Link Health and Community

29/08/2024

“My biggest piece of advice? Just give it a go.”

Jumping in feet first, occupational therapy student Amy has been part of the LCHS Cadetship program for the past two years, and couldn't think of a better way to develop her skills as an allied health assistant.

Watch Amy’s video below to learn more about the day-to-day of a cadet!

We’re taking applications NOW for second year occupational therapy students - to learn more or apply for the OT Cadetship program, visit the link in the comments ⬇️

18/07/2024

Today our CEO Paul, along with some of our amazing Smile Squad team members, were delighted to join Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas MP and Dental Health Services Victoria CEO Susan McKee at Amsleigh Park Primary School. It was a special occasion: more than 100,000 Victorian primary school students have been seen through the Victorian School Outreach Dental Program.

Through Smile Squad, students receive free dental care at their school. A large number of these kids return to our Clayton dental clinic to receive further dental treatment.

It's a great program, and we're proud to be part of it!

💪🦷👉😁

29/04/2024

A few months into her volunteering journey, LinkPETS volunteer Sam hasn’t looked back!

“I started with LinkPETS a couple of months ago because I wanted to give back and liked the idea of helping animals.”

LinkPETS helps elderly people care for their pets, with volunteers providing social support and practical assistance to help keep pet owners socially active and independent.

Volunteer Sam has made lots of friends since joining the program, but a “fiery young cavoodle,” called Brandy, and his owner Jacqui, have fast become the highlight of her week.

“Brandy gets excited with birds and other dogs, so I take Brandy for long walks and runs to wear him out and that helps Jacqui back at home,” says Sam.

For Sam, who works in an office and finds it hard to stay active, the weekly walk is equally helpful.

“I’ve found working with Jacqui and Brandy hugely rewarding. Brandy lights up when he sees me and I'm able to get my steps in for the day. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know Jacqui, she's always positive and chatty.”

“I'm very happy with the program and plan to continue for many years to come!”

Interested in volunteering with LinkPETS? Visit www.linkhc.org.au/volunteer or call us on 1300 552 509.

13/12/2023

From drawing to pool: Aged care resident Ian finds companionship with Link volunteer Fiona.

The Covid-19 pandemic unleashed a wave of loneliness across the world. Yet older people already experienced high levels of isolation even before lockdowns took hold – from feeling distant from their culture or heritage to living with mobility issues that stop them taking part in their local communities.

With this in mind, the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) – funded by the Australian Government – connects volunteers who can provide friendship and companionship with older people across Australia.

They include Ringwood resident Fiona, who reached out to Link Health and Community to see how she could help older people in her community who may be feeling lonely.

“I joined Link as an ACVVS volunteer in March this year,” Fiona says, adding she was immediately paired with Ian Hill at his home at Warrandyte Gardens in Ringwood North.

“I visit Ian most weeks – we do a variety of things together. He’s quite interested in art, as am I. So we’ll sometimes draw together, talk and so on. Ian is admittedly quite shy, so he seems appreciative to have someone to spend time with.

“I’ve done little bits of volunteering in the past. I think we can become a little bit self-absorbed with our roles in life and I started to think something was missing. I wanted to do something that wasn’t about or for me. So I looked for something flexible and local.”

Ian, who is 67 years-old, moved to Warrandyte Gardens – a single-storey aged care facility that boasts beautiful gardens – with his mother some 15 years ago.

“I used to walk past here with my half-sister Sandra before it was built,” Ian says. “I grew up around Ringwood so I’m local. Fiona and I love to play cards, darts and pool together – sometimes the other residents even take off with our pool balls!

“We sometimes paint too,” he adds, with Fiona quickly highlighting the art prizes Ian has also won.

Fiona says: “It’s a nice feeling to do something that isn’t transactional in some way, but for someone else’s wellbeing. Since Ian and I started spending time together, it’s been great to see him come out of his shell and talk more with the other residents!”

Do you live in the Eastern Metro area of Melbourne and want to be like Fiona, providing crucial companionship to older people? Or are you looking for some friendly company from our aged care volunteers? Reach out to our friendly volunteers team via email on volunteers@lchs.com.au or call 1300 552 509.

25/07/2023

Are you fur-real about helping your community and their four-legged friends? 🐶🐾

We’ve got 5 beautiful doggies that are in need of volunteers to walk them. Swipe through the photos to see their adorable faces!

🦴 Finn the Border Collie is located in Templestowe
🦴 Ruby the Staffy is located in Clayton
🦴 Rusty the Terrier is located in Glen Waverley
🦴 Tony the Cavalier is located in Mulgrave
🦴 Rocky the German Shepherd is located in Dandenong North

Each of their beautiful owners rely on our volunteers to help walk their furry friends, but we currently don’t have enough volunteers to help.

Can you help? It’s just one hour per week! It includes some light exercise, a little brushing, lots of friendly pats and maybe even a cuppa with the owner who will be very appreciative of your help! 🦮

If you live in the areas mentioned above and you’re willing to get stepping, visit www.linkhc.org.au/pet-program/ and fill out the ‘enquire now’ form on the page.

23/06/2023

Each year one of our incredible volunteers is awarded the prestigious Volunteer of the Year award.

This year’s winner was Van Huynh.

Van has been a Link Heath and Community volunteer for 7 years now and this year alone has volunteered an impressive 136 hours to our social support groups.

Van mostly volunteers his time transporting clients in the city of Monash and surrounds to their medical appointments, as well as helping with our social support groups.

He is described as a friendly and caring volunteer who goes out of his way to help our clients and staff.

“Without Van, many of our clients who are socially isolated could not attend our groups,” said Allied Health Assistant, Leo.

“Van has a quiet and reassuring manner. For those that have travelled with him to regional areas, they have mentioned that he is always friendly and makes the sometimes-difficult trips enjoyable.”

Well done Van on taking out this prestigious award. It is absolutely well-deserved. We’d also like to take this time to thank all our volunteers. They do a fantastic job and without them, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the quality services we do.

Now more than ever we need volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer your time like Van, please give us a call on 1300 552 509.

20/06/2023

This week we were saddened to hear of the death of Janette Kennedy on 26th May.

Jan, with other volunteers, founded the Waverley Social Health Centre in 1975 to provide counselling services from a little house in Glen Waverley.

Waverley Community Health Centre grew and became MonashLink in 1996, and then Link Health and Community in 2015.

Jan stayed involved and on the board of management for the entire time - more than 45 years. This is an extraordinary contribution.

Throughout the years there were ups and downs for community health, but she remained a resolute advocate for her community.

Jan was a fierce social justice advocate from the early 1970s, especially for women’s rights. Her advocacy was compounded through her work as a Maternal And Child Health Nurse, working with young families across the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

But more important than what Jan achieved was the way she achieved it. Her friend, and former MonashLink Community Health Service Board Chair, Sally McManamny, says “Whatever she did, wherever she went, she attracted people to her. She was wonderful company; vibrant, trustworthy, and loyal. Whatever she did, she saw things through to the end. Jan made friends for life.”

Testimony to this was the real life impact on the thousands of new mothers Jan supported. It was a regular occurrence for her to be stopped in the supermarket or local café by the women she supported, and be reconnected with the children and grandchildren she cared for.

Jan was a central figure in community health in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Her lifetime of service for her community cannot be overstated.

We extend our condolonces to Jan's husband, Cyril, her children Bruce, Helen and Nicholas, and her extended family and friends.

Vale Jan Kennedy.

06/04/2023

We love hearing these stories about our wonderful LinkPETS program!

If you live in the Eastern Metropolitan area and are having difficulty looking after your pet or you would like to volunteer to help a community member with pet care, we'd love to hear from you!

Phone the LinkPETS Coordinator on 1300 552 509 or apply to become a volunteer today: https://lchs.page/linkvolunteer

20/07/2022

It was such a pleasure to be a part of this! Check out the post below and see what our fantastic team had to say. 👏

🙌 Latrobe Community Health Service and Link Health and Community recently held the first Vic Kids Eat Well roundtable event in Victoria! Leaders from local sports clubs, health services and local council came together to talk about boosting the healthy food and drink options they offer kids. 📣 Keep reading to hear what our hosting health promoters had to say...

“It was great to bring together passionate people who care about children’s health and wellbeing and want to make changes to local food environments” – Roshika Kumar, Health Promotion Officer at Latrobe Community Health Service/Link Health and Community.

“A number of local organisations joined Vic Kids Eat Well after the roundtable. We’re excited to see the positive impact this initiative will have in our community” – Sasha Miles, Health Promotion Officer, Latrobe Community Health Service/Link Health and Community.

Our roundtables bring together community leaders to learn about Vic Kids Eat Well and making healthy food and drink options available in places children and young people spend time. To find out more email: vickidseatwell@cancervic.org.au or call: 1300 185 725

Cancer Council Victoria
Victorian Department of Health
Achievement Program
Nutrition Australia
Healthy Eating Advisory Service

29/06/2022

When Laura Salembier considered volunteering for Link Health and Community, she realised there was nothing holding her back.

“I just thought, ‘why not?’” Laura says.

“There wasn’t ever a thought about why I shouldn’t do it; I just knew I wanted to.”

Laura started volunteering as a community visitor in October 2021, at a time she was feeling very isolated herself after nearly two years of lockdown.

“I had moved from interstate to Melbourne before lockdown happened, so I also didn’t know many people,” she says.

“I liked the idea of interacting with someone new. I knew it would have been very hard in the aged care homes, and I thought it (volunteering) would also be a good way to use my time and help others.”

Link’s volunteer community visitors enrich the lives of people who live in Commonwealth-funded aged care homes in the City of Monash.

Volunteers visit residents twice a month, both virtually – over Skype, FaceTime, letters or phone calls – and face-to-face when it’s safe to do so.

“When we recruit volunteer visitors, we match them with a resident who may share similar interests and hobbies, or culture and language,” Link Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Delporto says.

“Our visitors like Laura really brighten people’s days; their regular visits and friendly conversation remind aged care residents they are cared about. You really can make a difference to someone’s life by simply turning up and providing a listening ear.”

When Laura visits her resident, Trixie, she makes a day of it by also visiting family nearby and getting some tasks done in the same neighbourhood.

She usually visits Trixie on the weekend, when she has the most downtime, and says the two visits a month are easy to commit to, even for time-poor people.

“I typically do one Zoom session and one face-to-face session each month,” Laura says.

“The time can vary depending on how long the conversation goes and how everyone is feeling on the day. Trixie and I spoke for over an hour once and the time just flew by!

“A visit usually consists of just talking. I will bring flowers or I’ll help Trixie with her hair. One day we will talk about sunglasses for half an hour, and it can be different the next.”

Laura feels lucky to be able to do something nice for someone else, and says if roles were reversed, she’d love to have a visitor and be able to interact with others.

“Each encounter has been wonderful, and they always leave me feeling really happy, as I can see how happy Trixie is,” she says.

“For anyone who is thinking about volunteering, I’d just ask, why wouldn’t you do it?”

Want to volunteer with us? Visit www.linkhc.org.au/volunteer or call us on 1300 552 509.

03/06/2022

Meet Humphrey and Aiya!

These beautiful Shar Peis are in need of some dog-loving volunteers who can take them for their walks 🐕🐕

Humphrey, 4, and Aiya, 9 months, are energetic and curious animals whose owner is unable to walk them herself.

If you live in or near Hughesdale, and you can dedicate an hour each week to walking these fun-loving fur babies, please get in touch!

We're looking for experienced dog walkers who are used to handling stronger breeds.

Phone the LinkPETS Coordinator on 1300 552 509 or apply to become a volunteer today: bit.ly/LCHSvolunteers