Services:

• Enliven
• Family Works
• Real People
• Cranford Hospice

PSEC ANNOUNCES A MAJOR PARTNERSHIP  WITH HAWKE’S BAY DHB

·        60 older people to have access to rest home level care in their homes.

·        Innovative new services to meet changing needs.

The past few months have seen some exciting developments in Services for Older People.  PSEC in partnership with Hawke’s Bay District Health Board has announced a two year pilot of Community FIRST.  This service is targeted to clients whose needs indicate eligibility for rest home care, but who choose to remain in their own home.

Community FIRST is designed to provide flexible, integrated community services which will enable up to 60 older people to age in place. 

A Board member of PSEC talked recently about the experience of a friend of hers living in the Bay of Plenty. Her mother had been assessed as requiring rest home level care. She had said to the assessor “I know there are other choices happening around the country. Why don’t we have those choices here?” 

At the time of writing Hawke’s Bay DHB has asked for significant proposals for the development of community services in Hawke’s Bay, seeking innovation and change in meeting older people’s needs. This demonstrates the quantum shift in approach that health agencies must now take.  

The Evergreen Circle Gisborne pilot funded by Tairawhiti District Health Board has got off to a great start, with the Tuesday programme already well attended and the Thursday class filling up fast. I heard a lovely quote by one of the ladies who attend this programme, which I feel captures all that we are trying to achieve. “I am ninety and I want to live until I die”!

The Hastings programme has supported many older people to live with safety, wellness and friendship and we look forward to seeing this repeated in Gisborne.  I spoke recently about Evergreen Circle at a Presbyterian Support Sunday in Central Hawke’s Bay, and was approached by a parishioner after the service who said ‘When you described Evergreen Circle, you described me! When are you setting one up in town?”

The way that we care for older people is changing.  There is a valuable and important place for residential care as part of the development of a full continuum of care and PSEC looks forward to working with service users, agencies and providers as we strive to develop services which will offer real choices to older people about where and how they wish to age.