Just six months into her Metro South Health career, Occupational Therapist (OT) Candice Richards is making a name for herself at the Woolloongabba Community Health Centre’s (WCHC) Older Adults Mental Health Service (OAMHS), where she has staked her claim as the first graduate to secure a transitional role in the team.
Adding another milestone to her early career roll, Candice has claimed the June AMHS Staff Excellence Award after successfully implementing a Wellbeing Group for OAMHS consumers.
Built from a concept pitched during Candice’s student placement at the WCHC, the Wellbeing Group is an interventional eight-week group program that targets social isolation in consumers 65 and older.
“Mental health group programs often form a big part of consumers' recovery, because a lot of the people we work with spend a significant amount of their daily lives alone. The research shows that social isolation has a significant impact on wellbeing, and often increases depression and anxiety. When they don't have anyone to lean on, they draw into themselves and become lonely,” Candice explained.
“We wanted to bring a group together that could not only combat social isolation and surround participants with people who were having a similar experience, but that could also provide a holistic therapeutic resource to our participants.”
Candice’s exemplary commitment to enhancing mental health in older patients placed her project in the spotlight after first-round evaluations indicated a 15.6 per cent reduction in depressive symptoms among participants. Additionally, six of the seven participants reported maintained or improved wellbeing measures, indicated by the World Health Organisation - 5 Wellbeing Index.
It was a fateful encounter at a university career day that led Candice to choose the OT pathway, where she thrives combining her passion for healthcare with a special interest in mental health.
“I was always very interested in working in healthcare. Hearing from an OT at the career day, I realised OT ticked all the boxes for me. The further I got into my degree, the more I realised it was perfect for me.
“There’s so much diversity in the role, and realising I could be an OT in the mental health space allowed me to specialise in something I’m passionate about.”
Working with a team of social workers, nurses and OTs between the WCHC and PA Hospital’s Geriatric and Rehabilitation Unit (GARU), Candice says the supportive multidisciplinary team behind OAMHS inspired her to apply for the permanent role, and she hasn’t looked back since.
“My team absolutely is the best part of my day, and that's probably the reason I've moved so seamlessly from my student role into the new grad role. My team leader has been really supportive of this project, so it was inspiring to follow through from being a student to a new grad and see my idea come to fruition through this program.”
Congratulations on this recognition, Candice. We can’t wait to see what you do next.