Vodafone blog

Recently we celebrated our first birthday for our Play Up program. The Play Up program brings together fun and engagement to various aged care facilities through regular visits by our Play Up performer.

The program works with the National Health and Medical Research Council funded SMILE Study, conducted by the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre at the University of NSW.

We celebrated our first birthday at the Whiddon Group Aged Care Facility in Glenfield on the 17th July. 

Whiddon Group Aged Care Facility was chosen because of its significant as the first facility to take on the Play Upprogram after the results of the SMILE Study were found to be so successful. 

We combined our first birthday with a two-day audition/training session for 26 new hopefuls.

When I started only 3 months ago with the Arts Health Institute there were 20 performers in 22 facilities and now, there are 40 in 43 facilities.  So it’s growing at a fast pace! 

My role is evolving, and now I’m mostly focused on training the Play Up partners, Play Up performers, auditioning, performing and reviewing.  It’s exciting and challenging all at the same time.

Just last week I, along with the other World of Difference participants had the second of our four Vodafone Foundation World of Difference workshops.

The workshop involved a brief check-in, debrief, upskill and to find out how our fellow WODders were going. 

In addition, all the workshop participants came to watch me do my performance as a Play Up performer at a local aged care facility. 

It always adds a little excitement when I’m being observed doing my thing, but it’s also great to have these people wanting to learn about what I do, and experience it for themselves. 

I think that’s the only way to really understand the benefits of this work. It’s palpable.

Hope you all have a great month ahead!

You may be interested in:

• Lauri’s previous Blog
• Vodafone Foundation World of Difference Facebook Page
• More information on the Play Up program
• Arts Health Institute Facebook Page