We are delivering excellent clinical care and developing innovative service models across our residential care homes, while expanding our home care services into new locations and maintaining strong regional engagement. We are strengthening clinical governance, safety, risk management, and transparency to exceed stakeholder expectations.
Read more…
Wellbeing Centres – Allied Health Services in the Community
In January 2025 we celebrated the opening of our first dedicated Wellbeing Centre in Golden Grove, followed closely by our second centre in May in Parafield Gardens. These centres boast fully equipped gyms and have been purposefully designed to provide a comprehensive range of health and wellbeing services tailored to support the holistic needs of our clients.
A wide range of services and programs are available designed to support health, wellbeing, and community connection. In addition to allied health services such as physiotherapy, podiatry, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, social work, and dietetics, the centres also provide social connection programs that bring together like-minded people with common interests to build friendships and a sense of belonging. Group activities include strength and balance classes, chair yoga, grief and loss support groups, tai chi, and more.
Looking to the future we have plans to open more Wellbeing Centres in new areas including regional South Australia to give as many clients as possible convenient access to high-quality, integrated allied health services that help them live well, safely, and independently in their own homes.
Connecting with Care
In November 2024, we introduced our Aged Care Connector Service to support older South Australians who are beginning their home care journey. The aim was simple: to provide clear, practical assistance in a system that can sometimes feel difficult to navigate.
Since launching, our Connectors have been working with clients one-on-one and in group settings. They help with completing paperwork, understanding processes, linking people with suitable services, and, if requested, attending My Aged Care assessments to offer support.
Looking to the future the Connector team will be getting out and delivering information sessions to help community members learn more about home care options and what to expect when getting started. As interest in the service grows, we are planning to expand our group of Connectors so we can continue to meet community needs.
Strengthening Consumer Voices
The 2024–2025 financial year marked an important period of transition and renewal for the Consumer Advisory Body. Established in January 2024, the inaugural Consumer Advisory Body – comprising residents, home care clients, and family members from both metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia – completed its initial 12 month term in December 2024. Providing advice directly to our Board, the group has played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the organisation and ensuring that consumer perspectives remain at the forefront of everything we do. Throughout the year, members participated in focus groups and provided valuable insights that informed strategic priorities and strengthened the connection between consumers and decision makers.
Helping Hand’s Chief Executive Officer, Chris Stewart, and Board representatives, attend most of the Consumer Advisory Body meetings, ensuring a strong connection between the group’s feedback and organisational decision making.
In January 2025, a newly appointed Consumer Advisory Body commenced its term, bringing together a blend of experience and fresh perspectives. The new body includes five returning members from the inaugural group and welcomes six new members from diverse backgrounds and communities. This combination ensures both continuity of knowledge and the introduction of new ideas to guide the organisation’s ongoing commitment to meaningful consumer participation.
The Consumer Advisory Body has consulted on and supported a variety of organisational projects such as the development of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, the bequests and major gifts process, a marketing and communications review and Person Centred Care Principles.
Looking ahead, the Consumer Advisory Body will continue to focus on embedding consumer input into all levels of planning and governance, with an emphasis on transparency, inclusivity, and co-design. The organisation acknowledges and thanks the Consumer Advisory Body members, past and present, for their valuable insights and outstanding contributions.
Supporting Forgotten Australians: Real Care the Second Time Around
In 2024–2025, Helping Hand continued its commitment to the Real Care the Second Time Around Project, supporting the aged care sector to better meet the needs of Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers. In November 2024 we launched www.realcaretoolkit.com.au, a central resource hub that provides a wide range of tools to help aged care organisations embed trauma-aware, healing informed care. The toolkit also guides organisations through the process of applying for Care Leaver Specialisation Verification, helping ensure they are equipped to provide safe and inclusive care. Building on this, we introduced a refresher training program for aged care workers who had previously completed the project’s foundational course, reinforcing trauma-aware practices across the sector.
Helping Hand continued to chair a national UnitingCare Australia Trauma-Aware Care Community of Practice, bringing together organisations from across the country. During the year, Uniting NSW.ACT became the first member of the Community of Practice to achieve Verification for two care homes, while four other organisations were preparing their submissions by the end of the financial year. Overall, the project delivered both face-to-face and online training to more than 3,000 aged care workers nationwide, expanding its reach and impact.
Our Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers Advisory Group met regularly throughout the year and developed a physical environment review guideline, which helps aged care providers assess their spaces through a trauma-aware lens to ensure they are safe and inclusive environments for people who spent their childhoods in out-of-home care. The Advisory Group also conducted environment reviews at several Helping Hand residential care homes and have provided valuable recommendations.
Jan Schaffarz, a member of the Advisory Group, also featured in an episode of Helping Hand’s Age Old Problems: New Aged Care podcast, sharing insights from the project and highlighting the importance of trauma-aware care in supporting Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers.
Through these initiatives, Helping Hand continues to lead the way in delivering inclusive, trauma-aware and healing informed care, ensuring that Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers feel respected, supported, and safe within aged care settings.
We acknowledge that not everyone identifies with the term Forgotten Australians.
Age Old Problems: New Aged Care
In September 2024, Helping Hand embraced a new way to connect with the community, launching our very first podcast – Age Old Problems: New Aged Care.
The series features authentic, down-to-earth conversations about aged care services and how to access them, shared directly by those who know the sector best. Hosted by Kate Holland, the podcast offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the world of aged care, as staff and clients share their insights, professional expertise, and personal experiences.
New episodes are released each month, covering a wide range of topics such as navigating home care, understanding grief and bereavement, the joy of volunteering, what is occupational therapy, and more. Each episode aims to demystify aged care and provide clear, compassionate guidance for people seeking support for themselves or their loved ones.
Through Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, Helping Hand continues to share knowledge and experience in new and accessible ways. Podcasts provide an engaging platform to reach people where they are, offering practical advice and heartfelt stories that make aged care easier to understand. We look forward to expanding our library of episodes in the year ahead and continuing to share real voices and real experiences from across our community.
