St Vincent’s Care Services has wrapped up its three-part video series Celebrating You, which highlights just how beautiful the community among residents, families, staff and volunteers within aged care can be.
In association with Seniors Cinematic, the series emphasises the key notion that aged care is at its best when there are strong relationships and a sense of community with everyone involved.
With the final episode airing earlier this month, the video series aimed to flip the negative narrative around aged care.
“For every news story you hear about aged care, there are thousands of amazing stories happening in homes across Australia each day,” St Vincent’s Care wrote about the series.
“Wonderful, uplifting stories. Stories of struggles. Stories of triumph. Stories of new discoveries. Small stories, and some stories that stretch back 100 years.”
A premiere was held for the final episode at St Vincent’s Care Bardon with a red-carpet event for all who participated and their loved ones to enjoy.
Episode one, “Community is Family”, follows the friendship and journey of St Vincent’s Care Mitchelton staff Jo and Claire and resident Bette.
While Jo, who has taught Bette how to paint, battled catastrophic flooding, both Claire and residents like Bette helped provide her support – combatting the myth that aged care is a one-way street.
Bette is candid in the episode and explains how she transitioned into care from her family home to instil more security into her life.
Episode two, “Community is Home” follows Living Support Manager Brett, art instructor volunteer Janette and retirement living resident Tess.
Brett explains a sense of community within aged care can be fostered by making a safe space for residents to give them opportunities to feel heard and that their concerns are being actioned.
One thing that has improved her life is art, a passion encouraged by Janette who has seen Tess come leaps and bounds since she hesitantly walked into one of her sessions.
The final episode, “Community is Love” highlights the impact music can have on the sense of community within aged care, featuring Lifestyle Coordinator and musician Robert and residents Pat and Jan.
You will understand the power of music when hear Rob’s tear-jerking story about the resident he sang to in palliative care.
Pat explains she has experienced great loss recently with the passing of her brother, sister and son and said Rob’s music sessions have been very helpful.
Rob has worked in aged care for almost a decade and said music acts as an icebreaker to get to know residents on a deeper level.
He said, “If you play a song that everyone knows and they sing along and any sort of emotional trauma that’s happened can be alleviated or helped in some way.”
“When you’re playing the music you can see people react to it and after, when you’re not playing music, you can chat and use it as an icebreaker.”
For Jan, she has loved music since her boarding school days and time spent singing in choirs.
“Music has so much to offer and it’s now coming into the medical world,” she said.
Head of marketing and communications at St Vincent’s, James Boshier said the relationships and stories within aged care homes are what make them special.
“While aged care is frequently talked about in the context of how we can assist the individual to thrive, this all happens in the context of a community, and people flourish because of their community,” he told Campaign Brief.
“This campaign shows that residents can find their identity within our communities and how they can continue to contribute and find purpose.”
Watch the entire Celebrating You series on the St Vincent’s Care Service YouTube page here.
