Services:

• Older People
• Youth, Children & Families
• Mental Health
• Elder Care Canterbury
• Volunteers

HomeShare Co-ordinator Appointed

Presbyterian Support Ashburton is delighted to welcome Dianne Smith as the Co-ordinator of Rural HomeShare – a new initiative in the Ashburton District and a first for New Zealand.

Dianne is an Enrolled Nurse with many years experience, including 10 years as a District Nurse in Nelson. She returned to her hometown of Ashburton almost three years ago and is very excited about her new role.

HomeShare is a day activity programme for older people, aimed particularly those in rural areas who have difficulty accessing centralised services, using local people as hosts. Individuals or couples in the community will be contracted to provide a HomeShare base in their own home, providing activities, companionship and meals.

“The idea behind HomeShare is to design services to fit people rather than people to fit services,” says Presbyterian Support Regional Manager Jackie Girvan. “The programme looks to service gaps. So for Mid Canterbury, this could include the foothills areas of Mayfield and Mt Somers as well as Rakaia and Hinds.”

Once established, the HomeShare programme will serve as a model for a wider roll-out by Presbyterian Support into other rural communities in the upper South Island.