RSL Care Fernhill Celebrates 30 Years of Serving the Community

The RSL Care Fernhill Day Therapy Centre at Caboolture is celebrating 30 years of serving thousands of locals in the community impacted by illness and disabilities through day respite services. 

The Day Therapy Centre offers respite services to the Caboolture community with a focus on keeping physically and mentally active, building and maintaining social relationships to reduce isolation plus advocacy for health and wellbeing. 

Diversional Therapist Alma Massie runs the Day Therapy Centre where over 100 members of the Caboolture community visit each week. She incorporates their diverse abilities, needs and tastes into her structured care plans. 

“Many of the clients who visit us are impacted by the early stages of dementia, disabilities and chronic disease. Clients are not just elderly; there are some younger clients with disabilities who benefit from the services on offer. Over the past ten years I have seen a growing need for these services in the Caboolture community,” Alma said.

“As people are choosing to stay in their homes for longer there is a growing need for vital respite services and to support to these people, their families and carers.”

Physiotherapist Julie Gardner has been working at Fernhill for 35 years and started at the Day Therapy Centre when the doors opened back in 1987.

“One of my earliest and most treasured memories of Fernhill was working with some of our World War I Veterans, it was such a privilege to support them,” Julie said.

“Now the business has grown and changed, we support all members of the community – you don’t need to be a Veteran to access our services. Much of the work I do in physiotherapy is designed to keep people strong and healthy enough to stay in their own home.” 

Data from the Queensland Government has shown that over 13 per cent of the Caboolture population are over 65 years of age and there have been dramatic increases in reported dementia cases since 2011.

The respite serves have many positive impacts on the community as they are keeping people in their homes for longer, taking unnecessary pressure off residential aged care facilities and removing unnecessary hospitalisations.

Respite care also provides support to carers who benefit from the program by giving them time to go out and do the shopping and other daily necessities especially important as they need time to look after their own health and wellbeing.

One of the most rewarding things the team members can hear is that a client has improved since visiting day respite. Families often report improvement in health and wellbeing, behaviour, mood, sleep and overall a more positive impact on the entire household.

For clients who don’t have family support the services provides social interaction and support they need. Data from National Senior’s Australia found that over 60 per cent of Australia’s population over 65 experience loneliness on a regular basis.

One of the most significant areas of research exploring the effects of loneliness and social isolation is its association with mortality. Research has found that older people who experience “extreme loneliness” are up to 14 per cent more likely to die prematurely.

“Advocacy for clients still remains one of the most important services offered in day respite, the importance of social interaction, having someone to talk to and knowing someone is always on your side means the world to our clients,” Alma said.  

Find out more about RSL Care.