PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) April 2018

Education Event Dates for 2018 27th April 2018 Friday from 8:30am-6:00pm

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The Association for Nurses Working in Older People’s

Mental Health, Aged and Dementia Carewww.pgna.org.au

MAY 2017

NEWSLETTER

PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.)

May2017

Message from the Executive -Brief Summary of what has been happening behind the scenes of the Executive Committee.

Since the New Executive has been elected in November, we have been working hard to identify how we can:

–1-Improve communication between members and Executive

-2-Increase Networking between members

-3-Revitalise members interest and enthusiasm in the Association

-4-Increase participation and engagement in the organisation by members

-5-Share knowledge and mentor Nurses wanting to work in this specialty (as there is a wealth of knowledge in the association that can be tapped into).

You may have noticed some of the things that have changed so far?

The New look Website – that will be updated regularly….such as

Updated and added information ie new “tag line” for the Association will now be on all Newsletters, correspondence, minutes, policies etc from now.

PGNA Australia (Inc)The Psychogeriatric Nurses Association Australia

The Association for Nurses Working in Older People’s

Mental Health, Aged and Dementia Care

www.pgna.org.au

Also added onto the PGNA Home Page our -Statement - Acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as First Nation and Traditional Owners…

“We the PGNA members acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which our members work and live. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and future”. 

Other Things added like the current – PGNA 5th Strategic Plan 2017-2021.

Have a read and if you would like further information please get in touch with us.

Things still to come on the Website the “Events” page:

A Calender of Events that are to be held for the year will be added (so people can plan in advance) plus the months the Newsletter will be published – these will be put up onto the Website as well.

Newsletter Months for 2018

February April June October

PGNA NEWS

April

2018

Edited By Marianne

Cummins and Fraser McLelland

PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) April 2018

July – date to be confirmed 16th November 2018 – AGM – time and venue to

be confirmed

“Watch this space” for updates on these Events

Policies and Procedures Manual. We are all working hard on writing position descriptions for our current roles in the Organisation, this goes along with the Policies and Procedures (which have been started ie fb Policy) so there is some “help notes” for new Committee Members in all positions.

Promotional Material for PGNA. There are 2 New Banners for the organisation to use at Events or Conferences, also it has been decided by the Executive to pay for some new promotional material eg Pens with logo and post cards,

also the below information will be listed in the 2019 Pocket & A5 (hardcover) Australian Nurse Diary. This will be under the Heading “Useful Contacts” Get your copy and have a look from August 2018.

Other Australian Nursing Groups

PGNA - Psychogeriatric Nurses Association Australia (INC)

The Association for Nurses working in Older People’s Mental Health, Aged and Dementia Care.

Postal Address

PO Box 3038

St Marys South NSW 2760

www.pgna.org.au

A generic email is to be set up and put on Website that will be linked to the Secretary, info@pgna.org.au

PGNA Facebook page –has been formally launched and all members are invited to join the discussions. Just search “PGNA” to join the closed group. There is a fb use policy which will go up onto the website for members to see.

If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions to do with anything above please email.

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Introducing PGNA NEW Executive Committee Member: Julie McLean –

Clinical / Quality Manager, Presbyterian Aged Care NSW / ACT

I am an experienced Registered Nurse with nearly 30 years in the community health field; Community Nursing, Child and Family Health, Aged Care and Palliative Care. I have lived and worked in regional, rural and remote communities across the southern and western parts of New South Wales. I have worked for Presbyterian Aged Care for the last four years starting as a Community Manager based at Bowral and covering South West Sydney and Illawarra regions and now

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as the Clinical / Quality Manager for the organisation. Presbyterian Aged Care has services across seven different sites in NSW and ACT (Home Care and Residential) - which means a lot of time in the car travelling between sites and listening to podcasts.

I joined the PGNA two years ago and I have a keen interest in Older Person’s Mental Health. I am also motivated to expand support to staff working in varied settings with older clients. Having worked across Public and Private settings - I have developed an appreciation for organisations such as the PGNA which help me feel connected to a professional community experiencing similar issues and challenges.

I am currently studying my Masters in Nursing - specialising in Older Person’s Mental Health and Clinical Education. I hope to transfer some of this newly developed skill and knowledge to the PGNA community. With an understanding of the importance of access to relevant, evidence based information, I am keen to work with the very experienced PGNA board to continue to provide a link to resources and support to our members. As I settle into my new role as an ordinary member on the PGNA Board - I look forward to connecting to other like-minded members on facebook and at the various education sessions and conferences throughout the year.

My encouragement for this newsletter is to spread the word about the fantastic support the PGNA can provide. Lets continue to build on a Community where we can share ideas, experience and knowledge.

Welcome to New PGNA Members

Rebecca Sarkies CNC from St Vincents Hospital Darlinghurst.

NOTICEBOARD FPOA invites PGNA to an

Education Event April 27 th 2018

FPOA -Faculty Of Psychiatry Of Old Age NSW BranchTitle: Psychogeriatrics in Perspective Past Present and Future Date: 8.30 am to 4.00 pm Friday 27th April 2018 Venue: PARLIAMENT HOUSE MACQUARIE STREET SYDNEY

See cost and booking on flyer

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Registrations for the Annual North Coast Aged Care Symposium are open now!

The theme for the 2018 symposium is “Running the Race Against the Time Clock of Ageing” which provides an opportunity for services, the clinical workforce and researchers to gain an up to date understanding of the complex presentations and management associated with ageing and chronic disease as they present in the older population. Experts in the field will present new and emerging practices and treatments that will inform excellence of practice in the care for this complex client group.The symposium promises to be a stimulating and engaging training opportunity for all involved with ample networking opportunities.While the programme is still being finalised, it is anticipated that key note speakers which include international guest speaker Antonio Fernando, will present over the two days on topics such as: Compassion in Medicine; Parkinson’s Disease, Movement Disorders, Osteoporosis, Falls, Chronic disease and Ageing. We are planning to hold a hypothetical discussion on ‘The Meaning of Life” on the Thursday.

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Get in quick to avoid disappointment as we are always oversubscribed.We look forward to seeing you at the symposium.Kind regards,AnneAnne Moehead FACNP OAMCredentialed Mental Health NurseNurse Practitioner Psychogeriatrics / Dementia| NNSWLHD Nursing & Midwifery DirectorateLocked Mail Bag 11, Lismore NSW 2480Tel 02 6620 2612 | Fax 02 6620 2147 |

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WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!

PGNA next Education Event in July …. 2018 – Flyer will be sent to all members with June Newsletter closer to this time confirming all details

Speaker: Roseann Slattery – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Older Peoples Mental health, Orange Community.

Topic: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ‘act’.

Summary:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) gets its’ name from one of its core messages: accept what is out of your personal control, and commit to action that improves and enriches your life.

The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life. ACT (which is pronounced as the word 'act', not as the initials) does this by:

a) Teaching psychological skills to deal with persons painful thoughts and feelings effectively - in such a way that they have much less impact and influence over the person. (These are known as mindfulness skills).

b) Helping to clarify what is truly important and meaningful to the person - i.e their values - then use that knowledge to guide, inspire and motivate the person to change their life for the better.

Watch out for this presentation in July …. And join our Education evening by ZOOM.

Are you thinking of going to a Conference, or maybe some training…..

Did you know PGNA ……..To enable members in all these endeavours the Association makes

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available scholarships for its members throughout the year on application. The current maximum value of a scholarship is $500.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship please check out the website for details. (www.pgna.org.au)

In the News!It is timely that the PGNA has added onto our Website the Statement of Acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as First Nation and Traditional Owners… In February the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) announced they are committed to addressing racism and demonstrating leadership to nurses and midwives to ensure they value the needs of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and promote and provide culturally safe care.

“In order to effect change CATSINaM and the NMBA know that regulations and codes establishing health professional standards must clearly communicate the requirement for cultural safety. The NMBA Code of conduct for nurses and Code of conduct for midwives (the codes), are supported by CATSINaM”.

. The codes also advocate for culturally safe and respectful practice and require nurses and midwives to have knowledge of how their own culture, values, attitudes, assumptions and beliefs influence their interactions with people and families, the community and colleagues.

. CATSINaM and the NMBA believe that cultural safety and respectfulness is the responsibility of all nurses and midwives. By embracing this principle nurses and midwives provide leadership in building a health system free of racism and inequality that is accessible for all.

My belief is this is a very important step and another acknowledgement that puts racism and inequality firmly on the health Agenda. We all need to understand and be aware of what is Cultural Safety and Culturally Safe practice in our care and the part we all play in providing culturally safe care .

Obviously not everyone agrees with the statement of nurses having an understanding of the concepts of Cultural Awareness that leads onto Cultural Safety and then to Cultural Competence in providing care. Having worked in Remote NT and WA I have and still do witness on a daily basis Doctors and Nurses saying inappropriate things to me (in the presence of my aboriginal client/s) when I am accompanying the client to their GP appointment for a health Assessment or INR or wound dressing.

This is not culturally Competent health care – it means the trust this person puts in me to come to this appointment almost is lost as they feel ridiculed and shamed due to these comments (like they are invisible and understand nothing of what is going on!). It shames me that this is still happening in this day and age! My role as an advocate is to let the staff saying these things that this is totally inappropriate to say this to someone! So I think there is a lot of people that have no idea and are probably the ones who will say … so why cant they just get a job! An interesting read.

'White privilege'? Industry bodies respond to criticism of new code“Some of Australia's leading healthcare bodies have today issued a joint statement in response to comments made about recognising "white privilege" in the sector. The statement refers to comments made by Graeme Haycroft on Sydney talk-back radio, and was jointly written by the

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Nursing and Midwifery College of Australia, … “ Here is the link.https://www.nursingreview.com.au/2018/03/white-privilege-industry-bodies-respond-to-criticism-of-new-code/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NR+BN+Email+-+27+Mar+2018&utm_content=nursingreview.com.au%2F2018%2F03%2Fwhite-privilege-industry-bodies-respond-to-criticism-of-new-code%2F&utm_source=apneducationalmedia.writemsg.comWHAT DO YOU THINK? How does this affect you?See on our fb page the “Media Watch” discussion.__________________________________________

SMH reported, there is a storm at the moment in the research field looking for a cause and therefore the cure for Alzheimer’s Disease….

The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has pulled out of the search for an Alzheimer's cure in January.

“Despite decades and billions of dollars of research, we have not developed a single drug to cure, prevent or even slow Alzheimer's disease.

In January, after spending billions on failed drug trials, Pfizer, one of the largest companies in the world, gave up and pulled out of Alzheimer's research altogether.”

To read on open the link below:https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/what-if-we-have-got-it-wrong-on-alzheimer-s-20180305-p4z2w6.html__________________________________________________

Article In

“Funding for mental health studies in nursing

The federal government has committed $128,000 to fund mental health course materials for undergraduate nursing degrees across the country. Minister for rural health, senator Bridget McKenzie, said the funding would be provided to the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses to undertake the Improving Mental Health Content in Undergraduate Nursing project. “Australians – including people living in rural areas – …”

____________________________________Have you ever wondered how the Australian Government is informed with Data Collection????

Check out the AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) website……

“The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is a major national agency whose purpose is to create authoritative and accessible information and statistics that inform decisions and improve the health and welfare of all Australians.”

For instance

Cause of death patterns and people’s

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use of aged care

Pathways in Aged Care analysis of 2012–14 death statistics

Summary

“Nearly 245,000 older people (Indigenous Australians aged 50 and over, and non-Indigenous Australians aged 65 and over) died between July 2012 and June 2014. This report presents information on the cause of death patterns, and any aged care services they used before their death. This is the first time this analysis has been done in Australia.”

This is an interesting Report – the main things it highlights (for me is) the differences with Older Person’s Mental Health and Younger people. Older People have effects of ageing on their organs plus more physical ill-health, multiple co-morbidities and frailty, functional decline that must be taken into account and the impact this has on a person’s well being (Mental Health)!

Not only do these things impact but older peoples reserves are lower and they are not as resilient, also the pharmacokinetics are different in older age so the medications may not have the desired effects and the side effects may well out weigh the therapeutic benefits of treatment.

There are also studies that identify that younger people with Schizophrenia age earlier and have chronic diseases due to not looking after physical health.

AND other stats of Interest..

46% of people in permanent residential aged care on 30 June 2016 had depression—it was the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditionThere is so much information to be gained from this site as well as Resources - I urge to have a browse!

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2018 Upcoming “Health Awareness” days /Months

June 11-17 Carers Week September 12-18th OCD Anxiety Disorders

Week September Dementia Awareness Month September 13th RU OK Day September 21st World Alzheimer’s Day October Mental Health Month October 8-14th Mental Health Week October 10th World Mental Health Day

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The next Executive meeting will be held on:

Thursday 10th May

If you have any agenda items you would like discussed please email to Fraser: Fraser.Mclelland@health.nsw.gov.au or mobile - 0476 243 802

Subsequent meeting dates are:

Thursday 12th July

Thursday 13th September

Thursday 8th November

PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) April 2018

The New Banners

To contribute to the next Newsletter please forward the information to me …. marianne.cummins1@gmail.comWe are looking for an article or item of interest, health event/conference to be advertised etc.

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