Sir Moses Montefiore

Holocaust Awareness Program

Commencing in December 2002, the Holocaust Awareness program was introduced into Montefiore Home. The program evolved from the observations of staff while caring for residents of the home. Being a Jewish specific facility a significant proportion of the residents are Holocaust survivors. The objectives of the program are to provide:

• a supportive caring environment for Holocaust survivors
• staff with awareness to support them in meeting the needs of Holocaust survivors
• a supportive environment for the relatives of Holocaust survivors.

It was developed by Janine Grossman and Renee Symonds in consultation with the Montefiore management team. Janine, a social worker, is the Director of Professional and Community Services. Renee is a clinical psychologist who also has a long history with the home. She has a complex role as both a Board member and as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who was a resident of the home for many years.

The program was developed in partnership with the Sydney Jewish Museum, Darlinghurst. It is an innovative and creative approach to raising staff awareness of residents' behaviours of concern and is aimed at changing the perception of the staff rather than the behaviour of the resident.

The program is offered to all existing staff, clinical and non-clinical, and is incorporated into the orientation program for all new staff at Montefiore. The program is also offered to volunteers, consultants and preferred agency staff who attend the home on a regular basis, to enhance their understanding of the specific needs of Holocaust survivors.

It is conducted monthly and consists of a tour of the Sydney Jewish Museum by a Holocaust survivor who tells their story of survival. The tour is followed by a debriefing session with a social worker and clinical psychologist to support staff in expressing the emotions that are evoked through the experience. There is also an in depth discussion of the potential triggers for post traumatic experiences and preventative strategies to implement. Each participant is issued with a handbook that they can use as a reference in the workplace as well as a badge, which easily identifies to other staff that they have been trained in ways to manage specific behaviours of survivors.

The program is coordinated through the Education department at Hunters Hill and facilitated by Janine and Renee. The visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum has been integrated into the home's orientation program to ensure that all staff have the opportunity to gain this experience early in their employment.