Ashburn House Spring Newsletter

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Christadelphian Aged Care S P R I N G N E W S L E T T E R

ASHBURN HOUSE

Address: 20-34 Ashburn Place, Gladesville Phone: (02) 8876 9200

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Email: admin@chomes.com.au

Managers Message

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Welcome to Ashburn House

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

- Robin Williams Spring is the Birthday of the World 'Tis like the birthday of the world, When earth was born in bloom; The light is made of many dyes, The air is all perfume: There's crimson buds, and white and blue, The very rainbow showers Have turned to blossoms where they fell, And sown the earth with flowers.

- Thomas Hood

Hello to everyone Spring is here where has the time gone. Ashburn House will soon be undergoing re-furbishment. This will involve replacing all flooring on 1st floor of Nursing Home and new carpet in all common areas throughout the home, re-painting in all areas and upgrading bathrooms on the 1st floor of the Nursing Home and re-carpeting bedrooms on the ground floor and low care areas as rooms become vacant.

This will involve disruption from time to time. We will notify residents, relatives and staff when we are given the commencement dates. It should be in October 2014. Some residents may need to be relocated to different rooms when their rooms are being refurbished but we will give everyone involved plenty of notice before hand. I ask for your patience and apologise in advance for any inconvenience during this time.

We will be holding a Spring High Tea fund raising event on Saturday 25th October 2014 watch out for the flyers. Our fund raising this year will go towards purchasing mobile gardens so that those that can’t get outside, can have the gardens brought to them.

It is only four months to Christmas, so please keep an eye out in November when we will be displaying the dates for the Christmas Functions for each section.

Until then enjoy the new season.

Kind regards, Barbara Walsh

“For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

- Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Message from our CFO Can you remember a time when someone in your life showed you great kindness?

In my personal experience, the acts of kindness that stand out most haven’t been ‘a matter of life or death’ - they have been the help and consideration shown by people who put me first when they saw I needed a boost – when times were sad or my health was below par.

And it wasn’t just the kind action of itself; it was as much the thought of that help that counted – knowing that someone cared for me. So their actions and intentions came together – they lifted my spirits and boosted me. It felt like I wasn’t on my own in this burden, they were sharing my load. The kindness was uplifting and obvious to me. As Mark Twain once wrote, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”.

The kindness people have shown me, the kindness I hear of and see being shown to others around our troubled world, and the kindness that God shows me, motivates my life. Acts of kindness take the quality of our lives far above ‘survival of the fittest’.

One of Christadelphian Aged Care’s eight values is about Kindness. We describe this as ‘operating as Jesus did with kindness, integrity and respect’.

It doesn’t necessarily cost you anything to be kind. You can talk in a respectful way to each other, using the ‘golden rule’ to treat others as you would like to be treated. You can say thank you to someone who helps you. You can let someone through the door first. You can give someone a helping hand.

Related to this, another of Christadelphian Aged Care’s eight values is about Support. We describe this as ‘assistance for those in particular in need of help’. You can show support by spending some extra time with someone who is lonely, who hasn’t had visitors for a while. At CAC we can show support by providing care, assistance and accommodation to a resident in genuine financial difficulty.

And talking of Values: values are the things that people believe are important in the way they live and the way they work. Values direct our decisions, activities and behaviour as a group of people working together to provide care. We have focused on eight values in how we conduct ourselves which are summed up in the words: Kindness, Support, Excellence, Comfort, Atmosphere, Innovation, Compliance and Sustainable.

Our goal and desire is that our residents, visitors and families ‘see’ and ‘feel’ our Mission and Values in action, in what we all do each day at CAC. We can be so thankful for the dedication of our staff and our volunteer supporters. It means everything.

In being kind and supportive to each other we seek to enrich the quality of the lives of the people in our care by nurturing them through our compassion, service and comfortable living environment.

On the news each day, we see the terrible troubles being experienced by millions of people around the world suffering in civil wars, terrorism and from diseases including Ebola. Yet sadly too many times those with the resources to act watch on helplessly from the sidelines. It’s a great worry. This makes me look forward in hope to a promised day coming soon when the Lord Jesus Christ will visibly return to the earth and bring peace and healing to all humanity. That’s the great change that this world desperately needs.

In the meantime, I think the words of Charlie Chaplin sum things up. He said “We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.”

God bless you, Andrew O’Toole

News & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

4 Patricia Mc

2 Barbara F

6 Agnes B

5 Joyce G

6 Maria C 80th

6 Yvonne L

5 Joan W

18 Marjorie C

12 Christina C

8 Joyce D

19 Vera G

21 John M

9 Dorothy V

21 Berardino C 90th

25 Kathleen G

16 Evan S

21 Yee Ann L

26 Elsie W

24 Jack R

24 Marie Mc

26 Raymond L

26 Maryanne K

27 Prue Mc 29 Yuki K 20 Cecily C

SEPTEMBER 19th - Pfizer Day

OCTOBER 2nd - June Errington's Concert 25th - High Tea

NOVEMBER 28th - Spiritual Remembrance Day

You tickled my feet, And laughed at all my jokes.

You taught me to believe, In having high hopes.

When I scratched my knee, Or if I bumped my head.

When I was afraid of the dark, Or that thing under my bed.

When I cried in the night, Or even in the day.

You were there for me, To make it all okay.

You are my father You did what you had to do.

But more than a father You are my friend too.

You made everything good, That was once bad.

I just want you to know I love you Dad.

Leisure & Lifestyle Report

by Libby G

Spring is here! How delightful after all the good soaking rains in the past few weeks. It’s been lovely to have the days steadily growing longer without the evening darkness hanging around!

We have installed a rain gauge and weather vane in the Kimberley Gardens and it is a wonderful tool for residents to help measure the rain and has brought back memories for some who have had a gauge on their properties. In June, we measured 37 mm of rain and then for August total rainfall at Ashburn House at time of print was 186mm which converts to the old scale of almost eight inches for the month! Apparently, August 2014 has been the wettest for Sydney in fifteen years.

Ashburn House has been involved with many exciting events throughout winter beginning with hosting the yearly visit from St Ignatius students in June who undertook their week of Ignatian Service helping out with activities and learning about aged care. Once again students discovered many interesting things about residents they worked with regarding their history and life experience and again some of the lads expressed interest in visiting voluntarily regularly throughout the year.

Residents enjoyed a visit from the Get Wild Animal Experience man who brought in his “babies” consisting of a spotted python named Dot, bearded dragon named Betty and stick insects just to name a few. Our residents enjoyed holding these animals and were interested in the stories told about their habitats and environment when living in the wild.

Christmas in July, regular bus outings, entertainment, band practice, pet therapy dog visits as well as regular daily activities continue to be undertaken at Ashburn House along with weekly church services with strong attendances to all.

We do need to remind all visitors when you bring your family pet i.e. dogs in to visit; it is policy that the dog is brought in on a lead please. Pets are always welcome to visit Ashburn House and have an important place in residents’ lives.

We graciously and proudly welcome new staff member David Bourke to the Leisure and Lifestyle Team. David is a Diversional Therapist from the now defunct Chatswood Community Nursing Home and brings with him over ten years experience in aged care and we look forward to his integral role and input at Ashburn House.

On a note of Ashburn House history – June Chambers was the last resident to have resided at the old Ashburn House on this site prior to the rebuild.

We farewell volunteer Barry who has retired from his work and bus driving for Ashburn House.

A heads up for the Christmas parties, signs will be placed around the facility in November. Standard Care Unit - Kimberley and Daintree Tuesday 2nd December, Extra Services Unit - Katherine and Fitzroy Friday 5th December, Lowe Care Unit - Ku-Ring-Gai and Minnamurra Friday 12th December.

“Be thankful for those people who are able to rekindle your inner spirit”.

And another favourite that reminds me of the work we all do with our residents…

“If someone listens, or stretches out a hand or whispers a word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begins to happen.” Loretta Firzaris, AMERICAN EDUCATOR AND WRITER Condolences have been offered to the families of: June Chambers, Valerie Mann, Barry Lewis, Mira Vicelich, Helen Le Marne, John Fairfax, Marianne Crane, Lena Bruzzese, Phillip Charley and Christina Cerreto.

Fun Photos from Activities

Fun Photos from City2Surf

Fifteen staff members from Ashburn House took part in this year’s Sun Herald City to Surf Fun Run and had a blast! Junior from the kitchen tore up the bitumen in 82 minutes – amazing effort for a fourteen kilometre stretch!

Ishwor, Bishu, Hani, Joka and Polly all took on the running as well with the lads managing the run in an hour a half and the ladies did well to finish in two hours. As for the rest of us… well we cruised along enjoying the sights of colourful costumes from other contestants, musical entertainment from jazz, rock, goth, Mexican bands along the way.

At times we paused to wait for some of our team mates to catch up easy to do with our brilliant orange uniforms and it was fun to catch up with other people, various ones of us knew outside of work along the way!

People from all walks of life participated and when we hit “Heartbreak Hill” we did not feel sorry for ourselves when we witnessed a team of wheelchair sportsman working their way up that dreaded hill and overtaking us! We are pretty certain they finished the run before many of us!

The end was a welcome relief and several of us decided to link up to cross the finish together. We all met up at Bondi Beach at collapsed in a disorganised heap in the comfy sand, thrilled we made it to the end. Abdul decided to catch a bus before the finish as he bumped into a friend he hadn’t seen for a while and his result is ….. still to finish! Our star of the day was Asha who persisted in finishing with a greeting party of some of us to cheer her over the line.

A great day of comaderie, laughs and catching up in a wonderful social environment with all participants grateful and relieved at the end.

Resident Story - Joyce D Joyce was born in 1920 in Cowra, NSW where she grew up. She rode her horse, Minnie, to school everyday and if ever you ask Joyce what she’d like to be doing, she says unhesitatingly “I wish I was riding my horse right now.” She hated school and swears she was a shocking student (“I copied a lot, you know”) but confides that she was more successful than all the “clever” pupils and certainly had more fun than they did. She left school at 14 and because the local butchery refused to pay her the same wages as a male, she went to work in Bondi at a butcher. She became good at her job and had all her own knives. She got married at 19 to Don whom she met at a dance and together they had 2 children, Tom and Helen.

Joyce has travelled the world quite a bit, but by far her favourite place is Scotland. She found the people very friendly with lovely singing voices. She said she couldn’t sing, but she could dance for them – the Highland Fling!

She loves to have a smoke outside and admits she was crazy to take up the habit at the age of 50 but also says at her age at least she has something she enjoys! She’s planning on living to at least 100 as she wants her letter from the queen.

Thanks Joyce for sharing your story with everyone at Ashburn.

Cecil’s Corner Hello Everybody, Here we are at the tail end of winter with still some cold days and several residents with coughs and sneezes. Let us look ahead for warmer spring days ahead yet to come.

We have gained some new residents within our ranks and to our sorrow the loss of some but that is due to life in nursing and aged care. Thanks to God we have a beautiful home to grow old in.

Let us continue to help each and everyone in our daily life to assist others to a life of peace and safety with God in mind.

I shall leave you with a verse from a favourite hymn: “God is love: His mercy brightens all the path in which we rove; Though the darkness sometimes frightens, God is wisdom, God is love.”

- Cec Salmon

Pastoral Care ENCOURAGING OTHERS There's no doubt that people need encouragement. Just ask any counsellor or pastoral carer who deals with people, and you'll get the same answer. There are many hurt people who have nowhere to turn, or no friend to talk to. What about those who carry inside themselves hurt feelings or guilt or fears that they don't share with others? There are many like that who keep those feelings to themselves and don't want to talk about them. All around us there are people who are crushed by life and have nowhere to turn. Their marriage is falling apart or their financial affairs are in a mess and they're worried about their kids. Maybe their health is in jeopardy with some bad news from their doctor. Maybe they are lonely, grieving the loss of a loved one, or in the depths of depression, or unable to find a job. The tough experiences in life are on going.

That's why it's so important to be an encourager and lend a hand. God made us to mix with others. You were made for this connection, and there is a universal need to belong somewhere. From the moment we're born, we long for the warmth of love and acceptance from others. In the Bible we read Proverbs 17:22 which says "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength�. Maybe that's how you feel today, and you're very discouraged, unable to smile about life. That's the time you need someone to come alongside and bring encouragement, and that's when the church is so important. Church is different to other organisations, because you can be yourself and find encouragement from like minded people. A lot of people don't understand what Christianity is all about. It's about relationships with God and with other people. Jesus said "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment". A second is equally important, "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Mat. 22:37-39).

You may well ask "How do I encourage people?� The Bible has the answer to that. In verse 24 of Hebrews 10 it says "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds". Maybe you have a gift of encouragement and find it easy. That's really good, because God has given you that gift. Use it creatively. Others may find it a bit more difficult, and it won't happen unless we plan ahead. What's wrong with dropping a short note in the post or email someone with a brief message saying you're thinking about them? You'll be amazed at the result. Or use the phone to speak for a few minutes with that lonely friend you know who can't get out of the house. Sometimes the best way to encourage isn't through words at all it's through listening. It's by trying to understand the other person. Did you know that understanding is better than giving advice? Howard Hendricks made a wonderful statement once that went like this "You can Our deepest sympathies have impress people at a distance; you can only impact them up close. The gone out to the families who general principal here is this: the closer the personal relationship, the have lost their loved ones over greater the potential for impact", the idea of getting close to people and the Winter period. sharing with them. You can't do that from a distance. In fact, Scripture says we should do something special everyday. Hebrews 3:13 "

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Bereavements

Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness". Unless we do it each day, we can forget. Hidden opportunities for encouragement will surface only as we are sensitive to other people, and look out for those opportunities.

In Proverbs 12:25. It says "Worry weighs a person down. An encouraging word cheers a person up". Can you think of friends that have said the right word at the right time? It was as if God sent them to you, as an encourager.. - By Chris Witts

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Physio Corner WHY IS PHYSICAL EXERCISE SO IMPORTANT? Exercise is important at any age, but as you grow older, it is even more important to engage in regular activity. Regular exercise can improve your health, help prevent conditions that typically develop with age and some research suggests even extend your life expectancy!

When you become older your muscles can shorten and bones can become more brittle, and elderly people can quickly lose the balance and co-ordination that they once had. Staying active helps keep the body be flexible, and routines such as stretching will lengthen muscles and help prevent shortening and deterioration. Exercise can even reduce incidents of arthritis and osteoporosis by increasing bone density and range of motion.

Regular exercise also helps keep the heart muscle in shape. Exercising at even a light intensity will raise the heart rate and improve overall fitness. Light exercise can even help fight off common illness such as colds and flu by increasing respiratory intake.

Exercising also helps the heart by lowering blood cholesterol which can block arteries and reduce blood flow to vital organs. It doesn’t just stop there, because exercise is good for your brain and can even increase your mental focus and cognition!

If all the physical benefits of exercise aren’t enough, why not just exercise to feel good! Exercise is a natural mood enhancer. When you work out, the body releases endorphins that make you feel capable. If you are fighting the psychological effects of ageing, exercise may be the key to giving you your energy and drive back. Even a short walk can lift your spirits and help you soar through the day.

So why not come and join us for some of our great group exercises or ask for an exercise program to be tailored to your needs.

Please speak to your Physio Team if you have any questions.

Note: Please remember that it is always advisable to have the doctor assess you prior to any new exercise activity.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF LIFTING: • Think before you act

• Hold your head upright

• Move in close to the load

• Don’t twist your back

• Stabilise your stance • Secure your grip • If unsure, check weight • Use controlled movements • Where possible, maintain your spine’s natural curves

Volunteer Corner Over the last few months we have valued having a number of students from local schools giving our Home hours of community service for their school curriculum, their Year 10 work experience and for the Duke of Edinburgh Award. One commented his “experiences and lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life” and another said of a resident “making her feel good, putting a smile on her face” was something he would always remember. “I hope this was something that made her day better.” All our wonderful volunteers help raise the level of care we give to our residents and is very much appreciated.

We have said Good-bye to Kevin at Bronte Café as he continues with his studies, but welcome a number of ladies who have done a barista course and are enjoying putting it into practice for our residents. I hope they will be very happy with us.

L-R: Laura, Kevin & Lillian

Ashburn Spring

High Tea th

Saturday 25 October 10am - 1pm Come dressed for the occasion and enjoy delicacies, beautiful teas, cappuccinos and champagne & orange juice on arrival.

Listen to classical music and singing whilst you enjoy!

Held in Bronte Cafe & Gardens

a Gold Coin Donation event

The big annual event at Ashburn is going to be a Garden Party High Tea in October (best the weather be good!) and we’re looking forward to making our residents and their families feel really special. See you there!

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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 “The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers” - Terri Guillemets

Volunteer Profile - Ron Wiggins

It seems so long since I started volunteering with CAC at Ashburn House. I know I was volunteering at the facility in West Ryde before the new, rebuilt residence was open so I am thinking it has been eight or nine years.

The original idea of volunteering came a few years before, and Bob O’Toole suggested I could find some opportunities to use my newly learnt skills by involvement with aged care.

I said to someone the other day that I would not have met such interesting people from all areas of life, if I had not taken the chance and forgotten my inhibitions.

I suppose it all comes from a sense that I need to reach out to others who are hurting, or have been challenged by life, but I now find that I have learnt so much about interpersonal relationships that I would really miss not being able to visit for the small periods of time that I do spend there.

Finding the field of pastoral care was a complete surprise to me. I wanted to find an activity that would take me out of the house and have an interaction with others. I did not realise that I would become so wrapped up in the concept and I found the training and support of the trainers an opportunity to re-think my own life and relationships with family and people in my wider community. It is easy to be comfortable with my own belief system and critical of others, but I have found so many others that have as much and more dedication to the things they find meaningful, that I feel very humble to be in their presence.

When I look back on my life, I can remember always finding pleasure in speaking with others older than I. This may have been a lack of people in my own age bracket, but older people always had interesting stories to tell and the in-built wisdom is uplifting.

My work life revolved around survey drafting from drawing maps and plans to the legal side of searching for land titles and going out into the field and actually making the measurements. This came about by the insistence of my parents that I needed a secure government job.

I was born in Ashfield, moved at a young age, to Earlwood, attended Enmore Boys High School and just scraped a Leaving Certificate. I obtained a Surveying Certificate from Sydney Tech. College.

I met my wife, Joan, when we worked in the same office and then built a house in Thornleigh where we raised two boys and a girl. They are all married and our middle son and his wife have two very clever sons. (Well that is my opinion anyhow.)

Fortunately, working for the Forestry Commission and an electricity provider, I had time to extend the house with the aid of my middle son, and also to repair cars for my own family and other friends.

This came about because I obtained Journeyman Certificates in panel beating and spray-painting.

This made the move from Thornleigh to our small house in Stanhope Gardens, a little more traumatic as many car parts and broken tools had to be disposed of and building and painting jobs had to be completed before we could go to market with the house which we had lived in for forty three years.

I do feel blessed to have spent all my life amongst a group of Christians that have shown me a caring God and allowed me to see that we all have a need to be loved and listened to. This is the only way I can put the story together and to make any sense out of the early learning of working with numbers and measures of accuracy which has now led me into the area of personal growth and interaction which seems very much something that is hard to measure.

Read, Rest & Relax!

With Age comes skills.

It’s called Multi-tasking.

I can LAUGH, COUGH, SNEEZE AND PEE all at the same time!

Hummingbird Cake

• 3/4 cup plain flour

• 3/4 cup self-raising flour • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar • 450g can crushed pineapple in juice, drained, reserving 1/3 cup juice • 1/2 cup desiccated coconut • 1 cup mashed banana • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1/2 cup extra light olive oil • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped CREAM CHEESE FROSTING • 125g cream cheese, softened • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar Serves 12

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1.Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease 23cm square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.

2.Sift flours, soda, cinnamon and sugar into a large bowl.

Stir in pineapple, reserved juice, coconut, banana, egg, oil and 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

4. Make cream cheese frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Gradually add icing sugar. Beat until smooth.

Spread frosting over top of cake.

Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve.

Spot the Differences There are 10 differences between the two images in the French scene below.

Circle what is missing from the right hand picture.

Can you find all 10?

Artist in Paris

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