional carpentry workshop by offering something for the mechanically-minded.

The Perry Park Bike Shed brings together residents from ACH Group residential living site Perry Park who share a love of motorbikes.

The group, aged in their 60s to 90s, is working together to bring a 1977 Suzuki TS185 back to its former glory.

Under the guidance of volunteers, fellow motorbike enthusiasts Peter Van Drunen and Rolf Klotz, they meet once a week in a shed fitted out as a mechanic’s workshop.

Perry Park Lifestyle Coordinator Lynette Rann says many of the group restored motorbikes in their younger days.

“Not all men are into woodwork – there are plenty who prefer to work with engines, and we could see that there was quite a bit of interest in a mechanical workshop,” she says. “These are the sorts of activities these blokes love doing. They enjoy coming out here and doing what they’ve always done.”

Group members Keith Hills, 69, and Lloyd Wenham, 91, are very happy to be getting their hands dirty, stripping back and rubbing down the tank and frame reading to be powder coated.

“I’ve worked as a mechanic and restored cars and motorbikes before, so it’s something I’ve always done,” Keith says.

To kick off the project, Lynette organised a tour to the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. During the trip, they stopped in at Bills Bits and Bikes across the road, where they found the bike in original condition.

“It had been sitting in water – it was a real rust-bucket,” she says. “We sat down and worked out what we would need for our workshop, then went to Supercheap Auto at Noarlunga to source all the tools and equipment.”

A storeroom at Perry Park was emptied out to make way for work benches, shelving and machinery.

ACH Group Innovation and Development Active Executive Manager Jani Baker says the project, supported by a grant from the ACH Group Foundation for Older Australians, fits in with ACH Group’s core values of supporting older people to contribute and lead healthy, happy lives.

“We are proud to support a project like this that brings people together to enjoy doing something they love,” she says.

Once the bike has been restored the group hopes to sell it to raise funds for its next project.

For further information or comment, please contact Anna Randell on (08) 8159 3632, 0417 856 361 or [email protected].