Two decades of community care and support
ON NOVEMBER 2, 1997, His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos officiated the opening ceremony of St John’s Community Care’s After Hours Respite Centre, catering for the frail, aged and people living with disability in the local community.
Funded by the Home and Community Care Program (HACC) and equipped to accommodate up to 15 people, the centre was fully equipped to provide muchneeded after hours respite care and aged care programs, which provided carers with some breathing space during evenings and at weekends.
Cairns City Council, as it was then known, presented the new service with a specially equipped 16-seater bus to facilitate transport of clients to and from the centre.
Today, more than 20 years later, St John’s Community Care supports more than 200 clients per week in respite programs across seven centres, transporting them in a fleet of eight buses.
The multicultural Aged Care Program, which had originally received funding from the Department of Health & Family Services for 10 care packages, also started in 1997.
The program employed support workers with appropriate cultural and language skills to facilitate communication and ensure quality care to its clients from diverse backgrounds.
Home Care Packages, of which there are now 220, are designed to assist aged people with diverse requirements to remain safe and comfortable in their own home, and are available at four support levels.
Quality, non-medical care creates peace of mind for families of the client, and enables the clients themselves to feel relaxed that they are in good hands.
St John’s Community Care can assist with personal care, such as bathing, showering, dressing, meal preparation, medication prompting, housework and laundry.
Transport to appointments and activities, shopping, and running errands is also available, as well as facilitation of access to nursing and allied health services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social services and nutritional and health advice in a group environment.
Clients also have the opportunity to have individual sessions with the qualified professionals if needed.
Assessments for individualised supports are carried out in the potential client’s home, and if you are not sure what you need, St John’s Community Care’s highly trained Client Service Planners will help you assess your needs and make a plan that’s specifically tailored to your requirements.
For those caring for their elderly loved ones, St John’s Respite Centre provides afternoon, evening and weekend centre-based care for the older clients in a home from homelike environment.
Safe, friendly and immensely welcoming, clients can spend time meeting new friends and participating in a wide variety of activities that are designed to develop, maintain and support social interaction and independent living — and there are always tasty refreshments and nutritious meals provided.
For carers, essential breaks from caring provide muchneeded time to undertake errands or activities, and recharge their batteries in order to avoid exhaustion and depression.
Overnight respite is also an option, providing short-term, outof-home care, enabling carers to have a break with peace of mind. Length of stay is up to two days in the centre at any one time.
St John’s Community Care aims to meet and exceed all recognised standards, and provide empathetic care that ensures clients feel safe, comfortable and respected.
Each one of the staff is dedicated to ensuring clients receive the highest level of care available and are fully committed to safeguarding vulnerable adults and ensuring their ever-changing needs are identified and met.
For more information about St John’s Community Care, its range of services and competitive rates, visit stjohnscommunitycare.org, or call the site closest to you to find out how they can help: Cairns/Gordonvale: (07) 4039 9700 Innisfail: (07) 4061 2819 Mareeba: (07) 4092 6912