Taking Services to Eyre Peninsula

At the end of October a team from AASA travelled to the Eyre Peninsula region providing services to clients and the general public.

The team comprised of Wendy Hall, Early Intervention Team, Paul Rupinskas, Counselling Team and Lynette Cullen, Community Programs (West) and was joined by Kay Pearce, AASA representative based at Port Lincoln.

The first event was the opening of Seniors Week. Over 110 people attended this event and feedback received showed that attendees were very appreciative of the information about Alzheimer's Australia SA, and AASA’s links with the Eyre Peninsula through Kay Pearce in Port Lincoln.

The Health Expo in Port Lincoln was very busy and the Team made contact with approximately 70 people during the day.

It also provided an excellent opportunity to gather information from related service providers together with other material which will be beneficial to Alzheimer's Australia SA in its quest to provide the best services and programs possible for people in rural areas such as Eyre Peninsula.

An excellent response to sessions in Cowell and Cleve really set the pace for the remainder of the week. It was clear

from the start that the original plan to run separate Living with Memory Loss Programs and the Carer Component was not going to meet the needs of those attending the sessions.

It was decided to change the format of the sessions beginning with a one-hour presentation on normal memory changes and dementia and how the brain works. This was followed by questions and a break for tea and coffee. The second session was dictated by the needs of the group and where necessary breaking into two groups, those with memory changes/diagnosis, and those providing the main support for someone with memory changes/diagnosis. On other occasions the group stayed as one and the hour was spent answering specific questions and talking about specific issues.

The Eyre Peninsula is a large geographical region with some long distances between towns. Kay Pearce did an excellent job in organising the program, venues, accommodation and liaising with key service providers. The itinerary ran very smoothly, which was quite a feat considering the team had to travel 200kms between some programs finishing and the next one starting. This also highlights just how valuable it is to have someone representing Alzheimer's Australia SA living in the region.

The Memory Van also proved a hit with many people stopping to look closely. One person on a push bike circled the van several times before riding off. Fortunately it was parked at the time.

The Eyre Peninsula trip proved an interesting and exciting learning curve for all the team members. Discussions have already begun as to what might be done differently next time and how to use the knowledge gained from this event to better meet the needs of our client group and the general community in the future.