Looking back on National Palliative Care Week
- 10 Jun 2022
Perspectives on National Palliative Care Week 2022 | Faces of Baptcare | Tammylea Collyer, Care Advisor – Home Care
Meet Tammylea Collyer, Care Advisor and an integral part of our Home Care team.
Tammylea is a strong advocate for people being able to access high quality palliative care in the setting of their choice, including their own homes.
We asked her to look back on National Palliative Care Week and what this vital care means to so many.
- National Palliative Care Week (22 May – 28 May) is Australia’s largest annual awareness-raising initiative to increase understanding of the benefits of palliative care.
What does the week mean to you?
I think it raises awareness about everybody’s right to access high quality care, compassion and comfort when they need it.
It’s amazing that we can offer tailored palliative care in the home, supporting a person’s emotional and psychological needs, along with managing physical symptoms and pain.
We don’t forget our clients’ spiritual and cultural needs, either. An important part of palliative care involves supporting the entire family to come together and have a range of sensitive conversations about what the right kind of care looks like for them.
- How did you come to work for Baptcare?
I started with Baptcare as a Personal Alert Victoria Responder. I was working in another role with Aruma at the time, as a Youth Service Case Manager. When that finished up, Baptcare asked if I was interested to come on board as a Personal Care Worker (PCW).
After working one-on-one with clients as a PCW and understanding the importance of individualised care, I decided to put that knowledge to work as a Care Advisor. It’s a role focused on partnering with our clients to build tailored Care Plans meeting their individual goals. Everyone is different so it’s important I translate that into each Care Plan.
I’ve been with Baptcare for about two years now.
- What have your learned about the value of palliative care?
As a former PCW, I’ve worked side-by-side with palliative care teams. Together, we provide the full spectrum of care, that is, personal care, home care and respite care tailored to our clients’ emotional, spiritual, cultural and social requirements.
I’ve worked directly with our clients at the time of their passing. I understand that it’s not a job for everyone. But personally, I feel that being there and talking to clients – even when they are not responsive – and being able to brush their hair and tell them that their loved ones are OK, is crucial to a respectful and person-centred care approach.
Being there for our clients and their families – knowing how much this is appreciated at such a difficult time – just reinforces why palliative care teams love the job that we do.
I was glad to be part of these teams, ensuring that our clients and their families received the highest level of care and compassion through those times.
- Growing up, did you always want to work in an industry involving one-on-one care?
I never really knew what I wanted to do as a child growing up.
I know I had to grow up fast – my father died when I was nine years’ old. My mother had complex health issues. So, I had to think like an adult very quickly, running a household and looking after my younger brother and mum. I cooked and cleaned. I had to write the shopping list and do the shopping.
Looking back now, I really believe my life today has evolved from those childhood experiences of caring for others. Those early experiences inform so much of what I do today.
- What’s your motto in life?
I don’t have time for negativity and I look for the positive in everything.
Life is beautiful and worth celebrating.
- On a lighter note, who would you like to sit down with at a dinner party?
I’m not sure about that one! As long as they’re positive and cheerful, it doesn’t matter to me who they are. It’s the personal qualities that are important.
Thankyou Tammylea. Your compassion and warmth are appreciated by those in your care. We are proud to have you in our Baptcare team.
Community news
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Personal Alert Victoria | Enhancing safety and independence
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
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Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
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