For some they are primary carers.  A primary carer is the person who takes most of the responsibility for providing care for the person requiring support. This involves being ‘oncall’ 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days a year and most primary carers never EVER get a day off. Carers may assist with the tasks of daily living: feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting, or administering medications.

There are 856,000 primary carers in Australia and many of them never get a break.

A national survey of carers health and wellbeing revealed: Carers have the lowest levels of wellbeing of any Australian group. Over half reported some level of depression, with one third found to be severely or extremely depressed. More than one third of carers are experiencing severe or extreme stress. Caring does not get easier with time. Caring compounds the effect of any other factor that leads to reduced wellbeing.

With this in mind, Lifebridge Australia are holding a Caring for Carers Information Session and Morning tea where participants can listen to discussions about being a carer and what they may experience.

The session will be held on Thursday 27th April, 2023 at the Kingscliff Cottage, Cudgen Road, Kingscliff from 10am to 11am.  The guest speaker is Lifebridge Customer Care Manager, Stefany Stockwin-Wunsch.

If you would like to attend, please call 1800 043 186 to register your attendance by Monday 24th April 2023.

This information session will also be held virtually via ZOOM for those who cannot attend.  If you would like to participate online, please email Colleen Lonnie, Program Development Officer – Colleen.Lonnie@lifebridge.org.au and she can email you the Zoom meeting link.

The post Caring for Carers Information Session and Morning Tea appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

On Friday, 15 July 2022,  the Friday Sports Group joined the Friday Fun Group in creating merriment in the Cottage where both groups celebrated Christmas in July. A festive Christmas tree, sparkling garlands, and colourful bauble ornaments added a cheery seasonal backdrop.

The 17 participants from both groups enjoyed socializing. as they sampled a range of morning tea biscuits and slices while sipping cups of hot drinks.

Maestro John entertained with a round of ‘Jingle Bells’ accompanying his own singing on piano, just before the start of the Cottage ‘Christmas in July Mini-Golf Classic’. All who teed off showed commendable point scoring and flair.  Team rivalry between the Friday Fun and Friday Sports Groups was soon overridden by general comradery as noted by the numerous eruptions of cheers and applause from all players, when points were scored by members of either team.

Taking turns on the putting ‘green’ worked up appetites for the roast pork lunch served with crackling, apple sauce, roasted sweet and white potatoes, caramelised onion, peas and gravy. The clean plates were a testament to volunteer Trevor’s talents in the kitchen! Main course was followed by sweets of apple crumble with cream.  Delicious edible take home treats of beautifully wrapped Christmas shortbread baked by Amy were provided as delicious edible souvenirs of the event.

Maestro John continued his passion for live music as he led the group in a round of The Seeker’s ‘Morningtown Ride’ before the Friday Sports Group gathered on the patio with Support Workers Sophie and Maryann to play Uno while group participant Rae and Support Worker Gina engaged the Friday Fun Group in an Elvis Music fest and singalong.

At one point, foot tapping wasn’t enough for me and I was compelled to jive and twirl around group participant Ron as I took his hand. He responded with gleeful laughter that I could have mistaken for Santa’s ‘Ho, Ho, Ho!’

Lael – Community Support Worker

The post A Cosy Cottage Christmas in July appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

Due to public demand ‘Mystery Road Trip 2 hit the road on Saturday, 4th December 2021.  The ‘Mystery Road Trips’ will continue right throughout 2022!

Staff Member Warren Hanley provided the following account of Mystery Road Trip 2.

We woke to a beautiful sunny day creating a positive vibe for our second exciting integrated group mystery tour day out.

After successfully picking up all participants we enjoyed the picturesque journey through the hinterland to our first mystery destination – the Crystal Creek Cafe where the staff were very helpful and accommodating. There is an order at the counter process which was all part of the fun for the group coming up and, with a little support, ordering their own choice of drinks and snacks.

For our enjoyment, carafes of beautiful crystal creek water were supplied to our table, it was so nice to have water straight from the source. From our relaxed position perched straight above the creek, everyone thoroughly enjoyed conversations and laughter. The lovely Sophie and Jannah took some happy snaps.
We all worked off our morning tea by with a little bit of exercise by taking one of the short walks along the creek to the amenities down the back of the cafe and spotted turtles and a friendly water dragon lizard sunning himself on the rock.

Before departure our trivia games were introduced, which once again were a hit with participants busy searching out their targets. We ventured on another majestic drive through the mountains and rain forest out the back of Murwillumbah through the village of Uki to our second destination, the gorgeous Crams Farm Reserve where many a positive comment was expressed with the rolling hills, waterway and Mount Warning backdrop.

With assistance from group members we donned the tables with their covers and prepared our delicious barbecue lunch which consisted of a generous range of salads and meats. Everyone delighted in their lunch before finishing off with some Tiramisu Ice cream slices for desert.  We created some really fun group photos with Jannah suggesting a great spot with the glory of Mount Warning as a backdrop.

After loading up the buses for departure it was unanimous a drive by the lake viewing area at the bottom of the property was a good idea so off we went on our return journey via the lake through the rain forests and creeks, valleys and ranges safely returning all our wonderful guests to their homes.  Our guests showed their elation for a great day out with all looking forward to next time, our third Integrated social group mystery day out. Bring on the fun times!

Big thanks to the team for a well planned, thoroughly enjoyable, safe day of mystery and trivia.

For more Information on the new Integrated Services activities, feel free to call Janelle Egas or Andrew Weir on 1800 043 186.

The post Group Integration Mystery Road Trip appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

Growing up, Dot (as she is known to friends and family) was an avid dancer and as a teen, she could be seen gliding the dance floor at venues such as the Sydney Trocadero, a large art deco dance and concert hall that operated between 1936 and 1971 and once regarded as the most glamorous dance palace in Sydney.

Dot still loves to move to music and is a particularly valued visitor to the Kingscliff Cottage as she often encourages others to join in the dance, showing off her New Vogue and Jazz Waltz steps.

Before marrying, Dot proudly worked on the packing floor at WD & HO Wills Holdings, an Australian tobacco manufacturer, during WWII and fondly remembers writing notes of support and placing them in the cigarette tins for the soldiers to find.

Twenty-seven years ago, Dot and her husband Eric moved from Sydney to Cudgen to be closer to their two children, Alex, and Carolyn.

Dot avidly played bowls at the Cudgen Leagues Club and at 100 years of age, still has a steady hand and keen eye when participating in a range of activities at the Kingscliff Cottage, such as bocci, 10 pin bowling and mini-golf and can be seen guiding others in these games.

The post Dot Celebrates a Century appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

From the soothing sounds of rippling water to the calming nature of fish swimming in and out of the reeds, the fish pond will bring a quiet moment of contemplation for all to enjoy. Ponds invite native biodiversity to create a beautiful little ecosystem and attract wildlife like birds, bees, dragonflies and frogs which may make our pond their home. Butterflies and birds pollinate the garden and control pest populations as well.

A huge thank you goes to Bunnings Tweed Heads who, as part of their Hands-on support program, donated the pond and all the necessary pumps etc to Lifebridge.

This donation was made possible by Jack Blades, who thought of the idea in the first place and submitted our application to Bunnings. A huge thank you for your help Jack.

A huge thank you also goes to Ben Simpson and Damien O’Neill who provided the manpower to get the pond into place in the garden. It is not quite finished yet as there are still some additions to add but when it is finished it will be a beautiful addition to our Cottage Garden.

With a little help from our friends we can achieve wonderful things that will provide joy to our staff, customers and volunteers and that is something worth celebrating so great job everyone!

The post Something fishy is going on appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

Through the CommBank Local Community Donation Program, the Commonwealth Bank are committed to supporting organisations who make a difference.  During May and June 2019, CommBank donated $500,000 to organisations and local communities across Australia. Every CommBank branch and customer-facing team was given $500.00 to donate to an organisation of their choice and Lifebridge Australia was the recipient of the $500.00 donation from the Coolangatta branch.

“This donation will be used to purchase a reclining lift chair for our Cottage Day Centre at Kingscliff which will enable Aged Care and Disability customers the opportunity to relax in comfort when needing a rest from activities.” said Beverly.

Amber Yabsley, Customer Services Specialist from the Coolangatta branch of the Commonwealth Bank presented Beverly with the $500.00 cheque at our Coolangatta Hub in December 2019.

The post CommBank Local Community Donation appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

“We have been disgusted at what rubbish we have been picking up in our local area. Plastic straws, plastic cups, takeaway containers and other pollutants that most people don’t know end up in our waterways and kill our local wildlife”

The group felt so strongly about this growing problem in our community that they decided to take action.  With their newfound skills in photography, photography editing, videoing and video editing the film “Litterally Impacted” was born.  Under the direction of Lifebridge support staff member Julie Lowe (who is a very talented photographer and videographer),  the Multi Media and Photography Group have been going from strength to strength.  When the Multi Media and Photography Group first commenced several years ago at Lifebridge, many of the participants didn’t even know how to use a camera, let alone produce, direct and star in their very own film so this is a major achievement for everyone involved.

The group held an advanced screening of “Litterally Impacted” at our Kingscliff Cottage on Wednesday 3rd July, 2019 and everyone who attended was very impressed indeed with the quality of the film and the message that it conveyed.

“I literally got goosebumps when I first saw the film as I was so proud of what the Multi Media and Photography Group had achieved and I was so impressed with how beautifully this important message was conveyed throughout the film.  So much so, that I too have been cleaning up my local roadside areas – the film had litterally impacted me to do something positive about the litter problem in my local area”.  Denyelle Drury (Communications and IT Officer for Lifebridge)

The film is now available to view on our YouTube Channel – check it out and see for yourself what an amazing job they have done.

If you would like to be a part of our Lifebridge Multi Media and Photography Group, please contact us on 1800 043 186 or email us at admin@lifebridge.org.au

The post Litterally Impacted appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

What are the benefits to me, you might ask?

Firstly, it is good for your brain. Did you know that any type of art and craft activity helps to clear your mind and allows you to focus on the present moment? When we are being creative, our minds release feel-good chemicals, which are natural anti-depressants.

Secondly, it improves your self-esteem. The art of making something yourself, using your hands and your imagination is incredibly satisfying and the more you practice, the more confident you become.

Thirdly, creativity is fun. Whether you are painting, knitting, sewing, making dolls, cross stitching, wood working, restoring furniture, upcycling, recycling, making jewellery, it is all about having fun and enjoying the creative process with like-minded people.  Building relationships and connecting with others is known to boost positive emotions.

Lifebridge have a diverse range of art and craft programs available:

• Creative Craft – Decoupage, cross stitching, doll making, water colours, folk art and more.
• Tinker Shed – wood working, restoring furniture, upcyling and recycling, paid restoration work.
• Visual Arts – painting, sculpture, mixed media and more.
• Textiles – wood working, bike repairing, tie dying and more.

To find out how you can join one of our art and craft programs, please give us a call on 1800 043 186 or email us at admin@lifebridge.org.au

The post Art and Craft benefits for Young Adults appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

David and Jenny are well known to and have dealings with Murwillumbah’s Ray White Office and in the spirit of generosity, purchased Jocelyn’s painting with the intention it be presented to the Ray White Office.

Jocelyn has, with great pride, presented her art piece ‘Dare to Sting’ to the Ray White staff who were suitable impressed and thrilled with their acquisition.  The empty walls of the Ray White conference room are now adorned with a unique piece of art for all to appreciate.

It is worthy to note that the Murwillumbah Art Hub was previously the Ray White Offices, now unrecognisable as it once was, alive with colour, life, unique art and recycled installations.

The post Jocelyn – an artist success story appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.

Over the space of four days, the Murwillumbah Art Hub had over 800 visitors through the doors and they sold over $1,800 worth of art works! The ‘Uninhibited’ exhibition was so popular that they had to extend the opening hours over the weekend in order to keep up with demand!

As always, the public totally embraced our artists’ work with many return customers from last years event. The Art Hub’s reputation for unique and joyous art had obviously spread throughout the community and the MAT19 event as the number of visitors to the gallery was up on last year…even though the event was held over fewer days. Every single one of the delighted visitors to the gallery was blown away by our artists. Many of them commenting that they thought the ‘Uninhibited’ exhibition was the best of MAT19 and that they’d heard people talking about us in other galleries and spreading the word around the event as a must see exhibition.

An internationally recognised artist was enthralled enough to buy one of our artworks and three of our artists received commissions.

As you can imagine, both artists and art staff worked tirelessly in front of house and behind the scenes towards this fabulous event. By the end of the weekend they were absolutely thrilled, suitably exhausted and proud as punch of our artists.

The popularity of our exhibition has continued since the event as word of mouth spreads. People have continued to pop into the gallery on a regular basis and this has resulted in yet more sales, which provides invaluable and priceless PR for our Visual Arts Program that is accompanied by every satisfied customer.

Visitor Quotes from MAT19:

“I’m blown away, everyone should know about this place”

“I look at a lot of art and often just think ’hmmm’ but I look at this stuff and it’s awesome… I can’t believe how talented they all are!”

“It’s just…ummm..it’s just magical, and it’s very real”

“This is so cool, the best exhibition in the entire event”

“Wow! You seriously just rocked my world”

“I walk past your window everyday and the place just makes me happy”

“This is my absolute favourite exhibition of the whole day. You must be so proud of your artists”

“Your exhibition is very heartfelt and authentic”

“This is absolutely amazing, I’d love to do a class like this”

The post MAT19 – a raging success appeared first on Lifebridge Australia.