Vision Australia clients have heard the latest on health and safety around the home over the phone thanks to our Telelink group teleconferencing program.
Telelink is a telephone-based program in which groups of up to 10 blind or low vision participants and a volunteer facilitator chat via a conference call about a shared interest.
Telelink Program Coordinator Maria Markou says the health and wellbeing Telelink sessions were held over four weeks as part of the Telelink special interest summer series.
"Last year, a client said they wanted to get the latest information on first aid because techniques had changed since they did a course years ago. We thought it might be worth it for people who are blind or have low vision, especially those living alone, to know what to do in those situations and it developed from there," she says.
Vision Australia's Workplace Health and Safety Manager, Troy Pearl, led the discussion, which covered topics including preparation for emergencies such as fire, flood or heatwave; first aid techniques; manual handling techniques designed to avoid injuries; home security and general health care.
"I had several subjects that we educate our workforce on that can be used at home. I modified the content, and created new content based on online research, on subjects that I thought would be helpful to people in their homes," he says.
"The subjects I presented need to be considered and applied daily. For example, if you lift things the right way, you should be able to avoid injury but if you take shortcuts or don’t apply the techniques consistently, it only takes one instance and you can have a life-long injury."
Participants got the chance to ask questions and share their experiences, with fact sheets available in the format of their choice.
A sheet of tips and tricks from each week’s discussion is distributed to any participant that wants them and in their preferred format.
Maria says she hopes the health, safety and wellness-themed Telelink group can be held again later in the year.
The new season of Telelink group discussions begin this week covering a vast array of subjects including cooking and food, youth interests, sports, a range of hobbies, foreign languages, crossword puzzles, religious discussions, crafts and hobbies.
It's a great way to stay socially connected and enjoy the company of people with a like interest.
For further information, go to the Telelink page on the Vision Australia website here or phone 1300 84 74 66 or email: info@visionaustralia.org.