Chamberlain Gardens Autumn 2015 Newsletter

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Christadelphian Aged Care A U T U M N N E W S L E T T E R

CHAMBERLAIN GARDENS

Address: 53-67 Chamberlain Rd, Wyoming NSW 2250 Phone: (02) 4329 8000 Email: admin@chomes.com.au

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Managers Message

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Welcome to Chamberlain Gardens

Look long and hard at people who live lovingly.

Notice how beautifully they age.

Notice how relevant their wealth or status is.

Notice how much other people want to be in their presence.

Notice how they smile. nnn

“When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.

Job 29:24

Welcome to our Autumn newsletter. Christmas is now long behind us and we are now well and truly in the swing of 2015. However I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came to our Christmas parties and Drinks and Nibbles night and all the staff who made these special occasions so enjoyable. We have some lovely photos and great memories of all the fun and excitement.

As many of you would be aware one of our long standing visiting doctors, Dr James has left to move interstate and we wish him well in his new home. I’m delighted to welcome our new visiting doctor Dr Raya Grishina-Gunn who is a female doctor with many years experience and who also practices at the Mingara Medical Centre. She has taken over the care of all of Dr James residents.

We continue to make improvements to our home and with the use of the new lounges in both Horizon and Coastal we will be putting up new signage with their new names. We have also been upgrading our computer system with the addition of computers, security system, with the addition of external flood lights, CCTV coverage and the automatic locking of the front door at 6pm rather than 8pm.

We continue the improvements to our garden areas with a water feature out the front of the home surrounded by some bright foliage. Thank you to our volunteers who have also been assisting with the garden improvements. We have also extended our Physiotherapy service to cover 4 days per week with the addition of another Physiotherapist to assist Paul with the busy program.

Welcome to Kevin Mantell originally form the UK who has extensive experience both here and in the UK. We recently had an unannounced visit from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency which normally occurs one or two times per year. They fed back to us that they really enjoyed talking with residents, families and staff and reviewed many of our systems. They confirmed that Chamberlain Gardens provides excellent quality care in full compliance with the Standards and observed our staff to be very caring, respectful and knowledgeable which reflects Christadelphian Aged Care’s Mission and Values of providing excellent quality care and why we are here. I am proud to be working with such a great team.

We had another reason to celebrate recently. One of our loved residents Gwen Alexander turned 100, receiving letters from the Queen, Prime Minister, Governor General amongst others. Gwen celebrated with family, friends, residents and staff. A fantastic achievement! Congratulations Gwen.

We were also honoured to be visited by our local Federal MP Karen McNamara recently who presented us with a new Australian Flag. She was very impressed with our home and enjoyed meeting our residents and staff so much that she said we wanted to come back soon and meet more of our residents.

We also celebrated the achievements and ongoing high standard of care provided by one of our Team Leaders Colin Wood who was awarded the February Certificate of Appreciation Award for consistently reflecting our values of excellent quality care. Congratulations Colin and well done.

We look forward to all the interesting and exciting programs planned for the next few months. As always if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns please don’t hesitate to speak to our staff or to me at any time. Blessings, Bev Moss

Birthdays & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS MARCH

APRIL

MAY

Garden

Garden

Garden

2 Agnes D

5 Val G

4 Val F

3 Connie B

13 Lynette M

24 Mervyn E

7 Mary B

17 Paul J

28 Frances S

9 Cyril P

26 Hunter W

29 Pat C

8 Betty M

MARCH 11th - Resident Meeting 9.30am Horizon Function Room 28th - The Minstrels Concert 1.30pm

APRIL 24th - Friends for Life 10.30am & 1.30pm

29 Pat C

MAY 6th - Memorial Service for Past Residents 10.30am Coastal Lounge 20th - The Joel Magic World Show 2pm

Coastal

Coastal

Coastal

3 Joyce P

17 Marjorie C

14 Betty D

Horizon

27 Stella A

15 Estelle P

1 John A

Horizon

25 Paul F

9 Noela D

11 Beryl K

Horizon

14 Marcia G

5 Wilma B

16 Myrtle A

10 Raymond H

17 Val W

13 Robyn B

19 Rita L

13 Gwenethe C

26 Norma T

14 May L

Happy 100th Birthday

Gwen Alexander

Activity Reviews DECEMBER December was a hectic month starting with the Memorial Service which was attended by the past resident families, staff and residents. These services are held twice a year and are a way for everyone to remember and seek closure. Some residents have been living here at Chamberlain for a number of years, and this has an emotional affect on both residents and staff when one passes away. As a memorial we plant a native shrub in the garden, as a living memory.

There were a number of concerts held during the month of December. The residents were entertained

by Evan Haswell, The Gals, Suzy J, Jerry Wall, Makin Music, Mark Wheatley and Jan Hillier.

We were kept busy with the Residents Christmas Parties. Garden and Coastal’s parties were held on Wednesday 10th December, the residents enjoying a beautiful lunch and drinks followed by a visit from Santa, and after lunch entertained by a concert. Horizon held their Christmas Party on Wednesday 17th December. A lot of hard work goes into holding these parties, so I would just like to thank the kitchen staff, nurses, maintenance, volunteers and lastly the RAO’s for their hard work and for making the parties enjoyable for all the residents.

Thursday 18th December, we held our annual Christmas Family and Residents Drinks night. This night was a huge night with over 200 people attending. It was so nice to see the extended families that came on the night, and it is now an evening which holds lots of smiles and lasting memories. Santa paid a visit and handed out lolly bags for the many children that attended.

The residents and families were entertained by a choir made up of staff, volunteers and family members. They sang a medley of Christmas Carols and sounded amazing.

A big thank you must go to Liz McKay for organising the choir.

T h a n k yo u o n c e again to the activity staff, volunteers, Ross & Pete, the kitchen staff, nursing staff for a great evening.

Our Christmas Raffle was won by family member Ian Preston, which was lovely as Ian had lost his mother who was a resident here a week prior to the raffle being drawn. Second prize went to Dorothy Corley, who was on respite. We raised $960 from the raffle and cupcakes Leah had made for staff and residents to buy. All proceeds are going to our chosen charity “Camp Breakaway”.

Residents & Family Drinks Photos

Activity Reviews DECEMBER CONTD Every year we are lucky enough to have some Activity Assistants come and work over the Christmas Holidays. These young adults have just completed Year 12 or are in Year 11. This year we were lucky enough to have four work at Chamberlain Gardens. Shannon McKay, Reuben Ryan, Isabella Elton and Jarrod Collins helped with activities, sat and talked with residents, gave hand massages, took residents for walks, helped in the dining rooms and assisted residents. Both residents and staff became very attached to these young people and we wish them all the very best of luck in the future.

Monday 8th December, we were visited and entertained by 15 children from the MET school.

These children sang to the residents, and after the concert they introduced themselves to the residents and took the time to sit and talk with them. They will be coming to visit later in the year.

We encourage schools to visit, as this is beneficial for both resident and child.

Earlier in the month we were invited to attend a concert at Valley View Primary School, this was a great morning with the children also putting on a morning tea before the concert. We will be having a group of Year 6 leaders from Valley View Primary School coming to play games and interact with the residents next term. This is something we have done in the past, and has proved to be very beneficial with resident and children making firm friendships.

JANUARY We have some amazing volunteers here a Chamberlain Gardens. I was saying to one of our volunteers that I would like to get someone to build me a potting table, so residents can strike cuttings and participate in an outdoor activity; volunteer Alison Druitt said she would ask her husband, Ken. With some pictures downloaded from the internet showing what I would like, Ken presented us with an amazing table which we have put to good use already. The residents have been striking cuttings, which we eventually will transfer into the facility gardens and sell to resident families and staff. A very big thank you to Ken for giving up your time to build this table.

Throughout January, the residents have enjoyed many a bus outing to locations around the coast, but the most popular outings would have to be the Fish & Chip Bus outings. Residents from Horizon have also been going Ten Pin Bowling, and today are going on a Ferry Cruise around the Brisbane Waters.

Wednesday 14th January we held our first Residents Meeting for the year. These meetings are for the Residents and Families to attend, they are held bi-monthly and the next meeting will be held March 11th at 9.30am in the Function Room. Anyone wishing to attend is most welcome.

Jerry Wall entertained the residents for Australia Day, and the residents enjoyed a morning tea of Lamingtons, Australian themed quiz’s and sing a longs.

Activity Reviews FEBRUARY We recommenced our Combined Men’s BBQ, this month, which are held in the Garden Courtyard. The BBQ was cooked by the Activity team and the residents enjoyed a beer or soft drink while enjoying sausages, marinated chicken, potato bake and a tossed salad. This is a popular activity and a chance for the men folk to meet from other area’s and engage in “Men Talk”.

The residents were entertained by “Singing Hands”, who are a group who sign along to music, and entertainer Julz.

Feet Fitters came to us on Saturday 28th February. They specialise in selling shoes for Men and Women that are comfortable, Orthopaedic and are medical grade shoes. We have had Feet Fitter’s at the facility a number of times, the shoes are of good quality and have been supported by residents, family and staff.

Foot Spa

Knitting Group

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Pet Therapy Coastal

Happy Birthday Maria Humphries

Japanese Gardens

Resident Story - Paul Felton Paul was born in Mosman, Sydney in 1915, an only child as his parents separated when he was two years old. Paul attended Mosman Primary School and then continued his education attending Shore College.

World War 2 had started when Paul had finished school, so he enlisted at the age of 17; his age was discovered and in Paul’s words he was “Turfed Out”. Paul started working for Philips radio and electronic company in Sydney which was a protected industry during the war.

Paul attended University after the end of World War 2. He studied Physics and Maths, completing a Bachelor of Science, and was wanting to get a position with the CSIRO but was not able to, as he did not get honours, so bought himself a Motor Garage in Manly. Paul said he spent the first two weeks walking around in a shirt and tie and he wasn’t getting any work, so he went out and bought himself a pair of overalls and this was the turning point to what was a successful business! Paul taught himself to spray paint, panel beat and to become a mechanic and kept the business for 18 years.

Paul invested in shares after selling the garage and did very well until the stock market crashed in 2007. Paul said he lost 1/3 of his assets but has since managed to build up his shares again.

Paul married his first wife Betty and they proceeded to have three daughters. The marriage broke down and Paul went on to marry his current wife Helen.

Paul has always enjoyed boats and built his first canoe out of a piece of corrugated iron, which he had panel beaten the ripples out of. Paul had lots of fun in this until he decided to make a mast out of a broom stick and using a towel as a sail, set sail at Serious Cove, got caught by a gust of wind, the canoe sank and Paul had to swim back to shore. Paul went on to build 34 boats; his last being a 28ft Compass named “Epsilon”. Paul was a member of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, and enjoyed many a day sailing around Sydney Harbour, Pittwater and down to Wollongong.

Paul said he found sailing more interesting than football or cricket, as you had to learn to cope with all weathers and it was exciting.

Paul retired to Nelson Bay as said the harbour was getting too busy; he and his wife Helen lived there for 15 years, then moved to Newcastle and finally the Central Coast.

Paul and Helen have travelled extensively throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Europe. They enjoyed a train trip from France to Italy which Paul said he really enjoyed. Paul visited Russia briefly, but was not very impressed with the country.

Paul is a grandfather and great g r a n d f at h e r. H e s a i d h i s highlight in life has been his boating life. I asked Paul had there been many lowlights and he said not many. Paul said “life has been good to me, I have no complaints”.

Staff Profile - Colin Wood Colin was born in Braidwood, NSW and is the youngest of four children. At the age of 1, Colin moved with his family to Canberra where he spent his Primary School years. At 10 years of age, Colin and family moved to Peakhurst, Sydney where Colin attended a Public Boys School at Narwee. This school has now been bulldozed to make way for shops.

Upon leaving school, Colin had wanted to study nursing but it wasn’t the fashionable thing to do in those days and Colin was ribbed by his mates so he started an apprenticeship with a Landscape Gardening company and was with them until the company closed. Colin then went on to work for a Meat Export Company (Angliss) in North Sydney. Colin said he enjoyed this employment as it entailed field work inspecting other meat works, planes and ships that were in port.

It was during this time that Colin met his wife Deb. They married in 1980 and moved to Tascott, Central Coast. Colin and Deb spent the first twelve months of married life backpacking around the world. Upon arriving back to Australia, Colin started work with Repco where he worked for 23 years and moved to a private workshop for 5 years. Colin had had enough of the car industry and decided to follow his dream of becoming a nurse. Colin started at Chamberlain Gardens on 16th November 2007 as a Cert 3 working in Coastal, then completed his Cert 4 and is currently Team Leader in Garden.

Colin is the proud father of a boy and girl and the doting grandfather of three little girls. Colin has enjoyed spending his spare time running and has competed in 23 marathons and is a founding member with the Terrigal Trotters Club. Colin also enjoyed playing basketball for 35 years and made State Champion. Now days, because of a few creaky bones, Colin enjoys swimming and cycling.

Colin is also a volunteer with the “Friends of the Strickland Forest Land” care group.

Last year, Colin and Deb enjoyed a trip to New Zealand, which they both enjoyed and found to be a very pretty country. This year brings exciting changes for Colin and Deb with the building of a new house.

SPOTLIGHT ON A VOLUNTEER - Heather Gibson Heather Gibson has volunteered with us in Garden, our Dementia Specific secure unit since June 2014. Before becoming a volunteer, Heather was busy working at Scholastic where she spent 33years in different supervisory roles. Heather is married to Stephen who she has persuaded to volunteer here one day a week as well. Heather has 3 children and 4 grandchildren. Heather first choose Chamberlain Gardens as it was close to home and she thought it sounded like a good fit. Her experience has exceeded her expectations and she tells me she has grown in empathy, realising how everybody is so different and their needs so varied. Heather said the biggest reward is watching the residents “come alive”. She said assisting people and seeing them suddenly “just get it” is so fulfilling and rewarding. One of Heathers favourite activities is Bingo and the other one is singing. Heather says ”When Harry starts to sing ‘Hey Little Hen’ and open up it makes me smile”.

The best thing Heather told me during our little chat was that, “I didn’t realise volunteering was something I needed to do”. Sometimes we don’t know what opportunities and rewards await us until we reach out to others. Thank you, Heather. Your energy and enthusiasm, your empathy and your willingness to see the individual, make a huge difference in the resident’s lives and we love having your bubbly personality and positivity brighten up our days.

Pastoral Care THE 10 COMMANDMENTS The 10 Commandments. What are they? Most people have probably heard of them, either from Sunday School or church days, or recall the 1956 film "The Ten Commandments", the Cecil B deMill spectacular motion picture, the account of liberation from slavery of the Hebrew people, led by Moses.

But today how many people can recite the 10 Commandments?

Are they still relevant today? Are they a relic from the past?

One of the problems with the 10 Commandments is we see them as a list of "do's and don'ts". Are they a list of infringements and restrictions? Is God a divine tyrant who issued a list of rules to keep an eye on us? No - nothing could be further from the truth. They were not given by a God to satisfy His need to manipulate our lives‌ they are statements of principle which give an expression to an idea. They were first addressed to the people of Israel as they left Egyptian slavery, and moved out into freedom as a community under God. That's why He issued the rules - they moved out of bondage into servanthood of God's rule. They had changed masters ..no longer under slavery of Pharaoh. And the living God wanted to give them some principles of behaviour to help them. It was an attempt to express what a community under God looks like. That's why the Ten Commandments have a dual focus - relationship with God and with our fellow human beings.

The people of Israel started to learn about God as a loving God who wanted them to be free .. and that's the wonderful message about these rules. They are designed for our freedom and happiness. They provide some security ..But there's more to it than that. God's Ten Commandments bring order to our world, in any generation. They are not just a set of out-dated laws for a former generation. They are still relevant for us today. After all, what is the basis of morality? Who can be sure of what is right and what is wrong?

There are lots of opinions on these big issues ..Thousands of years ago, God gave man a plan for order within society, a plan for mortality and ethics that would guide mankind down through the centuries.

They are His ideas, not the prejudices of man, or based on the latest popularity polls or what a particular government wants. It's what God wants. The basis of the Ten Commandments is God Himself, and if taken seriously, they work. They work because He knows man, and knows what we need to live a fulfilled and orderly life.

When Moses came down off Mt Sinai, we read in Exodus 20 "He told the people what the Lord has said. God said to the people of Israel I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Our deepest sympathies have Egypt where you were slaves" (1-2). They are true statements, the gone out to the families who basic laws that govern our lives and our society. They show us how have lost their loved ones over to live together in love, joy and peace. It's wonderful to know God the Summer period. loves us so much He speaks to us. Despite our rejection, and rebellion, God cares for us. He has communicated with us, telling us how to live.

He spoke and gave the law to man .. God did not leave man in the dark, wondering how he is to live. We don't have to stumble around in the dark groping after truth, wondering how we can bring reconciliation to the world, wondering how to please God. So, more than just speaking to Moses, he saw fit to pass on His law written down for man. He has communicated the 10 nnn Commandments, so we will always know how to live with Him and with others. - By Chris Witts

Bereavements

Volunteer Corner Christmas has come and gone and the volunteers enjoyed a lovely volunteer Christmas lunch with a special visit from Santa and the opportunity for management and staff to acknowledge their contribution and wish them well for the Christmas Season. The New Year has brought us the safe return of our regular volunteers and some fantastic opportunities for our new recruits. Thank you to all our volunteers, old and new for your dedicated service and passion for Aged Care.

It was wonderful to have the provision of 4 extra “Activity assistants” over the Dec-Jan period. It allowed us to maintain strong activity programs over the holiday period as well as have many more one on one resident visits and some of our regular volunteers took the opportunity to take a holiday in January.

After running a church service at short notice in January, some of the residents requested that we have a regular bible reading and prayer group. After consultation with management and a few trial areas, we have settled in the Coastal Lounge Room at 10am most mornings. We read around, two chapters of the bible (at the moment we are in Mark), we have some wonderful discussion, a cup of tea and we pray together to start our day off on a spiritual footing. This has been extremely well attended with regulars from all three sections of the home coming along.

We have had as many as ten people, with a regular roll up of 6 to 8 people. One of my regular ladies said it has been “an answer to prayer!”

We are very grateful for some large donations of wool from residents families which the Knit and Chat group is busily knitting into squares, which volunteer Theresa then patiently sews together to make blankets which we donate to Coast Shelter in Gosford.

I am still looking for a volunteer, a few hours a week, for our “Broadband for Seniors” computer kiosk, located in the top floor lounge room as you exit the lift. This role involves assisting our interested residents to access and navigate basic computer programs such as email, google and word.

In every area of our home Volunteers continue to help improve the quality of the residents lives entrusted to our care. We are extremely blessed to have such a dedicated and diverse group and it is a pleasure getting to know you all personally as we work together toward a common goal.

If you are interested in joining the Volunteer program, please do not hesitate to contact me: Liz McKay on 0435 785 244 or lmckay@chomes.com.au Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator

Read, Rest & Relax!

SENIOR JOKES

An elderly man was having hearing problems and went to see a specialist. The doctor fitted him with some hearing aids that brought his hearing back to full strength. After a few weeks, the man came back to make sure the new equipment was working properly, which it was. The hearing specialist said, “It all seems perfect. Your family should be delighted you can hear everything now.”

“Oh no,” the man responded. “I haven’t told any of them. I just sit quietly, listening carefully. I’ve changed my will four times.”

EXERCISES FOR OVER 50S • Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

• With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

• Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.

• Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

• After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

sides

Hot Cross Muffins • 135g dried cranberries • 1 cup currants • 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 2/3 cup sunflower oil • 1 cup buttermilk • 2 eggs • 200g caster sugar, plus extra 2 tablespoons • 80g icing sugar • 1 teaspoon lemon juice Makes 12

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12hole muffin tray and line with paper cases.

2. Soak dried fruit in just enough boiling water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain well, then pat dry with paper towel.

3. Sift the flour, soda and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and sugar until combined. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in the fruit.

Divide the mixture among muffin cases, then bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, place the extra 2 tablespoons sugar in a pan with 2 tablespoons water and simmer over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the muffins.

5. Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice and just enough hot water to make a thick, pipable icing. Use a piping bag or drizzle from a spoon to draw a cross on each muffin, then serve.

Word Search Find and circle all of the words relating to Easter that are hidden in the grid.

Disclaimer: All photos and stories have been published with consent of relatives and residents involved. Thank you for your submissions.