Melville Cares and a team of volunteer media students from Curtin University have been recognised in aged care peak body Ageing Australia’s You are ACE! Awards for their work creating video life stories of people attending the Melville Cares Friendship Club.
The six students – Hannah, Hannah, Jessie, Charlie, Piper and Shreen – volunteered more than 300 hours over a six week period, building a great rapport whilst interviewing 18 clients and editing the hours of footage into some really heart-warming videos. The life story project gave each participating Melville Cares client a personal memento they can share with their families and friends.
Although only required to make a five minute video as part of their coursework, they went above and beyond, creating a whole bank of videos – over 45 minutes of edited footage in total.
The clients had a wonderful time telling their stories and the end result was extremely high quality, great sound, editing and production.
The Melville Cares Friendship Club provides a centre for people to come together and socialise. Each day they offer a variety of activities which can include trivia, card games, bingo, mini golf, word games, art and craft, exercise groups and singalongs, along with a home cooked meal. The Friendship Club helps builds lasting friendships, addressing loneliness, offering regular social activities and connections.
Melville Cares’ CEO Maria Davison said: “Thank you for your work on the Life Story videos. They are very well presented and really capture the personalities and the life experiences of clients and team members alike. I can see clearly that each of you saw the spirit, strength and humour of the people you were interviewing. This is what we believe care is all about so congratulations, you each have become part of how we empower members and each other as team members.”
Melville Cares is a finalist in the ‘Team – Project’ category – You are ACE! Award winners will be announced on Aged Care Employee Day, August 7.
