I am currently undertaking my community legal clinic placement at Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (‘ADAA’). ADAA provides advocacy, guardianship, education and information services that support and improve the wellbeing of the elderly and people with disabilities in Queensland. I volunteered in the guardianship team at ADAA under the supervision of a senior advocate.
I worked with clients on guardianship issues including assisting clients appoint or remove Enduring Power of Attorneys, preparing clients for QCAT hearings and mediating communications between clients and the Public Trust and Public Guardian. My placement required me to work both in the office updating case notes, undertaking phone interviews and managing case files and out in the field conducting client visits, attending QCAT hearings and assisting with educational seminars. I had to communicate with not only the client but other relevant stakeholders including family members and carers, care agencies, health services and government bodies.
ADAA has a strong impact on the community by providing support to those who struggle to have their voices heard. Specifically, older persons and people with disabilities who may fall between the cracks of other community organisations.
ADAA was an enriching placement that allowed me to gain hands on experience, providing me with the relevant skills to succeed in a career in law.
– Olivia
Hi Olivia, I really like how you highlighted the 4 main values at ADAA and talked about what you learned from your placement. I find areas of law surrounding mental health are quite interesting and wanted to know more about the seminars that you attended. Was there an amendment to the Mental Health Act that had significantly impacted upon your work at ADAA?
– Carman
Hi Carmen,
Thank you for your feedback.
I would say the entire Mental Health Act 2016 (Qld) is relevant to ADAA clients. In particular, the encouragement for the elderly to utilise Advanced Health Directives in an attempt to give patients as much voice as to their views and wants as possible. The Act focuses on people who do not have the capacity to make their own decisions, which is a large portion of ADAA clients. Having a better under standing of the Act allowed me to give better advocacy services to my clients.
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
Congratulations on an excellent presentation – it followed a coherent and logical format and was visually pleasing. I had little knowledge of ADAA, however your presentation gave me a fantastic insight into the advocacy and education service and its purpose within the community. I really loved the importance placed on empowering those who struggle to be heard within society in a non-judgemental environment.
It appears as though you had some great exposure to clients during your placement, did you find it challenging engaging with clients who are vulnerable or emotional?
Thanks
Meg
Your presentation is both educational and professional. I really enjoyed watching it and learning about your time at ADA. Your placement appears to have given you a number of skills and experiences.
One thing that I have experienced regularly is clients from non english speaking backgrounds. How did you find interacting with clients who came from a wide background and varying cultures?
Thank you Olivia.
What a great presentation! I truly enjoyed it! Your presentation about ADAA is very engaging and well put together.
I am impressed that your placement has provided you a range of hands-on experiences. It was really interesting to learn that some client visits are conducted at their homes, hospitals and aged care facilities and that you had the opportunity to conduct those interviews. During your placement , how did you manage your emotions and avoid being too sympathetic?
Thank you once again!
Hi Olivia! I love that you used PowToons – I struggled trying to make sense of it but you have done an amazing job! It sounds you like had the opportunity to undertake such a wide variety of different tasks which would have been an invaluable experience.
I know when I have worked on elder law matters, I found myself sometimes getting too caught up in the emotion and unfairness of the situation. I was just wondering if at any time you found yourself getting too caught in the emotions of dealing with the elderly? And if so, how you overcame that?
Also, did you pick ADA to gain some in elder law or was this an area you already had an interest in?
Sri
Hi Sri,
Thank you, I did have a lot of trouble with Powtoon at first, it took a lot of time and persistence!
The elderly and disabled sector of the community are vulnerable and there were times when I had to put my emotions aside to focus on helping my clients. My supervisor constantly reminded me, “you can’t solve all of your clients problems in one day”. This reminder helped me focus on one issue at a time so I wouldn’t get too overwhelmed.
I didn’t have any experience in elder law however I have learnt a lot from volunteering at ADAA about how these laws impact society. In particular, how the mental health act effects the elderly.
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
This was such a great presentation! It was very engaging and informative. Your voiceover was also very clear and precise.
That was great that you had the opportunity to have so much direct contact with the clients one-on-one. I can imagine that would have provided you with great opportunities to develop your communication and client interviewing skills. Did you find to hard to manage your emotions during the placement?
Jasmine
Hi Olivia
Thanks for providing a great insight into the work of ADA. Your presentation was engaging, comprehensive and kept my attention.
It is fantastic that you were able to get out into the community and visit clients in their homes and hospitals. Was there particular ways you managed your time during these visits and did you have any cultural considerations when entering clients homes’?
Thanks Nicole
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for your positive feedback.
You have brought up a good point. One of the biggest challenges I had to overcome was learning how to take control of a client visit to ensure I got all the information I required, in a timely fashion. I had to learn how to respectfully end the conversation with clients which I found to be very challenging at times when they really just wanted a chat!
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
Really great presentation. It was very clear and informative. The varied nature of your work during placement sounds great. It must have been great to visit QCAT as well.
Did you feel like you had a good grasp of the law when interacting with clients or did you learn on the job? Given the varied nature of your work, it must have been challenging to advise on such different matters.
Also, do you have any interviewing techniques that you felt were particularly relevant when questioning the elderly? They are not a demographic I have interviewed much during my own placement. Any tips would be great!
Again, great job!
Sneha
Well done, Olivia! This was a very engaging and interesting presentation with a clear explanation of your placement experience at ADAA. Thanks for persisting with Powtoon!
Catherine