Change is in the air at the Kaden Centre, and we’re thrilled to share a re-cap on some memorable moments over the past few months. Read on to find out what’s been happening at the Kaden Centre and some exciting things to come!
Kaden Team Updates
We are proud to announce that our physiotherapist Julia has stepped into the role of 2IC (Second in Charge) Senior Physiotherapist. Julia has been an integral part of our team, demonstrating unwavering dedication to our clients and a deep understanding of physiotherapy for cancer care and chronic disease management. Julia is already excelling in this new role, providing exceptional care to all those who seek our services.
We also welcome Sonya, our new Exercise Physiologist.
With a passion for promoting physical well-being and a deep understanding of how exercise can positively impact our Kaden Community, Sonya is a valuable addition to our team. Her expertise will further enhance our commitment to helping clients achieve their overall health and wellness goals.
Fundraisers
August proved to be a delightful month for us. We were delighted to learn that the Ashton Gardens Retirement village offered to host a morning tea event to raise funds for the Kaden Centre. We are incredibly grateful to the residents who organized this fantastic event and contributed to a cause they believe in. The day was an extraordinary success, raising a total of $3200.00. Once more, we express our gratitude for choosing to support our charity.
Throughout the month of September, the Kaden Centre both promoted and celebrated the annual Sweat for Survivors fundraiser.
This year we had 2 components to the fundraiser. Some of us worked up a sweat to reach our set KM goal over the month and others participated by pulling on a pair of their finest sweats or active wear for Sweats Day.
We are grateful for the number of local businesses who supported us and especially our clients who participated. We raised a total of $7712.97.
In recent weeks, we held our final fundraiser for the year, the Kaden Centre Annual Charity Golf Day. The event unfolded seamlessly, with our committed golfers and sponsors eagerly rising early to partake in a day filled with fun, all whilst backing the Kaden Centre and raising crucial funds for the centre and its members. We are delighted to announce that we’ve successfully raised a total of $30,234.00, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to this achievement.
Community partnerships
Within the Hunter community, we are fortunate to have several invaluable community groups and charitable organizations. It becomes even more advantageous when these groups collaborate, sharing a common commitment to aiding others and utilizing our connections to benefit our community.
We’ve had the privilege of establishing connections with Catholic Healthcare and Hume Housing, uniting our efforts to create exciting opportunities for the senior community in Maitland.
Every Tuesday, a Kaden Centre clinician heads over to Maitland to run an enjoyable, social, and invigorating fitness program. The program’s primary goal is to enhance strength, flexibility, coordination, fitness, and balance, ultimately fostering safety and self-assurance among participants.
Yes, it may be a workout however we hear it’s a lot of fun too!
Special Guests
We had the privilege of hosting Dr. Jenny Mackney, a physiotherapist at the John Hunter Hospital. Jenny has pioneered and manages the innovative perioperative fitness testing and prehabilitation program. Her program has gained recognition within NSW Health as a statewide benchmark for exemplary clinical practice.
The Kaden Centre has been in partnership with the perioperative fitness testing and prehabilitation program since 2018. We have been delivering evidence-based High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) programs aimed at enhancing individuals’ baseline fitness before surgery. Current research underscores the significance of baseline fitness as a primary predictor of post-operative complications. By elevating fitness levels before surgery, individuals are more likely to experience a swifter post-operative recovery, leading to fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. The work conducted by Jenny and the prehab team plays a pivotal role in our region.
We at the Kaden Centre are enthusiastic about our collaboration with Jenny and the prehab team at the John Hunter Hospital. This partnership allows us to introduce the latest evidence-based exercise programs to ensure that our region continues to provide this invaluable service, which in turn helps prevent post-surgical complications.
To highlight the month of October, we had the pleasure of inviting two very lovely locals to the Kaden Centre. We welcomed both Josh Fuller and Robbie Watson from the Hunter Primary Health Network. Both Josh and Robbie work for the incredible First Nations team, with a focus of their role on ‘Closing the gap’ in primary care in the Hunter New England and Central Coast region.
Their visit included a tour of the centre and a warm welcome by members of the centre. Time was shared talking about the Kaden Centre journey and services and exploring collaborative ideas to create culturally safe and accessible services for our community. We are excited at the opportunity to work with both Josh and Robbie and look forward to continuing collaborations.
Conferences and Collaborations
The Kaden Centre was honoured to receive an invitation to attend the recent Prehabilitation, Cancer Surgery, and Perioperative Care Conference. This event marked the inaugural meeting of a Hunter New England based group.
Professor Ross Kerridge gathered an impressive lineup of international, national, and local speakers who presented cutting-edge research. It was an exciting opportunity for the Kaden Centre to meet in person with researchers from Southampton University whose work has significantly contributed to the development of our HIIT training programs.
Prior to the conference, our founder Sue Clark Pitrolo and Senior Physiotherapist Julia, participated in a roundtable meeting to connect and collaborate with these researchers. On Saturday, October 21st, Sue, Julia, and Sonya attended the conference in Newcastle. This event provided a platform for valuable connections and discussions about exciting future possibilities. We consider it a privilege to be actively engaged in the implementation of this remarkable research that is bringing about positive change for the people in our region.
What’s coming up
We successfully completed our first Kaden Centre Workshop! This workshop explored the benefits of exercise and cancer. Our clinicians Julia and Sonya shared the latest on the research, educating our clients on how we put the research into practice and its benefits. This was also a lovely opportunity for our clients to connect with each other on a deeper level, rather than being just a familiar face at our centre.
Coming up this November will be our pilot Clinical Pilates sessions. Our Exercise Physiologist, Sonya will be taking clients and newcomers through a detailed program, catering the session to the individuals attending.
It’s quite surprising how quickly Christmas is approaching! As we’re aware, Christmas tends to arrive sooner than we anticipate. This year, we plan to celebrate with our clients at the centre. We have tentatively set the date for Wednesday, December 20th, and we will share more details soon.
After the tremendous amount of hard work we’ve all dedicated, we believe we deserve a well-earned break. This doesn’t mean we stop our exercise though. Be sure to get outdoors and keep active during the Christmas period.
Our doors will be closed from Friday, December 22nd, and we’ll reopen on Monday, January 8th. We’re eagerly looking forward to marking the end of this year’s journey and are excited to welcome you back for what promises to be an inspiring 2024.
Thank you for being a part of the Kaden Centre community! Stay tuned for more updates and exciting news!
Best regards,
Jasmine Doyle & Julia Britton
Administration Manager & Senior Physiotherapist, Kaden Centre