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MSWA Bulletin Magazine Autumn 2023

  • Text
  • Mswa
  • Neurological
  • Ndis
  • Occupational
  • Bulletin
  • Albany
  • Participants
  • Supported
  • Autumn
  • Mswaorgau
Recognising our MSWA volunteers | Horst Bemmerl: Reaching new heights | MSWA Albany turns one! | Anne and Doug's travel adventures

MEMBER & CLIENT SERVICES

MEMBER & CLIENT SERVICES INTRODUCING THE MSWA CLIENT ADVISORY AND CO-DESIGN COMMITTEE Welcome to the Autumn Edition In the last Bulletin issue, I MSWA has stepped into an of our Member & Client Services mentioned the launch of our exciting new chapter, where the Bulletin. I hope you are all new Client Management System. overwhelming theme is to ensure keeping well and enjoying the As with any IT transformation, our Clients are at the centre of all cooler weather. Where has the there are challenges that we need that we do. year gone? You may be aware of, or have been involved in, our Aged Care Accreditation Audit which took place in February. I am pleased to advise that we have met all Accreditation Standards, an achievement which speaks to the high calibre team I am proud to work with at MSWA. Another piece of exciting news is the Client Advisory and Co- Design Committee, which held its first meeting in early May. The Committee provides an opportunity for members of the community, MSWA Clients and their carers to collaborate and input into MSWA’s Client Services and service delivery designs. We value all feedback; this is a forum to facilitate that, with the intention of enhancing our Client experience and impact. We look forward to the positive outcomes in the following months. to work through and we thank you for your patience as we settle into the new system. We continue to look at system optimisation, with new features continually added, all of which will enhance our efficiencies and ultimately improve our services to you. In March, our generous supporters from the 2022 Dinner Auction were given a tour of the refurbished Wilson gym, an opportunity to see first-hand where their money was used and to hear from Clients on the difference it has made. The addition of the new gym space has allowed us to add new equipment, expand our services, and create a dedicated assessment room. Our MSWA Wilson Clients have been thrilled to try out the new equipment and different exercises. In April, we celebrated our Albany hub’s first birthday with a community event. The day was filled with activities for all ages, with Clients and visitors given the opportunity to tour both the Service Centre and High-Support Accommodation. Staff members were onsite to showcase the services that we offer, both to Clients, families and external stakeholders. Our MSWA teams are always looking at ways to enhance our service offerings to you. In this edition of Bulletin, learn about the new Supported Lying Service offered by the Occupational Therapy department on page 14, Physiotherapy Manager James Beckett demonstrates the use of MSWA Wilson's new equipment during the supporter tour. and how our Speech Pathology team is assisting Clients to re-discover their voice using the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, see page 20. I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tireless work of our volunteers. Though we appreciate them every day for the difference they make here at MSWA, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to stop and reflect on their contributions during National Volunteer Week (15 – 21 May). It is because of people like Joan Crossman (read her story on page 22) that we can give our Clients the best possible care here at MSWA. Thank you for your service. As always, your feedback is important to us. If you have anything you would like to share, please contact us via feedback@mswa.org.au. Stay safe and thank you for supporting all that we do. NICOLA WASHINGTON CHIEF CLIENT OPERATIONS OFFICER A key initiative to achieve this goal was the creation of the MSWA Client Advisory and Co-design Committee, and we are proud to share that this Committee held its first meeting on 4 May. This Committee will be a formal mechanism for MSWA Clients and their carers to provide input into MSWA’s Client services, service delivery models and processes, including how we communicate with Clients. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the members of the Committee below: We would like to extend our thanks to all who submitted an expression Client Advisory and Co-design Committee of interest; we are very grateful for your passion and commitment to increasing our impact and support for people with MS and other neurological conditions. We were pleased to receive a strong response to this call out, and as such were oversubscribed for the core Committee. As a result, a decision was made to create a second Advisory Group to Gavin Harper Irene Long Kim Flanagan Susan Hyde Allen Donald Roberts Wildaliz DeJesus Arocho Ann Marie Linto Karen Gillies Brooke Cuthbertson Ellen-May Eaton Terry Compton support the core Committee in a The Committee membership will be reviewed on a yearly basis to provide consultancy capacity. further opportunities for Clients and their supporters to engage. The selection process was Our first meeting identified key topics of importance for Clients and carers, conducted with careful which will form the basis of the agenda for future meetings. consideration to ensure diversity of voice and representation across our Client community, including supporters such as carers and We look forward to seeing the positive gains that can be made through collaboration with our Client community, and will keep everyone informed of the Committee’s progress. family members. As always, all Clients are welcome to share feedback at any time via feedback@mswa.org.au 6 7

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