news
Staff rally around Fiji victims
Image : Montefiore Randwick Nursing Home staff Sara Moses , Manish Giri , Santu Bhusal , Reecha Dhital , Ishwori Baral and Anita Bastakoti . Photo : Montefiore Nursing Home
Workers raise funds for relief when cyclone hits families of their colleagues .
Staff members at Montefiore Nursing Home in Randwick , Sydney , have banded together to help their Fijian colleagues whose families were affected by Cyclone Winston .
Following the cyclone , which hit Fiji in March this year , staff held a fundraising dinner to help those affected .
Sara Moses , neighbourhood coordinator at the nursing home and spokesperson for the Fijian staff , said the dinner was initiated by the Nepalese nursing staff , who wanted to support their Fijian co-workers after having received the same treatment last year following the Nepal earthquake .
RN Reecha Dhital , spokesperson for the Nepalese staff , said that last year staff collected and sent blankets , clothes and first-aid kits over to Nepal after the earthquake there , and organised a fundraising dinner . Over 140 people attended , including staff from all departments and partners . All up , attendees as well as staff who weren ’ t able to make the event helped raise more than $ 2000 .
The more recent dinner , for Fiji , was held at Bonolota Restaurant in Rockdale , where about 50 people attended . Moses said it was lovely to see two different cultures coming together . “ More than $ 2500 was raised and , again , staff who couldn ’ t make the dinner made contributions .”
Former staff member Gai Hilton , who lives in Fiji , was made treasurer and helped to ensure that the funds were passed on to the appropriate people .
The staff also organised a clothing appeal that was broadcast throughout Montefiore . “ We were overwhelmed by the response we got ,” Moses said . “ We got boxes and boxes of clothes .”
Dhital said : “ We want to come together to raise funds for our families affected by a disaster back home or even here in Australia . We are fortunate to have a wonderful team that works and socialises well together . Montefiore is like an extended family .” ■
Ageing well overseas
The needs of older Australians born in foreign countries are subject of new research .
From all the lands on Earth we come , but how do we fare once we get here ? Researchers hope to answer part of this question through a new project that aims to find the best ways to help people from foreign lands ageing in Australia stay connected with their social networks .
University of Queensland researchers have partnered with Diversicare , the community-care division of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland for the three-year project .
The team is led by professor Jolanda Jetten from the UQ School of Psychology and Dr Shuang Liu from UQ ’ s School of
Communications and Arts . Its aim is to better understand how older people from culturally and linguistically diverse ( CALD ) backgrounds experience ageing in Australia by looking at the factors that contribute to social isolation and low wellbeing .
Jetten said : “ Older people from [ different ] cultural backgrounds are at increased risk of social isolation as they age in a foreign land . There is evidence that they may be more vulnerable to diminished self-esteem , depression , poor psychological wellbeing and increased mortality .
Using mixed methods , the researchers aim to find out when and how engagement in ethno-cultural and multicultural activities enhances social connectedness , community integration and wellbeing .
Diversicare general manager Vivienne McDonald said the research would deepen Diversicare ’ s knowledge and inform strategies used to care for older people from CALD backgrounds .
“ This research will maximise the effectiveness of our community care in assisting CALD older adults in ageing well by remaining socially connected and active ,” McDonald said . “ We hope to gain greater insight into what works , for whom and why .”
This project is being funded in part by a grant from the Australian Research Council . ■
4 agedcareinsite . com . au