Case Management in the Community on the West Coast
By Julie Adams
I’ve been asked to write a few brief words about the Case Management in the Community visit to the West Coast before Christmas.
It was a 0430 start to catch the flight from Wellington to Christchurch with my Team Leader, Wendy.
After changing planes in Christchurch we landed in a rainy Hokitika for our first meeting at the local RSA where we were warmly welcomed by Lyall Delore. We each gave an outline of our roles within the organisation and answered some general questions. After lunch we drove to the Greymouth RSA where we had some individual meetings scheduled. Again, a very warm welcome, this time from Rick Cairney.
We stayed in Greymouth with an early start for the scenic drive to our last meeting in Westport where we were met by Peter Rowsell, the Welfare Officer. Meetings were held followed by two home visits in the area. One of the home visits was to a veteran case managed by me who it was a real pleasure to meet.
Wendy and I had two very long days but it was well worth it. The veterans we met were very welcoming and seemed to really appreciate the opportunity to meet with us face to face. For our part, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and their west coast humour was great. The west coast is a truly beautiful part of the country which I’d never been to before and even the weather was kind. Well, most of the time.
Julie Adams Case Manager profile
Julie Adams has been a case manager in the Wellington case management team at VANZ for two years. Before that she was a case manager at Work and Income. Julie has also worked as a diversional therapist.
Julie’s father served in the UK Forces in World War Two and was at El Alamein.
Her work as a case manager has given her a better understanding of what her father went through, and the issues he faced when he returned home.
Julie is also an amateur military historian and enjoys the stories veterans tell her about their experiences. They give a human face to the history she has read about.
Julie shoots for a hobby and has had some interesting conversations with the veterans she deals with about different types of weapons.
Being a case manager is a diverse job and Julie deals with a variety of people with a range of issues. She says she enjoys being able to help them with their problems and being able to make a difference to people’s lives.