Social worker with creative flair for rehabilitation wins rural health award

Tasmanian social worker Hui-Yu Yao plans to use her passion for art and creative activities to run a 12-week pilot project, called “My Journey, My Story” after winning the 2016 Kate Scanlon Award announced by Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) today.

The award honours the memory of young Tasmanian woman, Kate Scanlon, who tragically passed away in a train disaster in India during 2011 when Kate was travelling to run a first aid course and physiotherapy clinic along with other students. Kate was from the Devonport region of Tasmania.

Hui-Yu is currently completing her Masters of Social Work with the support of a Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship Support Scheme Postgraduate Scholarship.

Hui-Yu plans to use her $5000 award to integrate “My Journey, My Story” program in the John L Grove Rehabilitation Unit at the Launceston General Hospital. She will introduce arts activities to connect patient’s physical, mental and emotional experience during rehabilitation to improve their overall wellbeing whilst undertaking rehabilitation. Activities may include: photography, video, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and painting, creative writing, singing, printmaking and crafts.

“The success of two arts projects at the Acute Order Person Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital inspired me to establish an arts project at the John L Grove Rehabilitation Unit at the Launceston General Hospital”, she said.

Hui-Yu is well placed to support patients undergoing rehabilitation in the John L Grove Rehabilitation unit and hopes that the program will enhance the recovery of patients that go through the program. The program will also engage an Arts Health Worker who will visit the unit twice a week.

“Many clients appreciate the opportunity to do activities which do not have a medical focus as they have the opportunity to form good friendships and find mutual support with each other”, she said.

Hui-Yu will be presented with her award at the 2016 SARRAH Conference on 28 October at Port Lincoln in South Australia at the 2016 SARRAH National Conference. She is the sixth Tasmanian to win the award, which was launched by SARRAH in 2012.

Allied health professions include: audiology, chiropractic, dental and oral health, dietetics and nutrition, diabetes education, exercise physiology, genetic counselling, health promotion, medical radiation science, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, paramedic practice, physiotherapy, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, psychology, social work, speech pathology and sonography.
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