PROJECTS

Insulate Lismore

On the 28th of February 2022, the biggest flood in modern Australian history inundated Lismore in Northern NSW. Residents woke to find the disaster lapping around their beds. It was cold. It was dark. It was inside their homes. Floodwaters had reached 14.4 metres and they were trapped.

More than 4,000 homes were damaged with many deemed uninhabtable empty shells. Stripped of their inner walls, insulation, ceilings, carpets and cabinetry, all of which were spewed onto the street in piles almost as high as the flood. In total, some 70,000 tonnes – about 14,000 truckloads of home home contents went to landfill, and there’s plenty to come.

Whilst the NSW Government is rolling out a buy-back scheme, people in the flood-affected areas need accommodation now. They are living in cars and tents, and some are forced to live in their homes with no floors, ceilings or walls. The Brown Plumb foundation has partnered with the Insulate Lismore volunteer group to help restore rooms in houses that are currently inhabitable. Through the dedicated work of many volunteers, the group has, to date, refurbishes 16 houses that has provided 26 spaces capable of being heated. They have also lined two complete houses and two sheds that were completely uninhabitable.

There are many more desperate families who need our assistance to enable them to get back in their homes and provide adequate shelter so they can start to rebuild their lives again. We are prioritising the most vulnerable, which has included people with disabilities and and families with young children.

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A special thanks to all the volunteers who have so generously donated their time and labour, and to those those who have provided financial assistance. In the next few months, we hope to put many more families back into their homes as more substantial rain is expected.

Baby Clinic / Paediatric Physiotherapy

In collaboration with Ability WA and Curtin University, we conducted a therapeutic clinic for babies / young children (0-5) that have identified developmental delays. Children in this early intervention space are often not yet eligible for NDIS funding (Pre-diagnosis) and there are significant waiting times in community clinics.

The operation included a pilot clinic that is very close to full operation for the full year as stage 2. Beyond meeting the needs of the children and their families, each stage is also dedicated to providing learning and professional development opportunities to recent physiotherapy graduates and undergraduate students to observe and be guided in paediatric assessment and intervention during the clinic.

The Baby Clinic was able to commence on 21st March 2022 at Canning Vale Hub, initially targeting therapist upskilling. Clinics have run on Mondays, led by Bev Jepson, Physiotherapist and Curtin (external) Clinical Supervisor, with four Early Intervention customers attending individual sessions each Clinic. There is a total of 32 babies currently benefitting from this Service, referred by Community Health Nurses South of Perth. Approximately 110 occasions of service have been delivered to date.

An internal EOI to attend Clinics for a block of five weeks, resulted in 27 therapists responding, reflecting 20% of the Therapy Services team. Ten therapists were initially chosen based on merit, across disciplines and regions, and have now cycled through the Clinic as well as receiving a comprehensive Early Childhood therapy kit. A monthly ‘Community of Practice’ in Early Intervention has been established, facilitated by EI Lead Kirstie Denning.

The second stage is to continue to grow this pilot and expand paediatric student placements to all Allied Health disciplines, Medicine and Nursing, with University funding supporting financial viability.