New Activities Bring a Buzz of Excitement to Baw Baw Views

The team at Baw Baw Views – our home in Moe, Victoria – recently transformed their social care calendar, adding several exciting, new activities and initiatives, and the response from residents has been well and truly outstanding!

From the launch of a popular ‘corner store’ where residents can take an active role selling snacks and lifestyle products, to a novel drumming group inviting residents en masse to ‘share the rhythm’, as well as weekly soup and bread-making in the home’s MSU, every new initiative has been a resounding smash-hit.  

Tess Brosnan, Social Care Assistant, says the success of the home’s reinvigorated social care calendar, as well as residents’ increased engagement, has been thanks to a massive team effort. 

“The new additions have come about from joining Respect and having more freedom to try and test out new ideas. Our new management have also played a huge role in bringing new ideas to the table and encouraging our team to think outside the box,” she says.  

“Resident and family feedback has also played a big role in what works and what maybe isn’t working. Having new activities means that the residents can help us decide how they should be run which also gives them a sense of purpose and pride in what we’re all doing together. 

“It’s good to see residents try something they’ve never done before and build new friendships. It’s also great to hear them get excited about an activity because it’s something they maybe haven’t been able to do in years. All in all, it’s just about having fun and providing them with the best possible weekly planner that changes and stays fun and fresh.” 

A recent highlight for our Baw Baw Views community was the official opening of its Corner Store – a much-anticipated event that was even promoted in the local paper. The store offers residents a chance to buy snacks (including a bag of chips for 20 cents!), drinks, activity books, perfume, and other lifestyle items. It also provides them with an opportunity to get involved and help staff run the shop, which many have embraced enthusiastically. 

The store initially came about thanks to the generosity of staff members, who donated money to get the initiative off the ground. And since then, such has been its growing popularity, the store is continuing to be supported through goodwill from the community. It even recently received an extremely generous $500 donation from community group A Little Bit of Good.