The 2015 DTA Conference Workshop coming up next month on the Gold Coast is jam packed and almost booked out! Make enquiries today if you would still like to join us! You don’t have to be attending the Conference to register for the workshop on Thursday 15th Of October so find out if there is a space for you. Get ready to come away with new activity ideas, craft samples and loads of inspiration!
The end of August saw a successful Hamilton workshop in Victoria and on 4th of September our Canberra workshop took place. Thank you to Michelle Maslen for facilitating on the day in Hamilton and Enid O’Connor who kindly took on the role of photographer and reporter writing up a great piece for the newsletter which you can read below.
Canberra ACT Workshop
Our Canberra workshop on the 4th of September just missed the start of the sitting of parliament and the crazy goings on in our capital these last few weeks! We had a lovely spring day and a small but dedicated group came together to gain some important professional development. Cristina Hurley from PICAC- Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care has attended a number of our workshops this year and is right on the mark when discussing the Cultural and Linguistically diverse communities in each region. We spent some time this workshop looking at the different cultural attitudes to the development of and treatment of dementia and how best to work with families and carers when there is a diagnosis. Jill Brown from Alzheimer’s Australia then looked at the specific needs of people with Down syndrome and disabilities who often have a higher chance of developing dementia as they age. Julie Grant a DTA member and vocal advocate on the benefits of networking and coming together to share ideas to keep motivated gave us a great talk on volunteering and all the different areas she is able to connect volunteers with the needs of specific client. Great presentation Julie! Nicola Fields gave us an insight into the needs of people with hearing loss and the great service done by Australian Hearing. She showed a number of devices that are helping people to stay engaged in a group situation (Roger!) as well as when by themselves – TV headsets, phones and “iPods” for music are just some of the areas that can be assisted by new technologies. Laughter Yoga and our takeaway cafes gave everyone some very practical activities to take back to their workplaces- thank you to Kylie Rice- the NSW State Rep- who drove down for the workshop and who took us through some Takeaway activities too. Thank you to everyone who attended the day and partook in all the fun and laughter-Good luck with getting together and looking forward to another workshop next year!
Hamilton Vic Workshop
20 people came from near and far to be part of the workshop today, 31st of August, at the Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church Hall Hamilton Victoria. People came from Robe SA, Melbourne, Geelong, Avoca, Nhill, Edenhope, Camperdown, Timboon, Penshurst, Coleraine, Warrnambool and Hamilton.
There were seven sessions with topics including Brain Gym, Change Management, Taking Care of Yourself, Brain Gym Wake up and Take away Cafe x3. A large part of the day was facilitated by artist Lisa Addinsall, who took a double practical session on Intuitive Art Therapy. This allowed our creative side to come to the fore and as stated no artistic talent was required (which suited me!)
Lisa was able to talk us through skills as we journeyed with our artistic learning. The finished results were amazing as we were all told the same thing but our own interpretation took us to different completed works of art. The Lutheran Ladies prepared morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea with delicious homemade treats. Michelle Maslen facilitated a very successful workshop and everyone who came went home with lots of food for thought and activities to work on.
It’s always good to come together to network, meet new contacts and have a day of fun away from one’s home & workplace.
Enid O’Connor
Timboon
Let me know if you have any new presentation ideas and Takeaway café activities. Drop me a line if you‘d like to touch base and tell me what you’d like to see at your next workshop.
So in closing I leave with you with this quote by recently departed Wayne Dyer:
Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.
So until next time,
Steph Bejma
DTA National Education Coordinator