Client background
The City of Boroondara helps older residents access social support through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). After a My Aged Care assessment, eligible residents can take part in programs delivered by Council and community organisations across Boroondara.
The available support is broad. It includes exercise, creative activities, social groups, outings, at-home programs and transport. The City of Boroondara asked Dream Engine to produce a video that would help newly approved residents understand what a CHSP social support group actually looks like and where they could begin.
The communication challenge
For someone who has just completed a My Aged Care assessment, the term “social support group” may not immediately explain what is available. A written list of services also cannot show the atmosphere of each location or the range of activities residents can choose from.
The video needed to:
- Explain CHSP social support groups in clear, familiar language
- Show the variety of programs and community settings across Boroondara
- Help viewers see that there are options for different interests, abilities and levels of mobility
- Explain the practical support available through aged-care navigation and community transport
The production approach
Dream Engine produced a three-minute, presenter-led video that takes viewers on a tour of social support options across Boroondara. Rather than describing the programs from a single location, the video visits the places where the activities happen and shows people taking part.
Filming included Balwyn Evergreen Centre, Trentwood at the Hub, Hawthorn Community House, Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Council-run programs and BASScare. The presenter connects the locations and explains the activities available at each one, while footage of the groups gives viewers a direct sense of the experience.
Showing the range of support
The finished video covers exercise and strength programs, Tai Chi, chair yoga, art, books and poetry, life writing, music, iPad classes, craft, social outings and programs that can be joined from home. It also introduces Songhaven, a choir for people living with dementia, and culturally specific activities including Cantonese opera.
Just as importantly, the video explains the practical services that make participation easier. Viewers learn about door-to-door transport, the community bus and Council’s free aged-care navigation service, which helps residents explore their options and find a suitable group.
The result
The City of Boroondara now has a clear, welcoming video that turns an unfamiliar service category into something residents can see and understand. It brings multiple Council and community programs together in one concise resource while still showing the personality of the individual locations.
The presenter-led format also gives viewers a straightforward next step. Instead of expecting people to work through every option alone, the video explains that help is available to choose a group and organise transport.
Why this approach worked
Social support is easier to understand when people can see it in practice. By filming real activities in familiar community settings, the video shows that CHSP social support can mean many different things, from exercise and creative classes to outings, music and activities from home.
This project is an example of how government video production can make a public service easier to understand without relying on promotional language or abstract explanations.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne video production company established in 2002. Over the past two decades, he’s produced hundreds of videos for businesses, government departments, universities and healthcare organisations across Australia. Ryan specialises in helping organisations explain complex ideas through clear, engaging video content, with particular experience in corporate communications, training and education.
