Issue 76 - Spectrum Care

across thespectrumfor the people, families and communities of Spectrum CareIssue: 76 – Winter 2012What’s inside:■ Donna achieves Outcomesgoal through scrapbooking!■ Han’s ordination■ Chinese delegations visitSpectrum Care!■ Alison celebrates her 70th birthday■ Farewell to David Bullock■ Faye Vili attends her firstconference!■ Wichman settles in to his lifeof choice■ Welfare Guardianship andProperty Orders■ The sky’s the limit for Tasman!Georga-Lee hits the beach in style!Hi, my name is Georga-Lee Gosney and I’m 19 years old. I live with my Mum, not too far away from one of thebest beaches in the world – Mount Maunganui of course!I enjoy going to the beach, but the first part over the sand dunes can be a bit tricky and assisting me down ontothe beach is not without its challenges.Remember, an activity which is quite usual and ordinary for you may still be quite new to me.Hence, I thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with the team at Tauranga Respite. They know me prettywell now – I’ve been accessing respite at Woodleigh Place since March 2010.We headed off to the beach, sun block aboard. I wanted a tan, but would prefer to avoid the lobster stage!After several brainstorming sessions, access to the beach still required further research from the team and I.Thankfully, Aaron from IT had organised an iPad for Woodleigh, which made it so easy for us to find a company –C1 South in Auckland. They had videos and pictures of a buggy that could get me back to working on that tan.The nice receptionist at C1 South understood purchasing a buggy was a little difficult for all and suggested weapproach Omanu Beach Surf Club.A couple of quick phone calls and we were off to the beach – a big thanks to Omanu Beach Surf Club, MountMaunganui, who are allowing me to use their beach buggy.Now on our nice days, we can walk down to the sea and have a bit of a paddle. To be pretty honest, I’m quite goodat it!Ginny Flynn – House Leader on behalf of Georga-Lee GosneyPeople with Disabilities Living Great Lives

Donna achieves Outcomes goal throughscrapbooking!Donna Garwood loves to create and really enjoys arts and crafts. This was identified in her personal Outcomes goals last year.Around September 2011, I asked Donna if she’d like to join a scrapbookingclass as she had a lot of photos of family, friends and events she hadattended previously.Donna’s answer was a very definite ‘Yes’, so we sat down together at thecomputer to see if we could find a class in her local community that shecould enrol in and attend.After going through a couple of different people and getting a contact fromone of them, we found ‘Creative Memories’ in Henderson.I emailed the lady to ask her if Donna would be able to enrol in her classesand Rina (the Creative Consultant) was more than happy to teach Donnascrapbooking.Donna has now been going weekly on Wednesday mornings and loves herclasses with Rina. The’ve developed a lovely friendship as well.Donna has been able to access funds through the Outcomes and InclusionReserve Fund to pay for her weekly scrapbooking fees, purchase photoalbums, scrapbooking tools, and scrapbooking pages and stickers.Donna has now created some lovely cards for family birthdays and she hasalmost finished her first scrapbook full of beautiful photos displayed acrossthe pages and she is very proud of what she has completed so far.Thanks to Jamie Shirlaw for accessing the Outcomes and Inclusion ReserveFund for Donna to be able to attend the scrapbooking classes each week.Annette Lockwood – House LeaderHan’s ordinationBeing ordained as a monk has been an eminentdream for Han Mya at Motatau House.His journey to the monkhood started abouttwo years ago and, since then, Han has beenpursuing this goal with determination.Contacts with the Burmese temple were established and Han took anactive part in temple activities on a fortnightly basis.He was extremely delighted to receive an offer from the temple for theinitiation ceremony between 14-23 April 2012.He stayed at the temple for the whole week (independently), going throughthe various preliminaries for a monk. At the end of the week, he receivedhis ordination and returned home with pride.Congratulations to Han for his achievement and well done to Kaila and herhardworking team at Motatau for providing a niche for Han to grow hispotential.Sanjay Kumar – Service Coordinator

Chinese delegations visitSpectrum Care!Last Wednesday, we hosted first one and then, quite unexpectedly,another delegation from the People’s Republic of China, interestedin the New Zealand approach to supporting people with disabilities.Given that both delegations had interpreters as part of the group, itwould have been easy to put a selection of managers up to talk andhave their views re-presented.As it was, we saw an opportunity to showcase some of our talent –talent that is engaged with disability, understands our organisation andwhat it’s trying to do, and is fluent in Mandarin.Staff members Erin and Jing took the initiative and, ably assisted byIan and Doris, accommodated the arrival of the second delegation,which effectively doubled the number of visitors and the demand onour presentation and interpretation capacities!Brett and I were both very impressed with the professional way Erinand Jing represented Spectrum Care and, of course, themselves.We were proud of the way they both fluently articulated themselves,and the animated conversations suggested that they were in commandof their subject, and that their material and opinions were valued bythe group.As a result, I believe that Spectrum Care’s reputation as a highperformingprovider was affirmed with this group.We had an opportunity to observe Jing and Erin’s wider range of skillsin a practical setting and we were very impressed.We have not had an opportunity to see them in this sort of environmentbefore, but they were clearly confident and took a leadership role.Their direct contribution made this visit a great success and SpectrumCare will be looking for ways to use their undoubted abilities inthe future.Pictured below is the beautiful silk book presented to Spectrum Careby one of the delegations.Chris Harris – Chief ExecutiveAlison celebrates her70th birthdayAlison Pascoe, who is supported to live in her own flat, was given asurprise party for her 70th birthday.Held at the Massey Leisure Centre, it was kept a secret right up till thelast minute!Staff, advocates and friends were there to greet her as she arrived withher brother Ian and sister-in-law Philippa.The room had been decorated with flowers and on the table was asumptuous afternoon tea. “Fit for Royalty!” said Alison.She received as gifts seven cyclamen plants of different colours, twoflowering chrysanthemums, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, toiletries,chocolates and lots of cards!General Manager of Service Delivery Warren Herring spoke on behalfof Spectrum Care and staff members Catherine Wild, Cecelia Wharerau,Vicki Quist and Sarah Allen were also there to wish her well.Alison made a short speech to thank all involved and she said that herhope was that conditions for all disabled people would continue toimprove immensely.At the Hub the previous day, Alison spoke by phone to Winston PetersMP and advocated for the disabled in the community.He wished her a “Happy Birthday!”, congratulated her for her advocacywork and gave her his best regards for the future.Carolyn Sutherland – CSW

Farewell to David BullockDavid passed away on Sunday 8 July, on a beautiful sunny day, while having a walk in the park and a picnic lunch.The Spectrum Care management gave wonderful support to our staff – inparticular, Maui and the Awhi team came and prayed and sung waitas andcleansed and blessed our home.Those who have worked with David would like to share the good times we’vehad together for nearly four years at DeBrett House.Canon Ball train tripDavid had such a good day. We dressed up in period costume to reflect thesteam train era. David looked so handsome with his full tux and top hat. Wejoined in the Helensville festivities with stalls and music.Round the BaysDavid achieved this for the past two years, riding his bike and sitting up sotall and proud, I knew David was having a wonderful time because he didn’twant to stop even at finish line…He kept on indicating with his hand ‘Come on! Keep going!’. To get there,we went on the train and disembarked at Britomart. David got on his bike,up the lift and out into the crowds. This didn’t phase David at all, just ‘Let’sget going!’50th celebrationsLast year, David had his 50th birthday at Valentines with his family, flatmatesand friends. He enjoyed being the centre of attention and enjoyed the music,a special cake and yummy food.Spectrum Care ballDavid enjoyed dressing up and watching and listening to all the excitement,and best of all was the wonderful feast!Spectrum Care talent quest showcaseDavid was in the Spectrum Care talent quest in a small pantomime called‘The Lost Dinosaurs in West Auckland’. We won the heats in the west andwere in the big finals for the whole of Spectrum Care. David wore a bird headand a feathery outfit with oversized wings.David did his part so well, strutting his stuff up on stage, supported byhis staff.David’s best friendDavid had a special friend William. He loved to visit William at his house,makinghimself comfortable in his La-Z-Boy chair and sharing cuppas together, aswell as Christmas parties and chats out in the garden.David loved William’s friendship and support.William is unwell himself but, on speaking to his wife, she felt the friendshipwas just as important to William as it was to David.The big adventureDavid had a big adventure on his bike to visit his sister. It was a 2km odyssey,starting with either going up the road and across the bridge and through thepark, or in reverse.The going usually got tough for the poor driver behind, who was both thepusher and the steering person, via a rather ingenious adaption...David was a tough taskmaster, indicating to either ‘Go faster!’ or ‘Don’t slowdown on the hills!’.Since David’s first achievement on his bike, we would often take other tripsto visit his Mum, Raewyn, or meet her at Christmas in the Park in Henderson.The bond between David and his mother was so special.Visiting MumOnce a fortnight we would endeavour to take David to visit his Mum. Davidloved hugs and loves from his Mum, and Mum would spoil David with herunconditional love and attention.David’s mother looked after David selflessly for 46 years. It is with greatsadness that the team at DeBrett say our final goodbye to David.Nora Butler and the DeBrett TeamFaye Vili attends her first conference!Faye attended the Growing Pacific Solutions at Waipuna Lodge on 2-4 April, which was her first-ever such event.The Growing Pacific Solutions was aimed at facilitating collaboration acrossthe mental health, addiction, disability and health sectors.Faye was greeted by a number of people who had never met her before andspoke with her about her interests, work and life in general.Faye particularly enjoyed the performances by Ria, Samoan and Tongancultural groups and the live band at the conference dinner.Overall it was a highly positive experience for her and the delegates.Nite Fuamatu – Outcomes Broker

Wichman settles in to his Life of ChoiceI wish to extend my personal congratulations to all who have been involved in this significant milestone for Wichman.The journey has been long and at times often very frustrating, not only forWichman but for all who have provided support to ensure this goal couldbe achieved.Many staff have been involved in showing Wichman various flats earlier thisyear, only to be turned down and having to manage his (and our)disappointments, as the reality of trying to find a flat became a huge challenge.Well done to Outcomes Broker Nite for the tenacity of not giving up, butcontinuing to be driven by Wichman’s goal and not losing sight of his visionand the end result.I believe you deserve a ‘Person-centred’ award for the dedication andcommitment you have personally demonstrated to Wichman – well done!Our staff can be very proud of this achievement and the various inputs andsupports you have all provided along the way, and I personally thank youfor all of that.intention and spirit of the Lives of Choice project and the whole Project teamcan be satisfied that the Board-approved objectives have started to be met.We need to take a moment to celebrate and not lose sight of this momentousoccasion and I suggest that we do that collectively in the near future.I will arrange for a time when we can get together here at the Hub so wecan acknowledge both Wichman and our staff publically.I know that many of our staff have faced a number of challenges as weundertook this journey and we now have some important learnings that havecome from this experience that will equip us all better as we walk alongsideother people’s Lives of Choice journeys.I’m sure there’s still a lot more to learn and this is only the beginning. So,once again, well done and congratulations to you all.Warren Herring – General Manager (Service Delivery)As I said above, this is a milestone in Wichman’s life, but we should alsoacknowledge that this is a huge milestone for Spectrum Care.This is the first time a person we support has moved into their ownaccommodation, and beyond our residential construct, which is truly theWelfare Guardianship andProperty OrdersInformation, advice and support are provided by Spectrum Care’sAdvocacy Services – free of charge!One of our Advocacy Service’s key roles is to support families who wishto apply for Welfare Guardianship or Property Management. This serviceis provided free of charge, whereas a lawyer can cost upwards of $3000and the Public Trust over $1800 when utilised to make application forWelfare Guardianship or Property Orders through the courts.Packs containing the appropriate documents and a reference sheet canbe obtained simply by contacting the Coordinator of Advocacy Services.If applicants require further support, a time can be arranged to go through,and fill out the necessary paperwork, which takes about an hour.If you wish to make an application on your own through a lawyer orthrough the Public Trust, please ensure ‘Spectrum Care Trust Board’is recorded as an ‘Affected party’, which is outlined in the documents.As a provider of services to the person requiring a Welfare Guardian,we need to be notified when an application is going through the courts.We also must hold a copy of the Orders on our files, and on the fileof the person who has had a Welfare Guardian appointed for them.Any further information can be obtained through the Coordinator ofAdvocacy Services (Helen Mulford) by phoning (09) 634 3790 ext 3120274 757 577 or by email: helen.mulford@spectrumcare.org.nzvision:people with disabilities living great livesvalues:person centredResponsive to the person; individualised services and supportinnovationPioneering and looking for better wayscommitment and passionCreating and maintaining a high-performance culture, where we arepassionate about what we dopartnershipWorking successfully together with others, valuing each other’scontributionexcellenceLeading the way

The sky’s the limit for Tasman!It was after Tasman Webb’s first flying experience, in a helicopter on 29 January 2012, that he decided to reach for the skies.On Friday 13 July 2012, he took to the skies and fulfilled his dream offlying in a plane. He flew from Auckland to Wellington at 20,000 feet andenjoyed his trip, returning to Auckland the following day. Upon touchdown,he went into the cockpit and shook hands with the flight engineer and pilot.Wherever he went, an aura of friendliness emanated from him and hishappy demeanour took the pilot and engineer by surprise.He had a wonderful time visiting the National Museum Te Papa Tongarewa(meaning ‘Our Place where treasured things are held’).Tasman took many photos of exhibits, including one where he stood infront of John Britten’s revolutionary 1992 V1000 racing motorcycle. Butthe excitement didn’t end there!He visited the Wellington City and Sea museum, which is a 20-minute walkalong the waterfront. There he was enthralled by the tea boxes, sacks andearly seafarers of European descent.As he was exiting the museum, Tasman couldn’t resist the souvenirs andbought a few items.With a clear night, he visited the Wellington ‘Night Market’ and wove hisway through the crowd.It was a day well spent with his support person Thomas Loo.On the flight back to Auckland, Tasman had the opportunity to meet thenewscaster from Campbell Live, John Campbell. Tasman shook hands withhim and had a photo taken with the TV celebrity, too.Tasman reached for the skies and, in the process, met people of influence!You just have to be in the right place at the right time to make your dreamscome true!Thomas Loo – House LeaderAcross the Spectrum available by email. Register now!As part of achieving Spectrum Care’s ongoing vision of ‘people with disabilities living great lives’, we’re constantly looking for opportunities to streamlineour activities and provide higher-quality support to our service users.To this end, Across the Spectrum is now available via email, with the aim of making more resources available to support our service users in living great lives.If you’d like to receive Across the Spectrum by email, please send your email address to: newsletter@spectrumcare.org.nz, or simply go to our website(www.spectrumcare.org.nz) and join our mailing list in one easy step.