Backgrounder
Sure, clients were reporting satisfaction with the services and facilities being provided by PSN,but it was clear that many of them would like to have the choiceof living in their own home if there wasthe appropriate level of supportto enable them to achieve that. Further,there was growing international evidence about the benefits of positive ageing, and the Government's Positive Ageing strategy supported home and community-based services for older people. So, after considerable debate, PSN made the strategic decision to sell its residential care facilities and to focus on the development and delivery of an innovative restorative home-based support service for older people, based ona fundamental change in thinking about how to support older people and what is possible for them. After initialtrials in a residential setting, Presbyterian Support Northern developed a new'ageing-in-place' modelwith other Presbyterian Support regions, in particular Presbyterian Support Otago, aimed at offering older peoplethe option of staying in their own homes, withthe support needed in order to achieve their own goals. It was originallypiloted in Hamilton for two years as"CommunityFIRST", in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Waikato District Health Board and Disability Support Link. The new service model, whichinvariably involves the integration of physical activity into the day-to-day delivery of services,wasthe first example of restorative home support for older people with "high and complex needs" in New Zealand. Following the positive results of the two-year pilot in Hamilton thenew service model wasestablished in Tauranga and then Rotorua, supported byBay of Plentyand Lakes district healthboards. In late 2004 PSN's services for older peoplewere branded "Enliven Positive Ageing Services." Developing and introducing the new restorative ageing-in-place service was a significant change process for PSN and the older people it works alongside. At its heart it's about enabling older New Zealanders to stay in their own homes and to remain in control of their own destiny. It's about ensuring older people have a choice- that they don't have to sacrifice independence for comfort and safety and that a hospital admission for example isn't a one-way ticket. It's about working in partnership with older people, providing them with the individually tailored support they need to achieve the goals they've set, based on what is important to them. Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC) has recently been through a similar processwhich culminated in the sale of its residential care assets in 2006. PSEC decided early on that their investment into community-based services would be based onPositive Ageing and subsequently a brand user agreement has been entered into whereby PSEC uses the Enliven brand forrestorative home and community-based services for older people within itsregion. In addition to their seven rest homes and hospitals, Presbyterian Support Otago delivers community-based support across the region under the Home Support and Community FIRST banners. With the launch of Enliven on the Taieri Plains inFebruary 2008,the scene is set for a future move to adopt the Enliven name and philosophy across all services. PSN is currently the only provider delivering restorative home based support for older people of all needs levels, butPresbyterian Support South Canterbury, Presbyterian Support Central, Presbyterian Support East Coast and Presbyterian Support Otago are also progressing with restorative home based support (with the latter two adopting the Enliven Positive Ageing Services brand). For more information on Presbyterian Support Northern please visit www.ps.org.nz/northern For more information on Presbyterian Support East Coast please visit www.ps.org.nz/eastcoast For more information on Presbyterian Support Otago please visit www.ps.org.nz/otago
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