Australian Greek Welfare Society

Community Services

The Community Services Unit has continued its work within the Greek community ensuring the provision of quality services. The services offered to the Greek community have included individual support, working with groups and community programs across Metropolitan Melbourne.

Greek Cardiac Centre Participants

Introduction

The Unit’s work also focused on developing strong working partnerships with mainstream service providers and Greek speaking professionals.

More specifically services offered by the Community Services Unit have included:

  • Casework and counselling
  • Information and referral
  • Financial Assistance
  • Crisis intervention
  • Greek Legal Information and Referral Service
  • Consultation to mainstream services
  • Advocacy and policy development
  • Group work and structured programs
  • Cross cultural training
  • Community education
  • Research and program evaluation
  • Project work in partnership with mainstream organizations

The casework and counselling service recorded a total of 3680 client contacts for the year with the majority of clients presenting with multiple issues. Some of the main issues for the year include aged care, health, mental health, financial, accommodation, grief and loss, family and legal.

Greek Legal Information & Referral Service.AGWS has been operating the Greek Legal Information and Referral Service for seven years. The service is offered by volunteer Greek speaking practicing solicitors on a fortnightly basis at AGWS’ head office.

We would like to thank all the solicitors who give their time to support this invaluable program.

This year has also seen the development of two new programs;

  • the Greek Financial Information and Referral Service that operates on a monthly basis and
  • the Greek Cardiac Program that operates on a weekly basis.

Both services are offered in collaboration with Greek speaking professionals and mainstream organisations.

Another significant change has been with the funding changes to the former Ethnic Aged Services Grants under the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.

AGWS is one of many organisations that were funded under the new Community Partnership Program from Department Health and Ageing to deliver services to the Greek ageing community and work closely with mainstream aged care support services to better service the Greek aged and their families.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS PROGRAM

During the year the Australian Greek Welfare Society has undergone changes in funding and program directions in relation to its work with the Greek ageing community. AGWS was successful in its submission to the Department of Health and Ageing and received funding under the new Community Partnership Program (CPP).

Under the Community Partnership Program AGWS will be working towards achieving the following:

  • Equitable access to culturally appropriate aged care for the Greek speaking community.
  • Increased participation of Greek speaking Older people in the aged care services system.

During the transitional funded period the program achieved a number of outcomes. This work involved working within the Greek community as well as extensive contact with aged care and health services across metropolitan Melbourne.

Some of the achievements of the program included the following:

  • Development and distribution of 600 questionnaires to mainstream residential facilities across Victoria.
  • Ongoing consultations with 2-3 senior citizens’groups per week to determine needs as they relate to aged care.
  • Consultation with 12 residential care facilities to determine needs of Greek residents.
  • Cross cultural training in Southern Metropolitan region with 80 participants.
  • Establishment of networks with mainstream services in the Northern and Southern region including PICAC.

NON-FRAIL AGED & THEIR CARERS

AGWS has a commitment to the ageing Greek community and the needs of its carers. The everyday needs of a care recipient includes certain demands that may increase on a daily basis and impact on the carer at different levels. AGWS acknowledges the difficulties encountered by carers and through this program is able to develop educational and supportive programs.

Carer's and staff during their excursion to Williamstown

AGWS continues to facilitate and resource the Greek Carers Support Group which meets in Oakleigh. All the participants are caring for a family member who is frail aged, has a disability or suffers from a mental illness or other chronic condition. The family member is considered the primary care giver. This makes it extremely difficult for families to consider the introduction of community services to the home or consider the option of residential care.

Some of the issues that have been addressed via the group programs and media work have included the following:

  • Intimacy and relationships
  • Effective communication
  • Adjusting to change
  • Chronic pain management
  • Grief and loss
  • Dementia
  • Recreation

The program has established extensive working relationships and partnerships with relevant mainstream agencies. This has included organising speakers on topics of interest to the aged and carers and improving the access to local services via referral processes. Some of the organizations included Carers Victoria, Alzheimer's Australia, Carer Links and the Cancer Council.

Activities that celebrated important events throughout the year were also organised. Examples of these include the following:

  • National Carers Week excursion to Williamstown held in October 2003.
  • International Women's Day celebration held on 5th March 2004. The theme for the day was Health, Safety and Wellbeing and more than 400 people attended on the day to hear speakers and celebrate with music and food.

During the course of the year there were a number of presentations and education seminars that were organised and conducted within the community targeting the elderly. These included the following:

  • Presentation to the St Eleutherios senior citizens club with eighty people attending on the day. Topics included information on aged care services including HACC services and aged care packages, friendly visitors program and planned activity group programs
  • Presentation to the Brunswick senior citizen's group on aged care services, attended by one hundred and twenty people
  • Presentation organised on dementia during Dementia Awareness Week
  • Presentation to Greek carers group organised the Darebin Community Mental Health Service. The presentation included the role of carers, who is considered a carer, caring for the carer and respite options

Casework continues to be an important aspect of the work and over the year there has been a steady increase in the need for referrals from mainstream health and aged care services. There has also been an increase in home visits, nursing home visits and hospital visits, as individuals become frail and less mobile.

WORKCOVER PROGRAM (W.I.N.S.)

Australian Greek Welfare Society is funded by the Victorian Work Cover Authority under the Work Injured Networking Services to provide services to injured workers who are in receipt of weekly benefits.

The program seeks to address the individual needs of clients as well as providing education and information in group settings through structured programs. Structured programs were offered in the Northern and Southern regions of Melbourne.

Some of the issues that were addressed in this year’s program included:

  • Rights and entitlements of injured workers
  • Medical panel examination and relevance to claim
  • Demonstrating exercises relevant to injuries
  • Dealing with stress
  • Centrelink entitlements during a workcover case
  • Updating skills of participants and return to work strategies
  • Conciliation process
  • Internet classes at Moreland and Oakleigh Libraries

The program has developed and maintained working relationships with various professional organisations to ensure the relevant information is delivered to the program participants. These contacts include Greek speaking solicitors, WorkCover agents, Centrelink, WorkForce Plus and physiotherapists amongst others.

Issues that were raised by the injured workers during the structured program included the following:

  • Complexity of the program and the process in accessing entitlements.
  • Unclear of support structures within the system eg, agents assigned to clients.
  • Difficulties in understanding changes to rights and entitlements.
  • Personal impact of stress and depression.
  • Difficulties in accessing internet due to language barriers.

Overall the program provided assistance to 150 participants who accessed individual and group programs.

MEN'S AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT

The Men and Family Relationships Project (MFRP) is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services. The project provides services to men and their families through the provision of family relationship counselling, family relationship education and skill training.

In the last financial year approximately 500 men were assisted under this project. The ages of the men who accessed the service ranged from early 20’s to late 80’s.

More specifically the services offered included the following:

  • Individual and group counselling
  • Marriage and relationship counselling
  • Mediation with couples experiencing Domestic Violence
  • Support, advocacy and referral
  • Information and support to individuals and families
  • Structured Skill Development Groups
  • Community Education and Information Dissemination
  • Resource Development

The counselling program has continued to be offered 3.5 days a week addressing the needs of the client group. The service has the flexibility to meet the varying needs of the clients and has responded to the needs by providing an outreach service in Hawthorn and working towards expanding services to meet the increased demand in the Southern region.

Issues of concern for the men participating in the program include:

  • Relationship issues: Communication with spouse and children
  • Intimacy issues
  • Anger management
  • Grief and Loss
  • Ageing issues
  • Isolation
  • Depression and anxiety
  • General health and wellbeing

Information gained from the statistics identified the following:

  • New clients entering the service have independent children.
  • Clients accessing the service are from the Monash, Moreland, Knox and Maribyrnong local council areas.
  • Older couples, aged between 50 -60 years, are accessing the counselling service for relationship issues.
  • Referrals are made from medical practitioners, psychiatrists, local councils, and community health centres amongst others.

During the course of the year there were three structured groups conducted as well as an event held during men’s health week

Community education sessions and seminars are an ongoing area of work within the project increasing access to counselling and group programs.

The social group continued to be a focal point for introducing isolated men to supports and regular information.

Regular promotional work in the Greek media, print and radio continued to raise awareness of the issues for men and encouraged the access to AGWS programs and services.

The program had developed excellent networks with the relevant men’s and family services within metropolitan Melbourne.

The Victorian Men’s and Family Relationship Services Network has been a useful forum providing AGWS with relevant support structures and opportunities to develop partnerships. This has led to cross referrals to services, the development of relevant resources, joint presentations at conferences and general support to MFR programs.

The Men and Families Relationship Project has identified the need for men’s services in the Southern region of Melbourne. Consultations have begun with community services and the Greek community to consolidate the program in this region.

THE GREEK CARDIAC CENTRE

The Australian Greek Welfare Society in partnership with Heartbeat Victoria, the Heart Research Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital established this rehabilitation program which began on 9th September 2004 and operates every Thursday.

The program was evaluated in May 2005 and as a result of the evaluation the following was determined.

  • Average attendance over the 31 weeks had been 11 participants per week.
  • Over half the participants (60%) had attended 4 or more weeks of the program.
  • Majority of the participants came form the local suburbs of Brunswick, Coburg and Pasco Vale.
  • Referrals were mainly form the Royal Melbourne Hospital, AGWS and Self Referrals.

The Greek Cardiac Centre is free and targets Greek speaking people that have had a recent cardiac episode and would benefit from attending a rehabilitation program.

Focus on health: Mr. Maglis, guest speaker from Greece Carers take some time out during a cruise at Williamstown Excursion: Carers group members during their visit to Williamstown Community Education: An integral part of all AGWS's programs Presenters at the seminar for Multiple Sclirosis Elizabeth Sidiropoulos talking to participants at the International Women's day Celebrations on 'Safety for Older People'. The AGWS mature age dancing group. Part of the focus on active recreation. Training our future professionals: Social Work students with one the Cardiac Rehabilitation participants. Enjoying nature during an excursion for volunteers. Anthi Sidiropoulos entertains the 300 strong crowd at the 2004 International Women's Day celebrations at the Brunswick Town Hall. Greek Cardiac Centre participants: Sharing their experiences and supporting each other. Exercising for health: Instructed by Kath Kelly from the Royal Melbourne Hospital Haelth focus: Keeping fit and active, worhshop participants are able to interact with other participants during the group discussions.