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Stay Fit 4 Life with Cire Services!

Did you know that regular exercise is more important to the health of seniors than a healthy diet?

Participating in regular moderate-intensity physical activity lowers the risk of depression, improves the ability to perform daily activities and can slow the development of disability or disease. Seniors who participate in group physical activity report higher overall activity and are more likely to continue with a regular fitness regimen, due to the support they receive from each other. In addition to the benefits of regular group exercise, the act of social engagement itself is associated with a lower risk of mortality.

With this in mind, Cire Services have partnered with Fitness Success to deliver a specialised fitness program for over-65s called Fit 4 Life. Thanks to funding secured by Musculoskeletal Australia through a Sports Australia grant initiative, we are able to offer two classes per week by a qualified exercise physiologist experienced in working with seniors.

Exercises are tailored to each participant’s level of fitness, providing individualized support in a friendly, fun group environment. In addition to their in-class activities, Fit 4 Life attendees are provided with print-outs detailing exercises they can do at home to support their daily living.

Sessions include tasty refreshments post-exercise, allowing time for our participants to ask questions or speak with the physiologist regarding their fitness goals. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to catch up for a chat over tea and biscuits!

Fit 4 Life attendees agree that they feel welcome at our Cire Chirnside Park Community Hub, highlighting the warm environment, helpful information and friendly staff. One of our participants, Linda, said that her favourite part about attending Fit 4 Life is “meeting new people”. Roy mentioned that he greatly enjoys learning new exercises in addition to the “good atmosphere” of the sessions.

In 2018, the Australian Government committed over $150 million dollars to fund physical health and sporting initiatives. Sport Australia’s “Move It AUS” grant programs were intended to drive participation in sport and physical activity by building active environments, targeting communities with high levels of inactivity and working to improve the health of older Australians.

Musculoskeletal Australia was successful in securing a “Move It AUS- Better Ageing” grant, working in conjunction with the University of Sydney to implement a project enabling neighbourhood houses to offer physical activity programs to people 65 years and above.
This funding has allowed Cire Services and Fitness Success to offer our Fit 4 Life sessions for $5 per participant. A similar session with an exercise physiologist would generally come at a cost of approximately $120.

The Fit4Life team are taking a break over Christmas but will be returning to the Cire Chirnside Park Community Hub early next year! There’s no ongoing commitment, sessions are casual and pay-as-you-go, with no bookings required. Just arrive on the day and speak with a member of our friendly Cire Hubs team!

Date: Every Monday and Wednesday, as of February 3 2020
Time: 11.00am
Location: Cire Chirnside Park Community Hub, 33 Kimberly Drive Chirnside Park.
Cost: $5.00 per person, per session. Cash and EFTPOS accepted.
Includes: A group fitness session facilitated by a qualified Fitness Success exercise physiologist, refreshments and a print-out of take-home exercises.

For more information, feel free to give us a call on 1300 835 235.

Connecting Generations

Since July the kindergarten children from Cire have been lucky enough to visit the Estia Health Aged Care Facility. As part of their experience, the children got to complete different activities to engage with the residents. They have painted artwork for the art show, played games, completed puzzles, been hands-on making threaded necklaces, worked together on craft activities, they sang songs, played musical instruments and had a chat. The residents even got to show off their favourite songs and share their memories with the children. Guiding the children through their past times and experiences was a highlight for them with the children eager to learn more.

On one of the excursions to Estia some of the children had made cards for their newly found friends, it was on this day that one of them was having a very special birthday, Elsbeth was turning 94. The children were able to celebrate with her and her friends by singing happy birthday and joining in on the fun. It was a joy to see Elsbeth have so many little friends celebrate her big day.

It’s wonderful to observe the two groups of people becoming more comfortable and open with each other, learning to communicate in different ways. There was even an animal resident that was a big hit with the children, a fat cat called Elle. She meandered her way through the centre collecting hugs and pats as she went. The children learnt that Elle the cat’s role was to make the residents feel calm and make Estia feel like home.

The interactions that have occurred have been simple and easy going, there has been some small talk, discussions of how to play games and what each other enjoys doing; some even mentioning what they had liked when ‘they’ were in kindergarten. One of the residents told me,

“It was so lovely seeing the children when they visited, they bring life back into my heart and I smile so much when they are here”. Resident of Estia Health Aged Care Facility

Through this exchange, the children have had the opportunity to connect, develop and experience what it means to have respect and to care for people of all ages and abilities.

We look forward to further developing our relationships and are excited to be working towards a fun Christmas concert for our new friends, with the possibility for them to attend our end of year graduation ceremony.

Thank you so much to the Estia Health Aged Care Facility for the having our children come and visit.

If you would like to find out more about our Cire Children’s Services kindergarten program or would like to come to the centre for a tour contact 1300 835 235.

 

Do you control your possessions or do they control you?

The role of a Cire In Home Carer is often diverse and challenging, with tasks ranging from general house cleaning, assisting with grocery shopping, personal care, meal preparation and respite for family carers. However, there are other ways that Cire carers support people in their own homes.

 

Cire In Home Carers sometimes enter a person’s home and there are personal items everywhere, often starting from the front gate. Cars, tools, books, newspapers, pots, plants, bottles, furniture, clothes, hats, food, condiments, the list goes on. In this type of environment carers are faced with the challenge of being able to work safely and respect the person’s home and their choices.

“We may own the things in our home but they own us as well” ‘Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things’ by Dr Randy Frost

Carers may not know the history of how the person has developed attachments to their possessions. Each item could have significant meaning, or represent an event or special time in that person’s life. The value of an item may have increased over time and may have been with a person through good times and bad. How does a carer approach their work if their role is to tidy and clean the house or assist in the removal of items from the house?

A good way to begin to understand the emotional attachment to possessions is for carers to ask themselves “Could you pack up all your things into one suitcase and leave your home forever?” Most people would probably respond that they may find it difficult but ultimately they could do it. However if we added another layer onto this and considered that some of the items we were leaving behind had belonged to family members that had passed away, or were given to us 60 years ago, or came from the old cinema that we attended as a child or represented a significant time in our life, we begin to understand the emotions that these items may represent.

If Cire carers understand that items have memories attached to them they can then start to discuss some of these memories with the person. It can be a very slow process and sometimes an acknowledgement of an item’s significance can assist a person in being able to let it go. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to work in this environment. Cire In Home Carers are very experienced in this area and are able to support people to remain living independently in a way that is safe and respects their right to choice.

If you would like to learn more about the services Cire In Home Care offer call 1300 835 235. If you are interested in a career in the aged care industry, Cire Training offers Certificate III in Individual Support.