Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, congratulations on your elevation to the presidency of this great chamber. I wish this evening to speak about the Davis Street Kindergarten program at the Uniting AgeWell Carnsworth Community aged-care home in Kew in Victoria. I want to state from the outset how impressed and moved I was by this program, and I commend Uniting AgeWell Carnsworth Community and the Davis Street Kindergarten, their dedicated staff, teachers and volunteers who make this wonderful program possible. I would especially like to thank Amanda Wallace, Ruth Wallbridge and Melinda Gregory for their dedication to this program. You really are changing people's lives.

The kindergarten program has been held one morning a week at the Uniting AgeWell Carnsworth Community aged-care home during school terms since 1 June 2016 and it has been an enormous success. Each week, an average of 28 children and up to 20 residents participate. The children are dropped off by their parents in the morning and then transported back to the kindergarten by bus, supervised by two teachers and a volunteer. The room is arranged and organised by the teachers with multiple stations and activities for both the children and the residents. A lot of research has been done on the benefits for older people when mixing and interacting with young children. I've seen this program implemented in the United States. To be able to see that here in Australia firsthand was a great privilege. Through this program, very special relationships are formed in an unhurried and relaxed environment. They read books, tell stories, paint, do puzzles together and, very importantly, listen to each other without any judgement. Listening to the chatter of young giggling girls talking about a birthday party with one of the residents was so natural—for them to be able to explain to the senior person that she really didn't fit the age criteria for this particular birthday party because she was a grown-up.

It was extraordinary to hear some of the great stories that have come out of this program. One particular gentleman was diagnosed with dementia and wasn't able to write his name or communicate for some five years. Through this program, he was able to write his name. Although this particular gentleman can no longer verbalise his feelings and talk to the children, his eyes follow them around the room. That, to me, is such a blessing for this particular gentleman. The comments that were recorded in the memory book that was created for this program by his lovely wife were so touching. This program is beneficial to both the residents and the children. It's been particularly beneficial for the children who have various challenges—children who, perhaps, aren't as engaged normally. The teachers explained to me how these particular young children have grown in their confidence and the way they interact with each other. It gives these children extra attention and helps them to develop greater empathy and self-esteem. Ruth and her team keep a diary to document the benefits to both parties. Alongside photographs of the children and residents playing and learning together, four-year-old Ella wrote that she has 'another grandma and her name is Thea'. I have to tell you about Thea. Thea is 106 years of age, and to see her talking and interacting with the children and with me that day was such a delight. I have to say, though, that by the time we were leaving she did tell me that she was 108. One of the staff said, 'Oh, she gets confused,' and I said, 'Well, at 106, I think she deserves to be whatever age she wants to be.'

I thought this was so special, because so many children don't have grandparents and, as we know, so many residents in aged-care homes around this country don't have visitors. It was really warming to see these beautiful and meaningful relationships and the interaction between the generations. But I'd also like to commend the teachers who are undertaking a study so that they can document the benefits for the children, because, as I said earlier, we know that there's already data that verifies the success and the benefits for older, senior members of the community when they can interact with a kindergarten or a school.

I would also like to acknowledge that the HESTA Aged Care Awards are on again this year, and this program has been nominated for a national award. But, as far as I'm concerned, whether they win or not is irrelevant, because they are already winners. This is a win-win situation for the kindergarten, for the students, for the residential home and, particularly, for those older Australians, so congratulations to all of those involved.

Last week I also had the privilege of visiting the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne. In September this year the singer and actress Olivia Newton-John visited Canberra. We really know her more fondly as one of the favourite daughters of this country. She came to Canberra to meet Australia's political leaders and discuss how to support the country's medical researchers to continue making discoveries for people living with cancer. While I was speaking to Olivia, she encouraged me to visit the centre, and I'm so happy that I did, because what I saw firsthand—the dedication of the nursing and medical care staff, the world-leading cancer researchers and the research that is actually taking place in this centre—is leading the way in this country. It lived up to all expectations.

Firstly, I met with Cherie Cheshire, the director of cancer services, and Penelope Sanderson, the divisional manager integrated cancer services, who showed me around the cancer wellness centre. Olivia was very definite when she spoke about the benefits of the centre and that you need to treat the entire person. This is a holistic approach, and the centre reflected that with great empathy, support and encouragement. You can see that there are traces of Olivia throughout the wellness centre and that she has been hands-on in designing, along with the architects, the sort of centre that she wanted, even down to the point that there were a couple of tables that had been built from timber off her own property.

The research that's going on in the laboratories there is just magnificent. The way the whole centre is set out is that up on the top two floors you have a ward of people that are being treated for their cancer and you have the researchers. There's such interaction there between the clinical caring and researchers and the patients themselves. The benefits that are coming out of having patients so close to the researchers is testament to the sort of success that they've had in their research. I wanted to particularly thank Associate Professor Andrew Weickhardt, Dr Doug Fairlie and Dr Erinna Lee for the time that they spent showing me through the laboratories, which allowed me to have a greater understanding of the research that they're undertaking there. I want to encourage other senators and people who are listening here tonight. We have some magnificent research happening in this country.

We all know those who have been touched—and we've all been touched and our families have been touched—by cancer. We know the important work that has been undertaken at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and we know that its integration with the Olivia Newton-John centre will lead to better outcomes for those who have been diagnosed with cancer.

I can't stress enough the importance of us continuing to fund the research. It was fantastic, when she was up here, that Mr Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Labor Party, committed $20 million to go to that research, if we are successful at the next federal election. When you're in a place where there are so many challenges for people's health, we need to invest and do more as far as research is concerned. (Time expired)