Honouring Culture and Connection: Arcare Family Foundation Supports Big hART’s Traditional Heroes Project

The Arcare Family Foundation is proud to support Big Little Buddies , a joyful intergenerational program that brings together aged care residents and young children to share moments of fun, learning, and connection. Founded on the simple yet powerful idea that friendship knows no age limit, Big Little Buddies creates opportunities for meaningful interaction between seniors and young children through regular visits, activities, and play. Whether it's a game of catch, a shared storybook, or painting side by side, these moments spark joy and belonging—for everyone involved. The program celebrates the wisdom and warmth of our older generation, while nurturing empathy and confidence in little ones. The bonds formed between “big” and “little” buddies are authentic, heartwarming, and often deeply moving. For many residents, these visits are a highlight of the week, bringing energy, laughter, and a renewed sense of purpose. For children, it's a chance to develop social skills and form friendships that are grounded in patience, kindness, and understanding. Thanks to support from the Arcare Family Foundation, Big Little Buddies continues to grow and bring this magic to more aged care communities. We’re thrilled to help fund programs that create moments of joy and lifelong impact - for both the young and the young at heart. Because sometimes, the best friendships are the ones you didn’t see coming. To learn more about Big Little Buddies, visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/biglittlebuddies

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At Arcare, we believe that connection, compassion, and education are at the heart of quality aged care — and those values extend well beyond our residences. That’s why the Arcare Family Foundation is proud to support Teens 4 Dementia , a pioneering project helping young Australians better understand and engage with people living with dementia. About Teens 4 Dementia Led by StepUp for Dementia Research (a University of Sydney initiative), Teens 4 Dementia is an evidence-based online learning program designed for high school students. It gives teens a deeper understanding of dementia through real-world storytelling, science-backed insights, and interactive modules that develop empathy, reduce stigma, and build communication skills. The program is co-designed with young people, teachers, and people with lived experience - ensuring it’s engaging, relatable, and impactful. Why We Support It With the rising prevalence of dementia and intergenerational isolation, projects like Teens 4 Dementia are more vital than ever. The Arcare Family Foundation's support ensures the program can be piloted across schools, reaching more students and empowering them to become future advocates, carers, or simply more understanding community members. This partnership reflects Arcare’s commitment to: Enhancing dementia awareness across generations Promoting empathy-driven learning Supporting innovation in community care The Impact So Far Thanks to funding support, the Teens 4 Dementia pilot is being rolled out in multiple schools, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from both students and educators. Participants report increased understanding, reduced fear, and even interest in volunteering or careers in aged care or health services. Join Us in Shaping a More Compassionate Future By investing in the next generation, the Arcare Family Foundation is helping build a society that values its elders and supports those living with dementia with dignity and understanding. To learn more or get involved, visit: stepupfordementiaresearch.org.au/teens4d

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Grief is a universal experience, yet support can often feel out of reach - particularly for older Australians. That’s why the Arcare Family Foundation is proud to have supported Griefline in piloting Help Texts , a world-first text-based grief support service now trialled in Australia. Originally developed in the United States, Help Texts provides personalised, evidence-based messages directly to individuals' phones. These text messages offer gentle reminders, grief education, emotional support, and practical coping strategies - all without the need for appointments, phone calls or waiting lists. Why Help Texts? Research shows that grief support in Australia is often hard to access. Many bereaved individuals, especially those over the age of 65, find it difficult to reach out for help. Meanwhile, those around them often feel ill-equipped to provide meaningful support. According to the National Ageing Research Institute, 71% of Australians over 65 have experienced at least one bereavement in the past 2.5 years. And without support, older people are twice as likely to develop prolonged grief disorder - causing lasting emotional and functional difficulties. Help Texts aims to break that cycle. The Pilot: Supporting Older Australians Through Loss Thanks to the support from the Arcare Family Foundation, Griefline piloted Help Texts across Australia from April 2024 to February 2025. The goal was to reach 200 people aged over 65, but the program attracted an even broader audience - including younger adults, carers, and health professionals. Now Funded Through Home Care Packages One of the most exciting developments is that Help Texts is now eligible to be funded under individual Home Care Packages , removing financial barriers for older Australians and improving the sustainability of the service. This breakthrough makes grief support more accessible, dignified, and integrated into aged care - something the Arcare Family Foundation is deeply passionate about. Moving Forward: Creating a More Grief-Literate Community The pilot has not only provided immediate relief to those experiencing loss but also created a ripple effect of grief literacy within communities. Subscribers shared the service with loved ones, expanded their understanding of grief, and began to normalise difficult conversations. This aligns powerfully with Griefline’s mission : to normalise grief, support communities through loss , and encourage courageous conversations around bereavement. At the Arcare Family Foundation, we are honoured to support projects like this that bring innovation, empathy, and community into aged care and beyond. To learn more about Help Texts, visit: www.helptexts.com To learn more about Griefline, visit: www.griefline.org.au The Arcare Family Foundation is committed to supporting initiatives that improve the quality of life for older Australians and the communities around them. Together, we’re building a future of care, compassion and connection. 

Living with dementia is a challenging, isolating, and confusing experience. People living with dementia and their carers struggle because it is very difficult to navigate a complicated care system and complex disease. Caladenia’s project partner, My Dementia Companion (MyDC) has created the world’s first smart dementia assistant for families, which completed a successful pilot and won Dementia Australia and Department of Health’s Decoding Dementia Innovation Challenge. Based on the success and leveraging the innovative technology of the family version, Caladenia is collaborating with MyDC to create the world’s first digital dementia assistant for care professionals. This tool will help all professionals to support families more easily, help us to better align to Aged Care Quality Standards and Aged Care Royal Commission Recommendations, and ultimately improve care outcomes.

WomenCan Australia assist women to become work ready. They support women who are disconnected from the work force and seek to return. Reasons for disconnection include carer responsibilities, recent migration, chronic illness, and stale skills. In addition, is a loss of confidence. Re-engagement with the workforce is difficult for women if undertaken alone. The WomenCan communities of women are helped to confidently transition back into the paid workforce with a recognised vocational qualification. The organisation facilitates their transition using a peer support model which create a sense of belonging. The grant from the Arcare Family Foundation is helping WomenCan to test their model by offering participation in a Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care) at two metropolitan based and two regionally based TAFE.

IRE is a minimally invasive surgical technique used in the treatment of prostate cancer. It uses an electrical current delivered with precision to the previously diagnosed cancerous area to destroy cell membranes causing cell death and destruction of the cancerous tissue. Early results have shown extremely positive cancer control rates in appropriately selected patients with a substantial reduction in side effects and maintains the opportunity to still treat with surgery or radiation therapy in the uncommon cases where it has not been successful.

More than ten years ago, a group of local community members (now known as Romsey Ecotherapy Park Inc – REP) came together with a vision to transform a derelict historic school site into a regionally significant special place to enhance health and wellness in nature for all ages and all abilities. The Sensory Therapeutic Space (featuring sensory gardens, permanent art installations including kinetic and sound sculpture elements, ephemeral billabong, sand play and a water feature) will be a valuable nature-based resource for the elderly, those recovering from illness or those merely wanting respite from daily life. Chimes have a special place in garden design, one that is deeply felt in Asian cultures. The Harmonic Bell Tree brings this healing experience to Romsey. The 1.6m tall Harmonic Bell Tree features three parabolic harmonic bells in golden bronze standing one above the other on a galvanized steel post like a strangely beautiful abstract tree.