Speak Out
October 2014
25
BRANCH news
western australia
The WA Branch
has been working
hard over the past 18 months on a
very special and important strategic
project, aiming to raise awareness of
communication impairment in residential
aged care settings.
A dynamic working party was formed,
comprising Asher Verheggen, Ashleigh
Pascoe, Gerri Harris, Virginia Paradiso,
Alana Watts, Marguerite Maggiore,
and Jade Cartwright. As a group, we
originally set out to conduct a paper-
based campaign, however recognised
how little promotional material is actually
read, particularly by time poor facility
managers. Gerri encouraged the group
to dream bigger and create a promotional
film to ensure maximal reach of the
awareness raising campaign via a more
engaging and emotive medium.
Together the working party articulated
the vision and key messages for the film,
submitted a project brief and budget
submission to the Board of Speech
Pathology Australia, wrote the script,
and engaged the services of Clint Logan
(Producer, Sandbox Post Production) to
turn our vision into a high quality product.
The film,
Communication Matters
, was
completed in August 2014, just in time
to launch during SPWeek 2014. The film
is now available via the Association’s
YouTube Channel:
The working party would like to extend
huge thanks to Catholic Homes Inc for
allowing us to shoot the footage at one
of their facilities. The film crew created
quite a buzz around the facility, with
many residents excitedly consenting
to be part of the project. The residents
were up early to have their makeup
done and enjoyed being interviewed and
filmed going about their daily activities.
Very special thanks goes to Trisha and
Bob, two family members who shared
their stories to capture the immense
impact that communication impairment
can have on a resident’s identity,
everyday life, and relationships.
Thanks also to Professor Beth
Armstrong, Virginia Paradiso’s daughter
Mia, members of the working party, and
staff at Catholic Homes who also feature
in the film. Special recognition goes to
Davilia O’Connor, a talented local Perth
actor who gave the poignant narration
for the film. Davilia expressed a strong
personal connection to the script, which
really shone through and brought the
script to life.
This project would not have been
possible without the financial assistance
and continued support of SPA and the
Board of Directors. This demonstrates
that ageing and aged care issues
are firmly on the national agenda.
The project also shows what can be
achieved at a Branch level with a strong
shared vision and collaborative effort.
Now that the film is complete, the WA
Branch will send a copy of the film on
DVD to every residential aged care facility
in WA as the first stage of the awareness
raising campaign. The Branch hopes
that this will inspire an increased focus
on the importance of communication
for residents and greater understanding
that with time, creativity, and support,
communication can and should be
improved.
Please share the link with your family,
friends, colleagues, and professional
networks and help spread the
important message that communication
matters and should be a priority for
all, irrespective of a person’s age,
place of residence, or circumstances.
When sharing the link via social media
we encourage use of the following
hashtags:
and
We hope that the film is a useful
education, advocacy and awareness
raising tool for the profession and would
love to receive feedback from those of
you who view and share the film with
others. Please send your comments to:
.
Jade Cartwright
Vice President, WA Branch, SPA
Communication Matters
: Raising Awareness of a
Silent Disability in Residential Aged Care Settings
A scene from the Communication Matters video.
Call for 2016 Conference
Planning Committee
Speech Pathology Australia is now calling for
expressions of interest from WA members for
a position on the 2016 National Conference
Planning Committee. Expressions of interest
should include a covering letter stating relevant
experience and a curriculum vitae to support
the application. The application should be
submitted to
Pamela Richards, National
Conference Manager
via email
Applications close
Friday 31 October 2014
.
2016 Conference Convenor
Speech Pathology Australia is pleased to
announce that
Michelle Quail
has been
appointed 2016 Conference Convenor
and looks forward to a successful National
Conference in Perth.
