Ener`Chi` patients at OPH

Ener'Chi'
Ij^JO^j t ^5
of National NAIDOC Week.
SAMHS Metropolitan supports
Aboriainal DeoDle to access
mainstream mental health services
and improve the capacity of services
in the government, non-government
and private sectors to better meet the
mental health, social and emotional
well-being needs of Aboriginal people.
Attractina
DeoDle from all walks of
Attracting 165 people
the community, the event included a
Welcome to Country by Noongar man
Sealin Garlett and a performance by
the Urban Junior Dance Crew.
The Service also had a stall at the
Ashfield (Town of Bassendean)
NAIDOC Family Day in July.
SAMHS Metropolitan program
manager Michael Mitchell said the
public were invited to yarn about their
health, focussing on what keeps their
mental health 'solid'.
As a reflection of these conversations,
people wrote messages on coloured
leaves that they hung on the
branches of a 'Keeping Solid' tree in
the SAMHS Metropolitan tent.
"Words written on the leaves of the
Keeping Solid tree included love,
family, culture, water, my partner
and my children. These themes were
deemed central to maintaining mental
health well-beinif," Mr Mitchell said.
p a t i e n t s at
OPH
Clients in the
Parkinson's Clinic at
OPH are enjoying the
benefits of a modified
Tal Chi program by
Moh Tapper called
Physio Chi,
Emily Cheetham, Senior Occupational
Therapist at Osborne Park Hospital,
said that the Parkinson's team has
seen improvements in the clients
who have participated in the Physio
Chi program, as compared to a
Maintenance Exercise program.
"The results showed that the Physio Chi
group had improvements in postural
stability, stride length and gait velocity
compared with the Maintenance Exercise
group. As our clients are guided by
the facilitator, they are not required to
remember sequences, which reduces
any associated stress and people
find they learn the sequence naturally
through repetition," Ms Cheetham said.
•
J0i
OPH staff try out Phys
Parkinson's Week
SAMHS Metropolitan staff Estelle Ingie (L)and Carolyn Griffin at the Keeping Solid tree