WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH - Mercy Health and the ACMI in Melbourne

After a largely sleep free night it was up and out early with my host John Ballard to visit Mercy Health, the company of which he is CEO.

"MERCY HEALTH IS A CATHOLIC PROVIDER OF HEALTH, COMMUNITY AND AGED CARE SERVICES. FOUNDED BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY, OUR VISION IS TO BUILD AN ENDURING CAPACITY AND PASSION TO SERVE THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS."
More information at www.mercy.com.au.

We went first to Mercy's Central Office in the Richmond area of Melbourne. The company has recently relocated it's offices to brand new premises from which it operates it's 22 health and care facilities and rapidly growing home care services.


From the offices John then took me to visit the newest Mercy Place aged care and assisted living complex at Parkville. The building is a model of contemporary aged care design with first class facilities, situated in a residential suburb of the city, and intended to provide a hub for local community life.


Amongst the many aspects of the building and the operations at Parkville I was particularly impressed by Mercy Health's approach to the world of assistive technology. Through their separate affiliate company Home Health Track a direct to consumer service has been developed to help older people secure the appropriate technology in their homes that meets their needs.


HHT provides assistive technology solutions that are designed to support people to live independently in their community. The company specialises in providing customised solutions tailored to meet an individual’s care needs. The equipment has been designed to adapt to a wide range of people, needs and situations; creating a safe and supported environment for older people and those with a disability, special care needs or long term illness.

Following these visits I then went on to spend the afternoon at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.


The ACMI has developed a high level of expertise and recognition internationally for the work undertaken on digital storytelling. My host Helen Simondson has been leading this work and has developed links with the growing worldwide community that is developing this particular art form. They are closely associated with the US Center of Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California that I was able to visit last year. Much of the work of the ACMI has been connected with the capturing on film of stories and culture of Australian indigenous groups and there is a particular interest at the Centre in the creation of life stories of aboriginal elders.

While at the ACMI I was also able to meet Mark Silver, a social worker at the Elgin Street Centre in Melbourne. Mark is leading a project working with and linking students at local schools with older people through digital storytelling. The programme is the Positive Ageing Digital Storytelling Intergenerational Project (PADSIP). For further details see Mark's PADSIP powerpoint presentation are at: http://wr.victas.uca.org.au/assets/559/Presentation_on_Positive_Ageing_Disigtal_Story_Telling_Intergenerational_Project-M_Silver.ppt

My final meeting of the day was with Kirsty Bennett of the Uniting Care Association. Kirsty is a leading and acknowledged architect, academic and specialist in design for older people, project management, planning and consultation on the built environment in aged care services.

Location:Melbourne