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PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) February
Edited by Fraser McLellend
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER February 2018 1 | P a g e
MAY 2017
NEWSLETTER
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.)
May2017
Since the last newsletter there have been some significant changes in the composition of the PGNA Executive. Following the AGM on the 5h
November (thankyou to everyone who attended), Rod Pirotta was successfully elected as the President. Existing Life Member, John Nadjarian, becomes the Treasurer, Nan Fogarty was elected as the new Vice President and we are joined by Marianne Cummins and Julie Mclean as our Ordinary Members. Fraser and Victor were successfully returned as the Secretary and Membership Secretary respectively. That means that the Executive is now;
President: Roderick PirottaVice President: Nanette FogartySecretary: Fraser MclellandMembership Secretary: Victor BorgTreasurer: John NadjarianOrdinary Member: Julie McLeanOrdinary Member: Marianne Cummins.
The Executive would like to thank the outgoing Executive for their fantastic work. They leave the PGNA in a very robust condition.In particular Peter Brown, Regina MacDonald and Amelia Renu.
INTRODUCING OUR NEW PGNA PRESIDENT.
Roderick Pirotta was born and lived in Malta until the age of 24, when he left for Dublin, Ireland to do his nursing training. After he qualified as an RN, he continued to work in several Nursing Homes in Dublin for another few months. Between 1990 -1991, he worked in Worthing Hospital – near Brighton, South of England. Roderick migrated to Australia in late 1991, where he started working as an RN, in the one of the first Confused and Disturbed Elderly (CADE) Units opened in NSW at Lottie Stewart Hospital in Dundas, Sydney. He became the manager of the same Units in 1995 for another three years. He left Lottie Stewart Hospital in 1998 and joined the Hammond Care Group to commission a 40-bed dementia Unit as the Manager of “The Pines”. Within two years the Unit was running very successfully. But another opportunity came along – this time as Care Services Manager at St. Dominic’s Hostel in Blacktown – a 50 bed Maltese specific Low Care Aged Care Facility. He ran the hostel for another 3 and a half years. In 2003, he joined the Aged Care Psychiatry Community Team at Blacktown as Clinical Nurse Specialist and Acting Team Leader.
PGNA NEWS
February
2018
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) February
Following this, in April 2008, he took the position as a Clinical Nurse Consultant – Dementia Support within the Blue Mountains/Nepean ACAT.
Roderick has a Master Degree in Nursing and Post Graduate Diploma in Community Nursing. In 2017, he also finished his Master of Arts in Theology from the Sydney College of Divinity. He has certificates in “Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice” (Cert IV), “Psychiatry of Old Age” and “Leadership and Management”. His professional achievements include presenting several nursing papers in conferences, writing clinical articles on Dementia, and obtaining the “Outstanding Performance Award” for excellence in clients’ and family outcomes by SWAHS – Primary Care and Community Health Services Network and the Hammond Care Chairman’s Award Certificate of Special Commendation. His main interests are in Education, Spirituality in Old Age and dealing with Behavioural Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD).
Roderick is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association. He has been a member of the PGNA since its conception in 1995 and held the Treasurers position for the last 10 years before he was elected as the current President of the PGNA Australia (Inc), in the last AGM 2017.
His plans for his tenure are to consolidate the strategic plan of the PGNA 2017-2020. This includes strategies to promote the profile of the PGNA, broaden its membership to include aged care workers and for the Association to continue advocating for Older People who suffer from any cognitive impairment or Mental Health illness.
New CaptionFollowing much discussion (for what seems like the last 10 years!) and the Survey of Members in 2017, it was
decided at the recent AGM to keep the name PGNA. The argument was that the name has historical significance,
current cache and was easy to say and remember.
To address the concerns about the rather outdated term “Psycho-Geriatric” it was agreed, instead, to have a
statement attached to the Logo, succinctly describing who we are.
It is a pleasure to announce the new caption:
The Association for Nurses Working in Older People’s
Mental Health, Aged and Dementia Care
www.pgna.org.au P.O. BOX 3038 St Marys South
NSW 2760
It is envisaged that we will use this on letterheads etc. from now on and the Website and official documents will
be changed accordingly.
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Australasian Delirium Association
DECLARED 2018 – Delirium Clinical and Research Days
4th Biennial Conference
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) February
Fall Prevention program for older AustraliansCatholic Healthcare
Walking with Confidence – 8 week program for over 65s
14 February, 10am (every Wednesday for 8 weeks)
Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Harris Park
catholichealthcare.com.au/walkwithconfidence
Caring for Cognitive ImpairmentWebinar No.7
Safer use of medicines for cognitive impairment
Tuesday 20 February 2018 2.30pm -3.30pm
Presenter: Ms Mary Etty-Leal, Deputy Director of Pharmacy (Royal Park Campus), Royal Melbourne Hospital
Presenter: Dr Ann Rudden, Associate Professor, Staff Specialist in General Medicine and Geriatrics, Gold Coast University Hospital
Presenter: Ms Anne Moehead, Nurse Practitioner Psychogeriatrics / Dementia, Nursing & Midwifery Directorate, Northern NSW Local Health District
Presenter: Ms Anne Cumming, Principal advisor, Cognitive Impairment, Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care
Any questions, please email
NOTICEBOARDCongratulations to PGNA Member Posean Slatery who has been successful in her application for a $500 PGNA Scholarship. Roseane is using the Scholarship to pursue education in the “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Model”.
Once again; well done Rosie.
If you are interested in applying for a scholarship please check out the website for details.
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11th International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias http://www.dcconferences.com.au/icftd2018
Australasian Delirium Association
DECLARED 2018 – Delirium Clinical and Research Days
4th Biennial Conference
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) February
In the News!
Squalor and Hoarding Resource
At Catholic Healthcare have developed a resource unit for people affected by hoarding and/or squalor. This resource is aimed at providing information around NSW for anyone in the community who would like access to not only information about hoarding but who can assist? Where to start? How do I talk about it with the person affected?
The resource unit includes:
Website- www.hsru.com.au I would recommend checking out our E-learning module- http://www.hsru.com.au/resources/e-learning-module/
Email- [email protected]
Helpline- 1300 345 852
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Drink and drugs, time bomb for baby boomersIn both the UK and Australia, risky drinking is declining, except among people aged 50 years and older, new research has found. Researchers at Flinders University and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in England, published their findings in the BMJ, inAugust this year. Read more here.
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The night this Queensland man almost took his own lifeLes Johnson says people thought he was a grumpy old bugger with mood swings, but really he was feeling isolated and at one point hours away from taking his own life. Read more here.
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Dementia and the impact of Stigma September is Dementia Awareness Month and this year’s theme, You Are Not Alone, is aimed at encouraging people living with dementia and their carers to reach out to their communities for support. Read more here.
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PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER February 2018 4 | P a g e
PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSE’S ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (Inc.) February
Photos from the Successful PGNA Symposium held in Orange in November 2017
Participants enjoying the great view from the venue.
Geoff Smith (who gave the “acknowledgement of Lived Experience” presentation) with Symposium MC, Fraser Mclelland. Below, Michael Newman, gave the Welcome to Country in Widrajuri Language.
Some participants enjoying networking over lunch.
Participants enjoying the talk on Mood Disorders Clinic.
Below, some of the Orange organising committee; Freya Wilson, Mel Lane and Sophia Thibaudeau.
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