Guest Speaker - Mara Ferraro

Mara Ferraro is Assistant Manager, Community Integration & Leisure Services and Creative Therapy Services at at Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre. She manage services that connects patients in rehabilitation back to community via their leisure interests. She also raises funds and lifts the profile of and manage Creative Therapy Services (Art, Music and Horticultural Therapy).

Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre provides a comprehensive and coordinated range of medical, nursing, therapy and support services to patients with a wide range of needs. Services are provided for in-patients, out-patients and in the home.

• It offers an integrated range of specialist services to people across Victoria, southern New South Wales and Tasmania
• cares for over 800 inpatients and delivers more than 8,000 outpatient occasions of service each year.
• Rehabilitation Services at Royal Talbot are part of the Sub-Acute Clinical Service Unit

Mara spoke of the creative programmes that she manages including skiing, sailing, gardening, painting, woodwork, music and singing. Surprisingly some patients cannot speak but can sing.

The Royal Talbot relies heavily on  volunteers and many past patients come back to help.