Archive for category: Staff

We would love to shine a light on the work of Christina Chisnall, one of our outstanding residential support workers. Christina is a key member of the fantastic team based at Te Orewai!

Christina started with us at the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust in January 2021 and says she has loved it ever since. Her passion for support work began growing up looking to her mother, who works in healthcare. Seeing the truly rewarding work of caring for people, and helping others meet their needs, sparked Christina on her journey of caring for others.

Christina’s work as a residential support worker varies greatly from day to day. Tasks can involve physical support, including helping residents with household tasks, medication administration, driving to appointments and activities, and communicating with the residents’ families, doctors and other healthcare professionals. A regular day starts by getting the clients up and ready and helping them to look their best, assisting them with preparing breakfast and medication, cleaning their units and planning their day.

“I have to be an all-rounder kind of person here, it’s not a set thing,” says Christina. “It is about making sure their needs are met and content. I love working with the residents, they are an awesome group of people and I enjoy helping each one to live their best life.”

“Christina is an outstanding example of a support worker, she is not only reliable, kind, honest, transparent and hardworking, but Christina also gets holistic care and practices holistic care,” says Melissa Trafford, Services Manager Community Living. “Christina is an absolute asset to the Te Orewai team, always going above and beyond.”

Reflecting on her favourite memories, Christina says one of the best days that sticks out was the day she took her key resident Wendy, and had a shopping spree to kit out her unit! They spent the day together, picking out a new bed, wardrobe, and furniture.

“She’s never had that ever in her life, it was special to see her have that, she was over the moon”. Says Christina. “Being able to see that impact and be a part of that was amazing.”

Along with the opportunity for one-on-one care for clients, Christina also says the best part of her work is the opportunity to work with the Te Orewai team.

“I love my Te Orewai work family, there are days that are great, and also days where it is challenging.” Says Christina. “The team is what makes those good and bad days flow. We all support each other.”

It is very special to have Christina as a part of our team. She does amazing work for the residents and cares deeply about helping them meet their needs. We are so grateful to have a person with such great character in our team. He whetū koe!

If you have ever found yourself at Brougham St, you’re likely to have found yourself the joy of meeting Lorna, our wonderful receptionist. While she will be the first person you see at the front desk, her contributions to LFBIT go far beyond, and it is safe to say we would not be the same without her!

Lorna has worked with LFBIT for just over a year, after searching for work not by role, but rather with an organisation she believes in. Her favourite parts of the job vary from day to day, but she loves working with the team every day and being helpful wherever she can. “The clients are pretty amazing,” Lorna adds, “I just try to add a little bit of humour or joy to their day as they walk in.”

Lorna is also part of the wellness committee, which was established this year to increase the support and wellness of staff. A role on this team has been a natural fit for Lorna, aligning well with her personal interests and strengths. The wellness committee is exploring ways to help staff in their work and home lives using methods from our very own psychologists, occupational therapists, and the rest of the team, to try and build a nurturing environment for all.

“One thing I really love about the organisation as a whole is that there is an openness to improving and actually trying to make this workplace not just amazing, supportive, and life-changing for the clients, but also for the staff.”

There are some very important next steps Lorna sees for the wellness committee, the top priority being the introduction of a therapy cat. And she has one in mind, being her own, Ryleigh! “He would be an important member, he’s got a lot of important ideas along the lines of ‘meow,’ and can bring some unique things to the table – ‘perhaps some fur with a dose of serotonin and dopamine,’ anyone?”

In addition to her efforts to increase staff wellness, Lorna is also a champion of inclusiveness at LFBIT. There has been an effort to increase the acknowledgement and incorporation of biculturalism. This has included incorporating te reo into signage, the encouragement of staff to speak, and openness to learn more about the language.

“We have been working with our amazing cultural advisor Francis Fasso, baby steps that will hopefully lead us to the bigger picture. I think we are making an active effort in improving and making sure everyone is included, not just with culture but with sexuality, race, religion. We try to approach it with a holistic point of view.”

Lorna’s work is much appreciated among staff. “Lorna is more than just a receptionist; she’s the glue that holds Brougham St together,” says Megan Bond, Clinical Administrator for the Assessment Team. “There is so much that she does for us that we have no idea about and we would be lost without her. She’s a favourite with clients and staff alike and a joy to work with.”

Lorna says it is awesome to see the growth in awareness of LFBIT since she started working here. “The staff are amazing and deserve so much credit for the hard work they do, and for the care and attention that they put into every day. They genuinely change lives and I hope they realise that.”

This admiration goes both ways! We are so thankful for all of the work that Lorna does for LFBIT, and are grateful for the cheery culture she creates right from the front door!

This week is Speech-Language Therapy Awareness Week, and we are thrilled to highlight the work of Laura Silcock, one of the wonderful speech-language therapists in our team at the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust.

Laura studied speech and language therapy at the University of Canterbury, before moving to Auckland where she began working in brain injury, and has done for the last seven years. Six months ago, Laura joined our community team and has been working within there, as well as helping out in our assessment and residential teams, and within our Reconnect community support group.

The role of a speech-language therapist is a lot more involved than the title suggests. Naturally, the physical execution of speech and the construct and idea of language is a huge part of the role. But, in a general sense, the role is more about communication. Laura says, “It’s the thinking that you need to do to communicate, that is one thing that is unique to us as humans, interacting with others through words and facial expressions. Speech-language therapy is about helping people build meaningful connections in their lives, which we do through communication.”

Another large part of the role of an SLT that is rather unknown is the work done to support people with swallowing impairments. The muscles used in speech are also used for swallowing, so, many SLT’s work in this area. “It is really rewarding to help people recover function or improve sufficiency to swallowing function as eating and drinking is a key contributor to quality of life. Seeing someone drink water or eat a burger for the first time is incredibly fulfilling.”

The variety of work is something Laura says is an awesome aspect of working at LFBIT. On a regular day, she will work with many people in different stages of their rehab journey. “No two brain injuries are the same and no two clients are the same. Creating a real client-centred, individualised approach is important, because of that we have to adapt, change and learn, which is really cool. It is challenging and there is always something new!”

The opportunity to work in a team full of different talented professions is another aspect that Laura enjoys. “We get a lot of input from a lot of different professions. Not only is it cool to learn about, but it is also really cool for the client. They get a real holistic view of their life and rehab. You get to see stories of these amazing people doing ordinary things and getting on with life, and it is really special.”

Rangatiratanga, the theme of speech-language therapy week, is the idea of self-determination, and autonomy to make decisions. Laura sees many clients who, because of their communication impairments, have lost an aspect of rangatiratanga. Laura finds it incredibly special to have the opportunity to help those whose voices or challenges may not be acknowledged, helping them participate in ordinary life situations. For one client of Laura’s, it was as simple as being a part of parent-teacher interviews. An activity that many would take for granted, but, it was especially important for the client.

“Not many people know much about the effects of brain injury, so we need to do a lot of work to educate people on how to support these people. Our goal is to help them do the things that they should be a part of and can do if given the right tools and supports.”

We want to honour the work that Laura and all of our speech and language therapists do here at LFBIT. The difference they make in their clients’ lives is truly special. We are so thankful for the way they engage with and care for those they work with.

At the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust, we have a team of fantastic leaders who manage each of our services. Leanne Leadbetter is the service lead for our wheelchair and seating service. Leanne works with clients to establish their goals and then sources the correct equipment to minimise environmental barriers and enable them to reach their potential.

A regular day of work varies, from carrying out wheelchair and seating assessments in the Mobility Hub clinic, to working with transport and housing modifications assessors to make sure the clients wheelchair, vehicle, and house all work to suit the needs of the client. This allows the client to get out of the house, socialise, and return to regular life.

“There is a bit more science behind everything, but at the end of the day it is about making sure that the person has meaning in their life. Not just in one domain, you have to look at it holistically.”

Of course, there is also the biological side to wheelchair and seating, where Leanne works to make sure clients are sitting straight and not causing any harm by sitting incorrectly. If someone consistently sits crocked, their lung capacity can decrease as they age or skin ulcers can develop. So, sitting straight ensures they can live without causing any future medical issues.

As well as helping people live a fulfilling life, Leanne loves coming into work to be a “professional problem solver.” She says it’s all about finding outside of the box solutions to complex problems to meet client’s needs and goals. She loves finding solutions through customisation, grabbing things off of the shelf and creating something out of it.

Leanne has worked with people with spinal injuries throughout her whole career, both in hospital settings and in private practice. Through LFBIT, she has had the opportunity to develop the Mobility Hub clinic-based service where creative thinking and education of others can occur, future-proofing the skills that she has built up over her career.

There are limited training grounds for her combination of skills, so over the past two years, she has trained others in social rehab assessments, as well as wheelchair and seating with clients with complex needs. This training has resulted in a team of occupational therapists and physios who work together at the Mobility Hub.

“It’s a really good training ground, hopefully I will have passed on most of my knowledge and expertise by the time I leave for it to be recognised as a Centre of Excellence. So, the people I’ve trained will then become the trainers, that’s what I’m hoping.”

Looking to the future, Leanne is excited about the new technology that is becoming readily available to allow those in the profession to assist their client’s even more. Recently, Segway technology has been implemented into wheelchairs, and the results have been quite special. This allows a client to move around in their wheelchair by shifting their body weight, creating more mobility for those who do not have many options. “I trialled a new product with a client and it was a wow moment. It was an incredible experience for him and it was pretty cool to see. Watch this space for new ways of moving about!”

As an occupational therapist at the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust, Lesley helps people to regain their skills and independence after a brain injury, concussion, or other injury. After switching careers from working in accountancy for twenty years to retraining as an occupational therapist, Lesley was recruited from Essex to join our team in Christchurch seven years ago.

Lesley’s usual day involves visiting people’s homes, supporting clients to practice meaningful activities that are important to them and their rehabilitation goals. Such activities include community outings like library visits and shopping practice; through these, clients build skills and confidence.

Seeing people in their own environments and homes can help our assessment and treatment to be more realistic and relevant to each client. “I love knowing what people makes people tick. I get very thrilled about it and I think that’s what occupational therapy is all about, because it’s so client-centred. It’s all about enabling people and empowering them.”