Our latest newsletter is available now! Newsletter May 2012

Lantern Wellbeing Series in June is an interesting one with Vikki Sinnott, Psychologist presenting  “Gender, Sexuality and Wellbeing”

How we see our self, who we are attracted to & how we negotiate relationships all impact on our wellbeing. This session will explore gender, sexuality & wellbeing. on Tuesday June 5th from 7.00 till 9.00 p.m. To register call reception on 9093 5977 or register via the website.

Lantern Wellbeing Series A4 flyer June 2012

Free event coming up.

It is estimated that over 200,000 Australians currently have dementia.

As the population continues to age the proportion of Australians who have

dementia will continue to grow.

Do you care for a person with dementia?

People often feel isolated and unable to connect or continue their connections with their community. What can you do?

At this session you will hear information to support people with dementia and their carers to be better connected within their community. Carers and suffers are welcome to this free event.

This event is on Wednesday 9th May from 10.30 to 12.30 pm  at Longbeach Place, 15 Chelsea Road, Chelsea. To register click here or call Lantern Reception on 9093 5977

Dementia in the Community 9 May flyer

Heather has over thirty years’ experience in the Homelessness, Community Care and Mental Health sectors. In the early years of Heather’s career she worked as a youth worker with  a range of organisations mainly working with statutory and homeless young people. Over the past 20 years, Heather has held management positions in the Community Care sector managing ‘out of Home’ services including fostercare, lead tenant programs, high risk adolescent programs, youth and family mediation and family counselling services and 11 years ago commenced work with Mind. Heather was the Regional Manager for the Northern and Gippsland regions for 10 years and 12 months ago took up the newly developed role as Group Operations Manager South, East Victoria. Heather has extensive experience in the implementation of new initiatives and services, service development, planning, service evaluation, operational management at a senior level and engagement in high level partnership initiatives. During Heather’s career she has actively participated in both mental health and homelessness sector reform and continues to participate and contribute to a broad range of organisational and sector project and initiatives.

Heather has under graduate qualifications in Welfare, Criminology and a Masters in Social Science –Policy and Management.

As many of you might have heard by now I have been appointed as the new Area Manager for Lantern, a service of MIND Australia in the Middle South Sector of Melbourne. I take up post today, Monday April 2^nd as Lantern becomes fully integrated as part of MIND Australia.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have been at Lantern for a little over 2 years managing the Recovery Services, namely Outreach and more recently overseeing the Resource Centre. Prior to this I spent over 20 years working in the UK in the social care industry. Starting off in residential care for older people and disabilities, then after 5 years at university, I worked as a statutory social worker and team manager.

I am thrilled and excited at this wonderful opportunity, although a little sad that Janet Hopkins, our current CEO, will be off to pastures new in due course. I thank her for all her hard work and commitment to Lantern, and this merger with MIND.  I wish her well as she starts a new and exciting chapter in her career. She’s surely a hard act to follow but I feel she won’t be too much of a stranger.

As Area Manager I will have overall responsibility in managing the services in our sector under MIND’s policies and procedures.  This includes all the services Lantern currently offers, and also Nette Court, an established residential unit for younger people.

Working at Lantern these past couple of years has been great. This merger with MIND truly starts a new and exciting chapter for Lantern, and I am proud and honoured to be part of this journey and in taking Lantern, it’s participants and staff, into a very optimistic future.

See you all soon

John