Office hours during Christmas

24th Dec - Christmas Eve (close 2pm)

25th Dec - Christmas Day (PH-closed)

26th Dec - Boxing Day (PH-closed)

31st Dec - New Year’s Eve (close 2pm) 1st January - New Year’s Day (PH

closed)

For any urgent changes or service requests dur-ing office closure please ring our after-hours service.

Carols by candlelight:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Christmas Office hours

Carols

Aged Care Standard

Cultural Diversity

NDIS

Extreme Heat

Thunderstorm asth-ma

Notify us if you plan to be away for Christmas on

1300 726 291

How your Care Consultant or Team Leader can assist you

(chat to them as soon as possible to arrange):

transport over the festive season to catch up

with family and friends, or to attend an event

companionship during the festive season

assistance to decorate Christmas tree, post

Christmas cards, buy gifts, or bake some treats

1300 726 291

Varsity Lakes

Waterfront

Sat 14 Dec

4 - 8pm Varsity Promenade

Gold Coast

Twin Waters Resort

Sun 15

Dec

5 –

8pm

Wandiny Room,

Novotel Resort,

Sunshine

City of

Melton

Sat 7 Dec 6.30-

9.30

pm

Hannah Watts Park,

Melton

Bayside City

Council

Tue 10

Dec

7.30-

9.30

Dendy Park,

Brighton East

Newsletter December 2019

Caption describing picture or graphic

Symptoms of

Thunderstorm

asthma:

• Wheezing, per-

sistent coughing,

chest tightness or

shortness of

breath

• You will wake at

night with these

symptoms

• You will need to

use your asthma

reliever within

three hours of

the thunder-

storm occurring

First Aid for

asthma:

Sit upright

Take 4 puffs of

blue/grey inhaler

Wait for 4

minutes, if una-

ble to breathe

normally, have 4

more puffs

If still unable to

breathe normal-

ly, call an ambu-

lance (dial 000)

THUNDER STORM ASTHMA

Always use your preventer medication as much as the

doctor advised. Even if you do not normally use a pre-

venter all year, you should use it every day during Sep-

tember to December if you are going to be in an area

where there is dry grass pollen.:

• Always carry your reliever inhaler (blue puffer)

• Listen to weather forecasts / pollen counts during

spring and early summer, and if a storm is coming.

• Make sure your written asthma action plan is up to

date and includes thunderstorm advice - talk to your

doctor

• Avoid being outdoors just before and during thunder-

storms, especially in wind gusts before the rain. Get in-

side a building or car with the windows shut and the air

conditioner switched to recirculate / recycle.

If you develop asthma symptoms, follow your asthma

action plan.

Some grass type pollens in the air cause thun-

derstorm asthma in spring or summer when it is

hot, dry, windy and stormy.

People with asthma and/or hay fever need extra

protection between September and January.

This means using preventer medicine every day

and always having a reliever inhaler (blue /grey

puffer e.g. Ventolin, Asmol or Airomir) ready, if

experiencing wheezing or coughing.

Protect yourself during grass pollen season.

Even if you don't think you have asthma or hay

fever check with your doctor to get the best asth-

What you can do:

If the Government has declared Code Red in your area, Arcare Home Care will have to withdraw services

to protect our staff until the code is lifted

While summer brings us warmth and bloom, prolonged exposure

to excessive heat in summer months can be dangerous so it is

time to take note of extremely hot days and heatwaves. We are all

more at risk during high temperatures which can cause weak-

ness, headache, muscle cramps, dizziness, nausea/vomiting con-

fusion and fainting.

To protect yourself from the heat:

• Drink plenty of cool water, clear juices and other liquids that

don’t contain alcohol or caffeine

• Stay away from direct sun exposure as much as possible

• Apply the sunscreen lotion liberally to all exposed skin

• Stay indoors and if possible in air-conditioning, consider can-

celling or postponing outings

• Dress appropriately - try wearing loose, light coloured clothes

• Keep cool, use wet towels, put your feet in cool water and take

cool showers, bath or sponge bath when you are feeling warm

• Keep in touch with family / friends

• Pay attention to weather reports

EXTREME HEAT OR HEATWAVE

3

Fire Danger rating

relates to weather, temperature, fuel load and

dryness, wind speed and direction.

Listen to broadcast on ABC National radio, TV,

Internet, or call

Vic Emergency Hotline

1800 226 226

Qland—1800 173 349

According to the 2016 ABS census, nearly half of Australians

had either been born overseas or had one or both parents

born overseas. It highlights the need to remember that

each person is unique, and their individual requirements

need to be considered when planning service and support.

At Arcare Home Care we endeavour to take this into consid-

eration in our policies and practice. We aim to sensitively

listen and understand each client and participant and re-

spect their dignity.

If English is not a client’s preferred language, we try to en-

gage interpreters when needed, and use resources in differ-

ent languages from the Centre of Cultural Diversity website.

Please feel free to ask for any information. We are fortunate

that many of our team are bilingual and bicultural.

For an interpreter phone 13 14 50

Aged Care Quality Standards 2019

Standard 4—Services and support for daily living

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU

How can we

support you better

in a culturally sen-

sitive manner?

Do you have suffi-

cient information

and resources in

your language of

preference?

Use your Feedback

brochure or call us

to let us know….

4

Arcare Home Care provides safe and effective services and sup-

ports for daily living that optimise the clients independence,

health well being and quality of life. Each client is supported

to receive:

• Safe and effective services and supports that meet the cli-

ents needs, goals and preferences, to optimise their inde-

pendence, health, well being and quality of life, emotional,

spiritual and psychological well being

• Exercise choice to doing things of interest to them

• Timely and appropriate communication, referrals and re-

For confidential

discussion with

your Arcare Home

Care Team Leader

contact us on

1300 726 291

5

• Protect your rights

• Help you receive good quality

services

• Keep NDIS participants safe

• Find ways to improve our pro-

cesses

• Listen to you in order to make services and sup-

ports better for you and other people

• Be here for you if you have any queries,

concerns or feedback

Arcare Home Care wants to:

NDIS Support Coordination

from January 2020.

We will offer to meet your

goals.

AHC Support coordinators will sup-

port you and your family to choose

how you want your services pro-

vided, including:

• Inform you of options

• Let you exercise full choice and

control

• Explore opportunities according to

your interest with you

PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE

Arcare Home Care team wish you & your loved

ones a safe, merry Christmas & a Happy 2020

Arcare Home Care provides services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with on-call outside normal business hours (8am - 5pm). Some of our staff will also be taking leave during the holiday period. The after hours service is for any concerns that cannot wait until the next business day, such as unplanned changes to your planned services, e.g. to cancel a service last minute due to a hospital admission.

If it is a medical emergency call 000