Positive Life NSW

HIV Community Team members
The HIV Community Team is a specialised community health service available to all clients living in the South Eastern and Illawarra Health Service. This region comprises of 13 local government areas including: Botany, Hurstville, Kiama, Kogarah, Randwick, Rockdale, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, City of Sydney (part of), Waverley, Wollongong and Wollahra.

The team is made up of two Clinical Nurse Consultants, two Clinical Nurse Specialists, two Social Workers, one Dietitian, and one Occupational Therapist. The staff can visit clients in the home and provide services such as counselling and support services, health education/monitoring, housing support, medication adherence/management, mental health assessments and nutritional assessment/management.

Talkabout spoke with the two social workers in the team to get a sense of what working in the community at the coalface means to them.

What were your work backgrounds before joining the team?

Janet: I have been working in the HIV field for a period of ten years. My first job after university was with the HIV Team at Redfern Community Health. I then spent eight years at St Vincent’s Hospital (seven years in the HIV Outpatient Unit and one year in the Palliative Care Inpatient unit). I have now been working with the HIV Community team since it commenced operation 15 months ago. Working in the community at the coalface seemed the logical progression from the hospital based services. Knowledge of the hospital system, networks and hospital contacts has greatly benefited my work in the community.

Leo: My social work experience over the past ten years has primarily been in the Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health fields. I have worked in both the non- government and government sectors with client groups from various age groups and cultures. This diversity has allowed me to develop skills and knowledge in many areas of social practice including complex case management, counselling, family work, group work, and program and community development.

What attracted you to working in the area of HIV?

Janet: I have always been passionate about working in the area of HIV. My best mate died of an AIDS related illness in 1998 before the anti-retroviral combinations were so readily available. Supporting him through his illness the years prior to his death gave me the fire in my belly to want to try and make a difference to the epidemic and to people living with HIV.

Leo: For many years now I have admired the richness, tenacity and drive of the HIV sector and what it has achieved both politically and socially for those living with this illness. These same qualities are what attracted me to working with HIV positive people who are now living fairly long and fruitful lives despite the complexity of their illness.

What are your special interests in the area?

Janet: I have a big interest in counselling especially in the area of depression and anxiety. A few years ago I completed a Masters in Behavioural Science to better equip me in supporting people in the counselling process. I thrive on seeing the positive changes people make within themselves and in their lives over the weeks and months of counselling.

Leo: I developed, due to the health sectors I have worked in, an interest in co-morbidity (the coexistence of two or more conditions) and how this impacts on people’s overall wellbeing. People living with more than one condition – ie drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems, Hep C, face many challenges in dealing with this complexity. My aim is to empower and assist HIV positive people in this journey to live rich, fulfilling and meaningful lives.

What issues are you confronted with from a day to day basis in the community?

Janet: There are so many, such as housing, financial, stigma, discrimination, health and psychological issues. But I guess the two that stand out to me the most and seem to be the most difficult to resolve are isolation and loneliness. So many of my clients spent Christmas Day alone. To counter this, our team this year is planning to have a barbecue on Christmas Eve to help alleviate some of this isolation.

Leo: Developing and maintaining meaningful and ongoing links and partnerships with HIV positive people from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal backgrounds, as well as their communities, continues to be a challenge. This is paramount to ensure that we develop and deliver our services in an appropriate and sensitive manner. Oh yes and also avoiding parking and speeding tickets on a day to day basis is no easy feat, especially those school zones.