Southhaven Autumn 2015 Newsletter

2 0 1 5

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

SOUTHHAVEN Address: 11 Queensbury Rd, Padstow Heights

z

Phone: (02) 9782 6010

Email: admin@chomes.com.au

Managers Message

z

Welcome to Southhaven

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! The silly season has come and gone and we are back to start a fresh new year with excitement.

We are happy to announce that Riverside (Hostel) renovations are scheduled for completion in May 2015. Treetops (Nursing Home) will commence building works in early 2016. As Head Office has now moved to 1 Arab Rd Padstow, the old administration buildings will be demolished. This will take place in March 2015 to make way for the link between Riverside and Treetops. We apologies for any inconvenience caused as a result of these building works thus far and thank you for all your patience and understanding. Future developments affecting you will be communicated when needed.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Kim Howard and the staff in Riverside as they have had to work in difficult conditions over the past 2 years whilst the renovations have been in progress.

Thank you to all those families that were able to attend our 2014 Christmas Cocktail Party, we hope you enjoyed the evening. The kitchen always put on a great spread which never disappoints. The cocktail party is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better. We hope to see you again this year; invitations will be sent out later in the year. Please see calendars and flyers displayed regarding upcoming events and planned meetings.

March is the recommended time to receive the flu vaccination. We have ordered the vaccinations and they will be given to residents who have a signed consent form. If you have not returned the consent form could you please do so ASAP. We kindly ask that you refrain from visiting if you have a cough or cold as this will help protect our residents’ from falling ill. If you are unable to stay away please ask the RN on duty for a face mask. Hand washing on entry and when exiting the facility is also a great way to prevent the spread of illness.

If you have any concerns or issues please feel free to come and see me as my door is always open. Regards. Peter Jessing

“Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself” - Og Mandino

Birthdays & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS TREETOPS (NURSING HOME) MARCH APRIL MAY 3 Christina Z

6 Lillian T

14 Jean G

7 John M

8 Margery B

22 Elsa O

16 Rocco S

19 Shirley R

22 Margaret P

18 June S

26 Judith H

25 Mavis B 28 Barry H 30 Felice D 31 Irene C

MARCH

RIVERSIDE (HOSTEL) APRIL 16 Adrian H

MAY

4 Rita B 8 Judith W 9 Doreen M 14 Edith M

H a p p y

E a s t e r

TREETOPS

MARCH 17th - St Patrick’s Day 19th - Club Outing 20th - Greyhound Club Seniors Week Concert 25th - Harmony Day Celebrations 31st - Club Outing

APRIL 2nd - Easter Celebrations 28th - Club Outing 29th - Entertainment

MAY 1st - Mother’s Day Celebrations High Tea 13th - Entertainment 26th - Club Outing

RIVERSIDE

MARCH Harmony Day

APRIL Easter Hat Parade

MAY Floral Arrangements

Activity Reviews DECEMBER

Resident’s Christmas Party

Christmas is a special time of year to remember those who are close to our hearts! Christmas is a time for beloved traditions that are honoured year after year. A time of hope for the future and reminiscing of Christmases past. As we rejoice in the birth of Christ, we're reminded of just how special the day truly is. It's no wonder why Christmas is the most popular time of all!

Over the Christmas period, residents at Southhaven Nursing Home enjoyed various activities to help with our Christmas display. We also enjoyed carol singing on Christmas Eve and not to forget our Santa Claus who visited us with lots of gifts followed by different kind of entertainment…

Special thanks to Dr. Cameron for playing the bag pipe for our residents who very much enjoyed it.

Thank you for all our staff who worked really hard to make this day a happy day for our beloved residents.

JANUARY

Australia Day - On Australia Day we come together as a

nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we are proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to recommit to making Australia an even better place for the future.

On Monday 26th January, our residents at Southhaven Nursing Home had a great time celebrating Australia Day with staff and with their loved ones as well. The day started with a beautiful morning tea where the residents enjoyed eating their dampers and lamingtons while they listening to beautiful Australians country music.

After our morning tea, we started preparing for our fun games from cricket to colouring to quiz, reminiscing and learning more about our land Australia! Not to forget our lovely lunch that each and every resident enjoyed a lot while eating their OZ food from meat pie to mashie peas and drinking beer and wine while listening to all kind of Australian music.

Our residents were so thrilled with the way we decorated our nursing home… it made them feel so proud of their country Australia. Thank you to all staff who worked so hard to make this day memorable for each and every resident.

Activity Reviews FEBRUARY

Valentine’s Day - Now the time has to be come to share

your feelings with your loved ones. Valentine’s Day is the festival of love and is symbol of love and eternity!

Here at Southhaven Nursing Home, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with our residents who enjoyed the romance through the beautiful flowers, the taste of our nibbles, drinks and chocolates. Watching their faces shinning wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. This is what our residents were telling us while watching them having a blast swinging and singing along with the love songs they were listening to. Their happy faces was telling us that love in your heart was not put there to stay, love is not love till you give it away.

Activity Reviews BUS OUTINGS Its 2015 and we have been to some great places on our bus outings such as Chipping Norton Lakes, Burnum Burnum, and East Hills Park and many more.

CHIPPING NORTON LAKES There are two traditional custodians of the Chipping Norton Lakes area – the Tharawal people, which inhabited the southern side of the Georges River, and the Darug people to the north and west of the River. Thomas Moore was granted waterfront land that is now part of the park. 'The Homestead' within the reserve grounds was built in the 1880s. Apparently the town was named for Chipping Norton in England.

We stopped here for morning tea to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

BURNUM BURNUM (10 January 1936 – 18 August 1997) was an Australian Aboriginal activist, actor, and author. He was born a Woiworrung and Yorta Yorta man at Wallaga Lake in southern New South Wales and was christened Harry Penrith but took the name of his great grandfather, which means Great Warrior.

A newly renovated park surrounded by bushland and water, this park is fast becoming a very popular place for kiddies and carers to wile away the day. It has plenty of space in which to run around, a large bike track, sheltered picnic tables, BBQ areas, climbing equipment, slides, swings, a flying fox and a large rope climb. This park also has a new toilet block, lots of parking and even has a bridge which makes a perfect platform for people to sit and watch the ducks swim in the creek. We saw many birds such as Ducks, Ibis, Plovers, Indian Miners, magpies and others.

It was also here that RAO Colleen and bus driver Carlton had a bet (not for money) on whether it would rain on such a beautiful sunny day. Carlton thought no not at all and Colleen thought yes. Her evidence was, the dark clouds building up. It rained, not for long but it did rain. Lesson learnt - never bet against a sure thing.

EAST HILLS PARK East Hills Park is located on the Georges River and is a beautiful spot for a picnic or get together.

Many of the residents enjoyed our beautiful and idyllic surroundings. One resident commented, “This is Gods creation, and is marvellous to look upon and sing....”

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, he made their glowing colours, he made their tiny wings, all things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all.

Lunch was a hot beverage, a selection of sandwiches, fruit and cake. One cake that was appreciated the most was a Raspberry and White Chocolate cake, which melted in the mouth and was a delight to the senses, giving joy and pleasure with every bite. From the residents and staff, a big thank you to Vanya for packing such a beautiful cake in our cool bag, and compliments also to the chef. The day ended with our customary ice cream at Maccas by Bankstown airport watching the small planes take off into the afternoon sky.

Resident Story - Mavis Beale Mavis has been a resident of Southhaven Nursing home for 10 years now.

Mavis was born on 25th May 1922, the eldest of four children.

Her parents were English. (“Mavis was always in a hurry, even arriving three weeks before her due delivery date”.)

School was eventful, if she was dared to do anything, she did it.

After school she worked at a sports store in Sydney; at her usual speed going down the steps there, she managed to knock over a row of bicycles!!

Mavis met her husband Jack at Tennis where they were “A” grade players and decided to marry. Two daughters ensued, who come to see her now.

Mavis worked for Rockdale Florist and she loves all flowers to this day. She also prepared afternoon tea at Rockdale Bowling Club for some years.

After being widowed at 69 years old, Mavis has lived at Bexley, Lakemba, Roselands, Yagoona and now resides at Southhaven.

Activity Assistant Program During the Summer months, we had a few young people join the team for the Activities Assistant Program. This program is offered to the Christadelphian youth giving experience and insight into our Aged Cared facilities. Here are some of their reflections:

I had an excellent time at Southhaven Nursing Home. Immediately when you start working there, you realise how easy it is for us to help out in the nursing home and brighten the residents’ day. Even if it is simple things like sitting down and having a chat, they love every minute of it. You can tell how much they appreciate the extra hands and also to see some fresh faces. I loved hearing the residents’ stories about growing up, working and home life and going off to war, it made me pretty thankful for the cruisy life that I have even more. The highlight of my time at the nursing home would have been when we did Happy Hour for the residents. They all thought it was hilarious to be sitting back and having a beer whilst listening to music from the 40's-60's, classic fun times - Jesse Bruce

I had a fantastic time at the homes. I was faced with some interesting challenges and enjoyable moments.

I enjoyed doing activities and talking with the residents and learning how they grew up and each of their stories.

The staff were great and very encouraging. My highlight would have to be hearing all the residents stories about what it was like when they where young - so different from today!

It was a great experience and I would be glad to do it again. - Michaela Teal

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

“What you do makes a difference.

You have to decide what difference you want to make.”

We seem to be racing through this year with some much happening, but so little time to catch up with each other. I thought of welcoming you to volunteering in 2015 but by March, that sounds ridiculous! Still, it’s a delight to have so many willing hands and happy faces around our facility which contribute in so many ways. I’d especially like to welcome the new volunteers this year, and I hope they enjoy their work and are fulfilled in the time they give to our residents.

We welcome Wendy to the staff at Southhaven as the new Volunteer and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator. She comes highly recommended and will be working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Cathy will be based at Casa Mia and Ashburn House going forward.Our eLearning for volunteers isn’t ready for the moment, so we have scheduled two face-toface sessions of education (15 April and 15 October 2015) to be held at the Southhaven Meeting Room, led by our wonderful Yvonne.

God Bless, Cathy Strachan If you are interested in joining the Volunteer program, please do not hesitate to contact me: Cathy Strachan on 0435 814 411 or cstrachan@chomes.com.au Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator

Mother’s Ode A child “honours” their Mother through the years At 4 years - Mummy can do everything At 7 years - My Mum knows a lot At 9 years - Mum doesn’t know everything At 12 years - of course Mum wouldn’t know that At 15 years - The old lady wouldn’t have a clue At 17 years - Mum! She’s too old fashioned At 21 years - well, she knows a lot, but not everything At 25 years - I might just listen to what Mum has to say At 30 years - first, I’ll ask Mum’s advice At 45 years - my mother knew literally everything At 60 years - I wish I could discuss this with Mum

THE ROSEBUD It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of His design But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I; The rose God opens so sweetly in my hands would fade and die.

If I cannot unfold the rosebud, the flower of His design What makes me think I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust him for his leading each moment of every day And I’ll look to Him for courage each step of the pilgrim way.

For the path that lies before me, my heavenly Father knows; I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments Just as He unfolds the rose.

- Anonymous

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.