S1: From Vision Australia this is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host, Sam Coley.
S2: Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: You know, when you think about if I, as a
S3: fully sighted person, I'm sitting in a room full of
S3: people in an aged care home. I'm listening to conversation.
S3: I can see people, and I can smile at them
S3: and connect with them, even at least visually. That does
S3: give me some opportunity to create friendships. But if you're
S3: sitting in the same room, you're living with vision loss.
S3: You're not able to connect with people that way. That
S3: increases your chances of isolation.
S2: Welcome to the program. This week we chat with Asis Tawfik,
S2: the CEO of aging with Grace and coordinator of the
S2: Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme in south eastern Australia. You'll
S2: hear from ASIS about her organisation plus the scheme in
S2: just a second. But after you hear from ASIS, I
S2: catch up with Verity Hunt-ballard, the creative producer from the
S2: Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here to chat to
S2: me all about Story Sauce, a new story platform which
S2: is audio based for kids around Australia, to inspire them
S2: to create stories of their own and learn new things
S2: along the way. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode
S2: of Talking Vision. Aces. Tawfik is the CEO of aging
S2: with Grace. In addition to being the state network member
S2: for the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme across the Act,
S2: New South Wales and Victoria. She's here to talk about
S2: the scheme today, as well as aging with grace itself.
S2: So without further ado, it's my great pleasure to welcome
S2: ASIS now. ASIS, welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you very
S2: much for your time.
S3: Thank you Sam, lovely to be here.
S2: Before we get into the Aged Care Volunteer visitors Visitors scheme,
S2: I'd love to hear a little bit more about the
S2: organization aging with Grace.
S3: Thank you. So I started aging with Grace back in
S3: August 2022, and it was in direct response to what
S3: I could see. I've been in the sector for about
S3: 30 years and the in the volunteer community disability aged
S3: care sector. So all combined all different sectors. But basically
S3: I guess in the community services sector, and I could
S3: see that we had a gap in some of the
S3: support services that we have for older people, very much
S3: inspired by my mother, who was a very big, had
S3: a really high sense of social responsibility and has always
S3: been involved in charity personally and also through volunteering. You know,
S3: I'd come home sometimes and I'd say, mum, where's whatever,
S3: something I'd purchased and she would have given it away
S3: because she said, I just found someone needed it more
S3: than you did. So she'd give it away. And she
S3: instilled a very high sense of charity and that's, you know,
S3: financial so very much about giving money away often and
S3: also very big on the purpose of why we're on earth.
S3: So that has stayed and was very much ingrained in me,
S3: and hopefully I've passed that on to my children. So
S3: I loved working for different charities and worked for Vision
S3: Australia for 11 years and absolutely loved it. And Vision
S3: Australia has always stayed very dear to my heart. And
S3: then I worked for miss and then part of my
S3: job at miss, which is multiple sclerosis, was also supporting
S3: a service for older people and then went off and
S3: worked for other charities and then finally followed a dream,
S3: which was to start my own small charity. And the
S3: benefit of a small charity is the dollars are very
S3: much able to be focused on the the service delivery.
S3: Not that bigger charities don't do that, but it's much
S3: harder for them. And aging with Grace was born and
S3: I got the name. I came up with the name
S3: because as people age and watching people age, I thought
S3: it's really important for us to allow them the opportunity
S3: to age with grace. And to do that, we need
S3: to be thoughtful and mindful and still see them. I
S3: feel sometimes without meaning to. It's like we turn the
S3: mute button on a remote. We can see them, but
S3: we don't hear them. And aging with grace is just
S3: allowing them that respect and dignity to age the way
S3: they want to and live their best lives. And that
S3: was important to me.
S2: And that's where the Aged care volunteer visitor scheme comes in.
S2: And it's been around for quite a while in various iterations,
S2: but there have been a few changes recently with the
S2: name and a little bit of the structure. I'd love
S2: to hear a bit about the scheme itself.
S3: Oh fantastic. So it commenced in 92, you know, 93,
S3: formally known as the Community Visitor Scheme, funded by the
S3: Australian government. Very, very simple concept that through friendship, through
S3: matching a volunteer visitor with an older person, we can
S3: help alleviate loneliness and isolation. Human beings generally are not
S3: meant to be on their own. We like company. We
S3: like to engage with people. We like to make a social,
S3: an emotional and spiritual, I guess, connection with others. And
S3: as we age, just through life, things happen and we
S3: can find ourselves through no fault of our own. More
S3: isolated people pass away. Children, yes, grow up and have
S3: their own families and still love us, but they're busy
S3: raising those families. And when we think of an older
S3: person who may be in their 80s and 70s, their
S3: children are in their 50s, potentially. It's not that they're
S3: teenagers and they're busy helping their own children and living
S3: life and working full time and all sorts of things.
S3: So this terrific service has been around for a very
S3: long time. As I mentioned, funded by the Australian government,
S3: it's national, it's free. It's not cost free cost, a
S3: fair bit of money, but it's from taxpayer dollars. But
S3: it's a free service to access and it's very simple.
S3: We're friendship makers. Basically. We match volunteers to older people
S3: for friendship.
S2: Could you tell us a bit about the Aged Care
S2: volunteer visitor scheme, in particular regarding blindness and low vision,
S2: and how that can foster that connection and that friendship
S2: between people?
S3: Absolutely. I think that when you're living with any sort
S3: of diverse need or additional need like vision loss, hearing loss,
S3: if you're from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, if
S3: you're from the LGBTQ plus community. So anything that adds
S3: another layer, I guess, of either complexity or challenge, it
S3: can increase your chance of isolation even more. You know,
S3: when you think about if I, as a fully sighted person,
S3: I'm sitting in a room full of people in an
S3: aged care home. I'm listening to conversation. I can see people,
S3: and I can smile at them and and connect with them,
S3: even at least visually. That does give me some opportunity
S3: to create friendships. But if you're sitting in the same room,
S3: you're living with vision loss. You're not able to connect
S3: with people that way. That increases your chances of isolation.
S3: You're not able to read what's on the notice board.
S3: You're not even able to read what's being offered for
S3: the food for the day. The things that many of
S3: us sighted people can take for granted. Because I worked
S3: in this sector for quite a while and with other disabilities,
S3: I have a profound level of interest and desire to
S3: make a difference for people and to help them find
S3: and experience the joy, or find more joy and to
S3: live their absolute best lives. So if we can connect
S3: them to a friend who will take them out for
S3: a cuppa in a cafe, that some of the things
S3: that at my age, I still take for granted, that
S3: I can just do that on my own. To feel
S3: fresh air on my face and to sit and smell
S3: the ocean while I enjoy some fish and chips, or
S3: just an ice cream, or all the things that people go,
S3: oh yeah, I can go off and do that. That's
S3: what our visitors can do. And frankly, even if it's
S3: just sitting and going to visit and having a cuppa
S3: together and a bit of a laugh and listening to
S3: some music or even watching a TV show together, you
S3: can sit together, watching a show together and just the
S3: companionship of that, or talking about the characters or what
S3: happened on the show is so important and just gives
S3: you that sense of companionship. I think having friends is underrated,
S3: the value and the emotional and mental benefits it has,
S3: and it has proven to also improve physical wellbeing. Just
S3: looking forward to somebody coming to see you, getting up,
S3: brushing your teeth, getting ready, getting dressed. All of that
S3: is physicality that is important to keep using, and I
S3: just think it's a vital importance for people experiencing vision loss.
S3: For people that have, their eyesight is deteriorated through macular
S3: degeneration or glaucoma. I think that's even of more value
S3: because they it's something that they're experiencing and a grief
S3: they're also facing, and we can help them through the
S3: friendships that people have with them.
S2: Yes. You've also been involved, as you've mentioned earlier in
S2: the interview, in other ways, that you've kept the community
S2: connected with your work at Vision Australia Radio in Warragul
S2: and the vital service they provided at the time to
S2: the print disabled community in that region. So what was
S2: it like to be involved there with that and the
S2: positive response that it received at the time and kept
S2: people connected in that way?
S3: I felt so guilty earning a wage in that job
S3: because I just loved that job so much. I would
S3: literally jump out of bed every morning and go to work.
S3: I was involved right at the beginning, not at the
S3: inception of it, but very close to it. I worked
S3: with some terrific volunteers in Warragul, which is in Gippsland
S3: in Victoria. I started a second program. We had one
S3: hour on air and we, you know, then relayed Kooyong,
S3: and then I started another hour in the afternoon and
S3: we read another newspaper, and then I started an interview program.
S3: So we would hear from great people in the community
S3: who would be interviewed on Vision Australia radio. And it
S3: was just magnificent. I think it was such a great
S3: community service that we provided and I hope provided even
S3: power or, you know, or close to as much as
S3: possible for people who, for whatever reason, couldn't get to
S3: the print media themselves independently. It gave them that sense
S3: of involvement in the community, and we can't estimate the
S3: importance of that ever.
S2: That's very true. And if people would like to know
S2: a little bit more about the Acfas, what's the best
S2: way for them to do that? Where could they head to?
S3: Actually just contacting me. So if they contact me, they
S3: can call me or they can email me on info at.
S3: Aging with Grace and aging has an E in it.
S3: Org a u and my phone number is a mobile
S3: number 0491 272 417. So 0491 272 417. If they don't remember that, if
S3: they get someone to find for them the aged care
S3: volunteer visitor scheme, they'll find me because I'm listed on
S3: the Department of Health and Aged Care website, and we're
S3: actually currently we have funded placements available. They're free, as
S3: I mentioned. So we provide the service to anyone living
S3: in an aged care home or living in the community,
S3: receiving a home care package or approved and wait listed
S3: for one. So that's wonderful. So if they're approved and
S3: wait listed for a home care package or for a
S3: spot in an aged care home and they're still waiting.
S3: They are still eligible for this service and it is
S3: totally free. It's in addition to their packages, doesn't touch
S3: their packages, it doesn't touch their aged care funding, and
S3: we will find a volunteer suited to them living close
S3: by who will visit them on a weekly or fortnightly
S3: basis minimum. And they will have a friend for life.
S3: And it can be in any language they prefer, any
S3: sort of background. So we base it on the older
S3: person's preferences. If they want a male or a female
S3: or someone that's Greek or Italian or someone that was
S3: raised in the country, we will look for the right volunteer.
S3: And when I say we, I'm not talking about only
S3: aging with grace. I'm talking about the 40 or so
S3: organizations in Victoria, the same sort of numbers in New
S3: South Wales and across the country. This service is available.
S3: So if you're listening to this and you're in Western Australia,
S3: I'll connect you to my colleague in the West, in
S3: Western Australia, and we will. We are determined to get
S3: the service to you. We will keep looking until we
S3: find the right volunteer, because our volunteers, of course, need
S3: to go through a process. We don't just put anybody
S3: with an older person. They go through a national police
S3: check and a reference check and smidge of training just
S3: to make sure we've got good guidance for them. And
S3: we generally attend the first match visit as an introduction
S3: and then keep up with them and just see how
S3: the matches are going. We really want to provide this
S3: to as many older people as we can, and to
S3: make a difference and add that joy and spark back
S3: in their lives if we can.
S2: Well, I've been speaking today with Asis Tawfik, CEO of
S2: aging with Grace, who's here to talk to me all
S2: about the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme and the vital
S2: impact it can have on so many older Australians. SS
S2: thank you so much for your time today. It was
S2: a pleasure to catch up with you and hear all
S2: about the scheme.
S3: I'm really grateful to you, Sam, for giving me this time.
S3: Thank you.
S2: I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on
S2: Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of Reading Radio and the
S2: Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there
S2: with Asis Taufik from aging with Grace. If you missed
S2: any part of that interview with ASIS or you'd love
S2: to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the
S2: Vision Australia Radio website at VA radio.org. That's VA radio
S2: all one word.org. Or you can find the program on
S2: the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision
S2: Australia library. And now continuing on with the show, our
S2: next guest this week on Talking Vision is the creative
S2: producer from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here
S2: to tell me all about Story Source, an audio based
S2: story platform aimed at kids from 7 to 10 to
S2: inspire them to tell their own stories. Her name is
S2: Verity Hunt-ballard and she joins me now. Verity, welcome to
S2: Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.
S4: Thank you so much for having me, Sam.
S2: Could you tell us a little bit about the work
S2: of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation and why a
S2: service is so valuable to the community?
S4: I can the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, or ANF,
S4: is a national charity assisting people in our most marginalised
S4: communities to gain vital language, literacy and communication skills. Our
S4: programs address the needs of a diverse range of individuals
S4: and communities, specifically targeting First Nations refugees and other vulnerable Australians.
S4: We believe that all Australians have the right to literacy,
S4: because being able to read and write is the key
S4: to accessing education and employment, and to participating fully in society.
S2: What services do you offer that specifically support the needs
S2: of the blind and low vision community? I know that's
S2: a journey that Ironfx is just starting off on, but
S2: what sort of ambitions do you have in that space?
S4: Well, we're incredibly excited, really, to be working with Amazon
S4: and Vision Australia. This is our first step in specifically
S4: supporting the needs of the blind and low vision community.
S4: So yeah, we're very excited to be able to partner
S4: with such a trusted organisation so that we can expand
S4: our support in this way. But I guess our charity
S4: is for children generally, so our programs are very much individualised,
S4: but also to support communities. And so that ranges from self-expression.
S4: And in the many, many ways that children express themselves
S4: through art, music, literacy, the ways that our programs are expanding,
S4: and also through partnering with people like yourselves so that
S4: we can keep progressing and keep learning and giving meaningful
S4: support that is needed.
S2: And speaking of collaborations, Verity, what's it been like collaborating
S2: with Amazon over recent times with the Alexa technology that's
S2: contributed to the Story Source project?
S4: Our partnership with Amazon really is an incredible one. This
S4: is one of the many collaborations that we have done
S4: with Amazon over the last little while, I think because
S4: Olaf and story source for Alexa is such a fun
S4: and engaging way for kids that are age 7 to
S4: 10 to practice their comprehension skills, boost their vocabulary, and
S4: sharpen their focus. It's very rewarding for the team to
S4: be working on such a skill like this. Amazon's certainly
S4: supported us with the technical aspect of it, and we
S4: could probably at Olaf, bring the educational expertise from our
S4: team as well as the creative nous. Yeah, Amazon really
S4: has been incredible and we couldn't have done it without
S4: their support and their vision. And yeah, it's a it's
S4: a partnership. We're incredibly proud of Verity.
S2: On that point that you do mention there about your
S2: services for children. We've been hearing a bit about story
S2: source and how popular that's been. So how did that
S2: come about and why is that such an important project
S2: that ENF is so proud of?
S4: Well, we are incredibly proud of it. Collectively, Olaf and Amazon,
S4: we were very determined to create a piece of audio
S4: or an audio experience that was unique and meaningful and
S4: also Australian for the audio landscape for primary school aged kids,
S4: because in Australia we do listen to an incredible amount
S4: of American content that's available in the digital space, and
S4: we wanted to produce high quality audio stories that would
S4: allow children to enjoy our own diverse stories, rather than
S4: something imported from overseas. So we collaborated with Amazon and
S4: built a skill from scratch, which is quite a feat
S4: to build interactive skill. And we worked with the amazing
S4: sound designer Paul Rusk, who created an incredible sound design
S4: for these audio stories and then narrated by some of
S4: Australia's top actors. They were edited for the audio space,
S4: and then with Amazon, we were able to really do
S4: a lot of research in terms of what is it
S4: that is going to help kids orally with the comprehension,
S4: not just passively listening to a story, which is incredibly
S4: important to, but what is it that we can offer
S4: from Olaf in terms of our experience and skill base,
S4: to offer carefully crafted comprehension questions, so that the experience for,
S4: for listeners and for kids is that you're getting that
S4: kind of educational experience throughout listening to this story. So
S4: the way that it's crafted is that you can listen
S4: to half of this audio story, and then Alexa will
S4: stop you and say, and would you like to answer
S4: some questions about the story? And so children are able
S4: to answer the questions, and then the story goes on,
S4: and they can answer questions at the end. And you
S4: can through that experience, earn yourself a story sauce bottle.
S4: So if the story was a mystery story, say, you
S4: might earn yourself a mystery sauce bottle. And so it
S4: was amazing being part of a team that could build
S4: something from the ground up and really listen to teachers,
S4: to parents, to students aged between 7 and 10 years
S4: old about what is it that is an engaging and
S4: fun way to help literacy and to also inspire kids
S4: to write their own stories. Because I feel if you're
S4: just listening to content from overseas, somehow children think, well,
S4: maybe my own story isn't worth exploring or hearing. Yeah.
S4: So that was kind of how it started to create,
S4: and the response has been incredible.
S2: Well, speaking of that response, how has the feedback gone
S2: so far? What's been the response to story source and
S2: the program's ability to enable kids to build confidence in
S2: their own story, writing and listening to stories that matter and,
S2: you know, they can go away thinking, oh wow, this
S2: is really cool. I, you know, I'm full of ideas now.
S2: I'm really excited to put these ideas down on paper
S2: and start writing creatively.
S4: The response has been great. We put quite a bit
S4: of time into asking teachers, parents, kids whilst building this
S4: so that it was a meaningful product, that it wasn't
S4: just a bunch of adults going, well, this is what
S4: we feel kids need to be listening to it really. Um,
S4: we took a lot of time to, to listen to
S4: kids because kids between 7 and 10 years old now
S4: are so savvy in the digital space, and it's different
S4: to when we were kids. So we put a lot
S4: of time into that. And then since the product has
S4: been available, the response has been hugely positive in terms
S4: of families, especially being able to turn on story source
S4: and know that it's not only incredibly entertaining, but it's
S4: educational and it's safe. It's all completely moderated in terms
S4: of being a safe space, and we were really lucky
S4: to collaborate with Amazon in launching Story Source at the
S4: Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, where we were able to take
S4: some Olaf ambassadors to perform in front of 500 students
S4: from remote communities outside of Cairns. And the five ambassadors
S4: spoke about storytelling in their different ways. There were lots
S4: of children there from lots of diverse backgrounds, and we
S4: were able to kind of combine a live experience with
S4: offering the story source on Alexa, which which the students
S4: were able to take home. And that was a wonderful
S4: experience for kids to see a person or hear a person,
S4: or feel a person's journey as a storyteller and then go, hey,
S4: I might have a story to tell. And a lot
S4: of them said it inspired me to go home and
S4: create my own story, whether that's writing it, whether that's
S4: recording it, whether that's having someone else write it for them.
S4: I think technology is amazing, the way that it can
S4: support kids with loads of different challenges in the digital space.
S2: Yeah, that technology just absolutely does open up so many
S2: worlds to so many kids out there. And, um, in
S2: terms of story source itself, it is quite accessible, isn't it, Verity,
S2: in the way that it focuses on audio? So much
S2: so that also makes it quite accessible for kids who
S2: are blind or have low vision. But what sort of
S2: other components are there with story source that people can
S2: really take away and find out about, I suppose.
S4: Well, story source is accessible to to everyone that has
S4: an Alexa echo device, and there's great resources that you
S4: can access in terms of setting that up. But that
S4: was really taken into account in terms of it does
S4: feel like in the digital space, everything is so visual heavy,
S4: even in schools and things, and we wanted to create
S4: something where it wasn't so visual and also not over
S4: stimulating as well, the kind of over stimuli that kids
S4: can get through all the senses these days. I think
S4: we've really paced the stories so that it should be
S4: hopefully a relaxing experience rather than I know a lot
S4: of response from parents were in the entertainment space. I
S4: feel like my children are ramped up or kind of
S4: hyperactive after they've experienced a lot of digital offerings. And
S4: so we have paced the stories so that they are
S4: hopefully a kind of calm activity. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. For sure. You know, any entertainment I think can
S2: have that potential. So that's great to hear that that
S2: sort of also been taken into account to like keep
S2: the energy levels balanced and relaxed and make life easier
S2: for parents and all that sort of thing around Australia.
S2: But in terms of how people can find out a
S2: little bit more about Alf and story source Verity, where
S2: is the best place for people to head to?
S4: Well, you can go to Olaf. Org. Um, and there's
S4: a lot of information there about story source. Story source
S4: is available on Amazon Kids. And yeah, it's been such
S4: a pleasure for us to feel part of, you know,
S4: because Olaf works predominantly with disadvantage. So sometimes children feel
S4: that my story isn't worthy or my voice isn't worthy,
S4: or somebody else would create a story like that because
S4: they come from a different background, or they don't have
S4: the challenges or the disability that I have. And one
S4: of our main goals was to say that often, you know,
S4: imagination comes from so many different places, and if we
S4: can inspire kids to write their own stories, then that's
S4: our job done.
S2: Also, remember, we're giving away Amazon Echo prize packs thanks
S2: to Olaf, Amazon and our children's radio show Happy Pants
S2: so people can also visit VA radio.org to enter now.
S2: I've been speaking today with Verity Hunt-ballard from the Australian
S2: Literacy and Numeracy Foundation all about story, source and the
S2: work that Lnf has been doing over the past little
S2: while in collaboration with Amazon and Vision Australia. Verity, thank
S2: you so much for your time today. It was a
S2: pleasure to catch up and hear all about story source.
S4: Thank you so much, Sam. It's lovely to speak with you.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch anytime on our email at
S2: Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One
S2: word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam
S2: Kerley saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one 308 474106 or by
S1: visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.