Mary Marsh, Author at Myhorizon

A message from Joe – Spring 2022

Welcome to the Spring Edition of our Community News.

Given the roller coaster ride we have all been on over these past couple of years, never before has our theme of “with you for you” been so relevant for our clients and participants that we serve.

Recently we surveyed participants who access our lifestyle, accommodation, recreation programs and support coordination services with overwhelming positive satisfaction results being recorded.

This feedback confirmed the important role that Myhorizon plays in so many lives, a role that is far more than delivering services for which we are funded. Personal satisfaction and other aspects of our service delivery across every division of the organisation reaffirmed confidence in our ability to meet and exceed expectations especially during some very tough times.

Myhorizon has continued to deliver responsive, individualised programs tailored to meet the needs of our service users, with much of the feedback received centred around the positive impact that our staff have on the lives of individuals.

As a registered service provider we are rigorously and independently audited against the various standards including the NDIS Practice Standards and the National Disability Service Standards with positive results recorded during not only this past year but every year.

Myhorizon as a not-for-profit organisation has not just been another service provider in the crowd but has proudly maintained its focus on delivering a quality service by ”uplifting individual lives by creating connected communities”.

Spring brings transformation, new beginnings and a positive outlook as we leave the challenges of the past behind. There will be many new opportunities emerge and we will continue to embrace a strong and purposeful future for people with disabilities.

I trust you will enjoy reading our latest Community News.

Joe Gamblin,
CEO

Emily & Beverley – A perfect pairing

When transitioning into Supported Independent Living (SIL), Myhorizon believes that the compatibility matching process is the highest of priority. We want our participants to live with people they feel safe and comfortable with.

We believe that the success of a SIL home is dependent on appropriately matching participants based on age, gender, interest, location and support needs.

For participants Emily and Beverley, their 2022 transition to a Myhorizon Supported Independent Living home in Burbank has been a major one. Beverley has relocated all the way from Melbourne and Emily from the Gold Coast, both to be closer to their families.

Despite the challenges that comes with moving in with a new housemate in a new community, Beverley with her bright, articulate, and bubbly personality is pairing very well with Emily’s soft, gentle and caring traits, proving a successful compatibility match so far.

“I love the house and being close to my family. I get on really well with my housemate.” Says Beverley, who is now also preparing to welcome a third resident into her home with Emily.

Both ladies are working towards their goals to increase their independence in the home and build their daily living skills such as cooking and shared household chores.

A new career path for Jess

We all know that life doesn’t always go to plan, and these last few years have definitely been a rollercoaster for many people.

For Myhorizon participant Jess, the last few years have been an uncertain and anxious time in her life when her cake decorating business didn’t survive the pandemic, and she was feeling unsure and worried about her next steps.

After being referred to Myhorizon for a DES Program, Jess met with a Myhorizon Employment Coordinator looking for some support for her next career move.

“From the moment I walked into Myhorizon, I was made to feel safe, valued and a real person, not just a number.” Said Jess. “The staff at Myhorizon listened to me and my idea of getting back into the childcare industry and together we formed a plan to achieve my goals.”

With this support, Jess has been working at Edge Early Learning Centre in South Brisbane for the past year, and in that time has also gained the confidence to travel overseas on a holiday and recently sign up to do further study to build on her skills and eventually become a Group Leader.

“Without the weekly ongoing support, encouragement, and genuine willingness to help me achieve my goals from Myhorizon, I know I would not have made it this far so soon. I not only have a job but I have a career with real progression opportunities.” Said Jess.

“If you want to work and need that extra support to do it like I do, I recommend speaking to the staff at Myhorizon Employment and Training. They’re on your employment journey “with you, for you”, all the way just like their logo and moto on the wall states.” Said Jess.

Myhorizon’s Mt Gravatt site manager, Lisa Huntly, has seen first-hand the display of strength and resilience from Jess,

“It has been a long journey for Jess with many obstacles, but through it all she has maintained a positive can-do attitude. Supporting Jess to achieve her goals has been a pleasure for me and I’m so proud of how far she has come. I know Jess has more great things ahead in her future and I’m honoured to be a part of her employment pathway.” Said Lisa.

Alicia & Jacinta lend a helping hand

There are many benefits to volunteering in your local community, and for our Wynnum Lifestyle participants, Alicia and Jacinta, they love lending a helping hand to those that need it most by volunteering at the Redlands Community Centre in Capalaba.

Alicia and Jacinta kindly volunteer their time every Friday at the Centre, where they pack emergency relief packages full of basic meal necessities, and also restock shelves and complete a variety of other tasks.

These Emergency Relief Packages are just one way the Redlands Community Centre provides support to those that need it most. They also provide a number of valuable ‘one-stop-shop’ community focused services which assist people experiencing a crisis in a way that maintains dignity and encourages self-reliance.

Not only have Alicia and Jacinta contributed to a worthy community cause, but together they have developed excellent team work skills, expanded their social group and learnt various skills they can utilise in day to day life.

“It’s fun packing bags and I like talking to all the staff members there” says Alicia.

For more information on the many ways you can volunteer with the Redlands Community Centre, visit: redlandcommunitycentre.org

A message from Joe – Winter 2022

We never know what is around the corner. The lingering impact of COVID, the recent change in government, economic insecurity and cost of living increases coupled with the extraordinary world events unfolding in Ukraine all contribute to a period of uncertainty, high stress levels and increased mental health concerns. COVID has brought many challenges with wide disruption of services.

Fortunately, Myhorizon has been proactive in ensuring the safety of our Participants by following COVID safe measures including the compulsory vaccination of all staff. Disruption has been kept to a bare minimum where at all possible as the virus has spread throughout the community.

On top of all of these issues there has been enormous stress as a result of the constantly changing NDIS. In the lead up to the Australian Government election there was a groundswell of criticism demanding that the NDIS be remodelled to reflect its original intention.

Participants, their nominees and service providers have all vented their frustrations. It’s been a mess to say the least and hopefully the new government will deliver on its promise to fix the NDIS.

Fortunately, Myhorizon deals with the complexity of the NDIS every single day and though we can’t change the rules we do have expert knowledge of the scheme and will always advocate where we can on behalf of Participants.

I would like to pass on congratulations to our Employment Services division who again have blitzed their recent quality standards audit and consistently achieve 5 star status for Participants across a number of their sites. Finding and keeping jobs for people with a disability can make an extraordinary difference to their lives. Our latest survey of our Employment & Training Division Participants recorded an overall satisfaction rate of 98%, with 73% of Participants being very satisfied with our service. Congratulations to the Employment Services Team for such an outstanding result.

It is pleasing that during the struggles and disruption over the past couple of years, we have been able to maintain our commitment to our Participants of being with you, for you.

Joe Gamblin,
CEO

Vadim is job ready

For people with disabilities, the move from school to employment can sometimes be a challenging transition.

Which is why programs like the School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) program can be life changing for NDIS Participants like Vadim Ovchinnikov, supporting him to gain the skills and confidence to navigate his employment options and gain meaningful employment.

Vadim, now 20 years old, originally came to Myhorizon’s Specialised Training service in March 2021 looking for employment opportunities, having had no previous employment skills or history, limited workplace communication and literacy skills, and little understanding of social protocols.

Through the SLES program and with the help of his Myhorizon Employment Support Worker Aaron, Vadim was able to overcome these barriers, identify his career goals and learn essential job skills such as resume preparation, interview skills, independent travel, teamwork, time management and many more.

Vadim then gained work experience where he was able to implement some of these newfound skills in a real work setting, and also discover what areas of work he liked, all before landing a paid job he now enjoys at McDonalds, Birkdale.

“I like serving the drinks and talking to the customers. I also get to meet new people and the job gives me my own money.” Said Vadim.

Employment and Training Assistant Manager, Nikki Louange is part of a passionate team at Myhorizon who support Participants through this process,

“It’s about helping Participants build their skills, their ability and their confidence to enter the workforce and achieve their employment goals. It’s through this intensive 1:1 job support where we see many success stories”, Said Nikki.

“In Vadim’s case, we helped him to successfully gain an interview and secure employment with McDonalds which included supporting him at the interview, assisting him with understanding their rostering program and looking at transport options so he could get to and from work safely”.

For more information on SLES and our Employment and Training service, contact us today.

It’s a full house at Riley Drive

It’s been a warm welcome for Lifestyle participant Scott Adam, to our Supported Independent Living home in Riley Drive, Capalaba.

With tenants Stephen and James already living in the property, the last vacant room has now officially been filled with Scott recently moving in and joining the bachelor pad.

The men in the house were thrilled with Scott’s arrival and his calm demeanor and easy-going attitude have made him a fantastic and compatible addition to the house.

Now that Scott has moved out of home, he’s keen to expand his skills in the kitchen and cook for his housemates (with the help of his Support Worker). He’s even been given the run-down by his new housemates on how to operate the dishwasher and washing machine and actively contribute to keeping the home clean.

Scott is no stranger to embracing an independent lifestyle, having already achieved his driver’s license, and arriving to his new home in his very own car, which he regularly enjoys taking for a drive when he gets the chance.

What a fantastic and empowering achievement!

When transitioning into Supported Independent Living (SIL), Myhorizon believes that the compatibility matching process is the highest of priority. We want our participants to live with people they feel safe and comfortable with.

We believe that the success of a SIL home is dependent on appropriately matching participants based on age, gender, interest, location and support needs.

We want our participants to take an active part in choosing their housemates. We ask our participants what they want and need and we design a home environment to suit their wishes.

We don’t fill vacancies, rather we match people who are compatible to live together.

For more information on our Supported Independent Living Service, contact us today.

Kasper is cooking up a storm

When it comes to food and cooking, Kasper, a participant from our Logan Lifestyle Centre, is constantly thinking up new ideas for what he can create in the kitchen.

From wraps and burgers, to cakes and sweets, Kasper’s newfound love of cooking is at the top of his list of things he now enjoys.

After many years of suffering from severe food intolerances, a recent health procedure has meant that Kasper can now enjoy a much wider variety of foods, allowing him to get creative and explore new recipes that are a little more exciting than his previous bland diet.

Nowadays, you will find Kasper outside using the BBQ with Jean Claude, or in the kitchen with Tia (his Support Workers), cooking up a storm, and building his Daily Living skills.

Lifestyle’s Executive Manager, Belinda Thompson, is passionate about ensuring participants have hands on opportunities to grow their skills and reach their goals.

“It’s about empowering individuals to explore all the things they enjoy and nurture their interests and develop their competencies”, she said.

Apart from cooking, Kasper has also been running a car washing business for the last few years, with a growing client base of staff and visitors at the Loganlea Community Centre every Tuesday.

Why not drop in next time you’re in the area for a quick wash or even a full detail. Kasper can cover just about any car cleaning needs you have!

For more information about our Lifestyle services and locations, contact us today.

Almost $1200 raised to support RSPCA

To help fight against animal cruelty, Jean Jensen from our Employment & Training team, recently took part in RSPCA’s Million Paws Walk, surpassing her $1000 goal and raising $1152 by walking with her beloved dog, Molly.

“After I took part last year, I wanted to raise funds to support the RSPCA again this year, as they do such important work. A big thank you to those who have donated”. Said Jean.

There is still time to contribute to Jean’s fundraising campaign. Go to www.millionpawswalk.com.au/fundraisers/jeanjensen and donate before end June.

A message from Joe – Summer 2021/22

It is refreshing to almost see the end of this crazy year. This festive season is a time for us to restock, refresh, and remind ourselves of the good things in our lives, and the hope we hold for the future.

I am personally thankful for the amazing staff we have at Myhorizon who have taken on all of the challenges they have been confronted with, especially the additional pressure as a result of the impact of COVID.

Safety of our clients has been our number one priority and we are fortunate to have been able to continue to operate our various programs with minimum disruption. Mandatory vaccinations are now in place and all Myhorizon staff delivering services have been vaccinated.

2022 is a year of new beginnings and new opportunities to be embraced, and Myhorizon is here to support you in the journey.

From the Board, management and staff, we wish all of our Myhorizon subscribers the very best for the Festive Season. We will continue to be with you, for you in in 2022.

Joe Gamblin
CEO

Image: Myhorizon Disability Support Professionals – Jade & Jackie, with CEO Joe Gamblin