Positive Life NSW

Last December, Positive Life trialed a new program to assist people with HIV to make better use of the health system.

The Saturday workshop provided practical tools to help those attending improve their communication with doctors, plan ahead for medical appointments, understand their rights as healthcare consumers, resolve complaints and learn how to find services. In short, this was about helping positive people make the most of the available services and speak up for their individual needs.

The workshop facilitators included nurses, hospital HIV care co-ordinators, managers of home care services, lawyers and people with HIV.

The day was a wonderful success and those who went  were keen to tell others about the benefits of attending (see below). The next Health Advocacy workshop will be held in Lismore on October 1 – enrol now! Contact Neil McKellar-Stewart on 02 6622 1555 email: nmckellar-stewart@acon.org.au or Lance Feeney: lancef@positivelife.org.au (02) 9361 6011. Click here for the full event details.

Well spent
I attended the workshop expecting the bulk of it to have no relevance to my needs as I saw myself as well informed and prepared on the medical front (having been positive for 27 years). I thought the component dealing with legal rights was all that would be of interest to me. How wrong was I? The opposite proved true. I was shocked at how much I didn't know about the services and assistance available. I must admit I was not only surprised by the relevance and content of the course but also by its organisation, structure and facilitation, which were excellent. A day well spent. I have since changed the way I approach services and upgraded my preparation and preparedness. I have improved knowledge and expectations and feel much more confident and at ease.  Peter

Renegotiation
When I spoke with Lance [from Positive Life] as to where I was with my health care, he suggested the workshop would be ideal. He was right on target. I guess my surprise was just how well it fitted into the questioning that was going on for me. Even to the point of where there were glaring differences between what some of the speakers were presenting and what my actual experience had been – quite different. That in itself was sufficient to drive home to me the need for me to take charge of my health care and renegotiate with my S100.

As a result of attending the workshop I have changed doctors, negotiated with my new doctor about what I wanted to do and asked for support from him. I also needed to take a more holistic approach and one that was integrated. I am trialing alternative treatment to combat the side effects I was experiencing. This is being monitored. (another) Peter

So much more
Having been HIV positive for over 28 years, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that although I had been doing quite a good job of navigating my way through the health system, this presentation was so much more than I could have imagined. Not only were there representatives from various HIV/AIDS organisations, there was also a lawyer present to discuss our legal rights as well as an HIV-triage nurse from St Vincent’s, who provided important facts to assist those who find themselves needing to be admitted to hospital. The amount of useful information provided by all the speakers was amazing and the amount of time allowed for open discussion with all who attended was more than adequate, without cutting into the time needed to get through all the topics. Well worth attending if you have any questions or are dealing with complex issues relating to your health. Roderick Smith