Benetas has the ‘connections’
Victorian aged and community care provider Benetas is helping people stay connected to their community – and is even helping to reunite old long lost friends through its ‘Social Connections’ program. Community Care Southern manager, Helen Brightman, tells DPS News the program allows Benetas clients to meet with others from the same local area for lunch or an outing.
Photo supplied by Benetas
Victorian aged and community care provider Benetas is helping people stay connected to their community – and is even helping to reunite old long lost friends through its ‘Social Connections’ program.
Marking about one year since the program was first developed, Community Care Southern manager, Helen Brightman, tells DPS News the program allows Benetas clients, who live in their own homes, to meet with others from the same local area for lunch or an outing.
With the program as ‘person-centred’ as possible, the ‘Social Connections’ program functions are offered at least once or twice a month.
According to Ms Brightman, the program gives clients the opportunity to nominate particular activities they would like to participate in; such as morning melodies, luncheons, day trips to local attractions as well as fishing trips.
While the program helps people to remain socially active in their senior years, it also tells the remarkable tale of Benetas clients Gina Bufalo and Rosa Blancato, who were reunited after years apart.
From 1972 until 1980 Gina and Rosa worked as seamstresses in Armadale at the Duckett Seamstress Factory where they became close friends until 1980 when Gina left the factory and the two women lost contact.
“Programs like this are the new buzz word in aged care. A lot more research has come to our attention about how important it is to remain socially active as a person grows older,” Ms Brightman claims.
“We encourage all our clients to give the social events a try, even if they feel they are already socially engaged or too busy. More often than not, they love it,” she adds.
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