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Christadelphian Aged Care S P R I N G N E W S L E T T E R
CASA MIA
Address: 28 Alma Road, Padstow NSW, 2211
For as the earth brings forth its
sprouts
and as
a garden causes
what is sown in it to
sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and
praise
to sprout up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:11
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Phone: (02) 8707 6010
Email: admin@chomes.com.au
Manager’s Message
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Welcome to Casa Mia
Dear Families, Spring is nearly upon us and it will be so nice to see some warmer weather and say goodbye to winter. As you are aware, we have seen a number of residents with Influenza in recent weeks despite receiving the Flu Vaccine. During this time we liaised on a daily basis with the Public Health Unit and took advice from them in regards to managing this outbreak. This was a difficult time for everyone and we thank you for your support and understanding. While spring is now here it does not mean that the Flu Season is over. We would ask that if you are unwell that you please do not visit your loved one to help prevent a further outbreak. We also ask that you wash your hands with hand sanitiser when entering and leaving the Home. During the outbreak I sent messages via SMS to keep you updated on our progress during this time. Only one family member for every resident was contacted during this time. If you did not receive one and would like to be added to this group message please give your details to Reception Staff. We will be having an ‘Outback BBQ’ on Wednesday, October 12 in the late afternoon. Please pencil the date into your diaries as we would love to see you there. You will shortly see signs up to remind you. Wishing all the Dad’s a Happy Fathers Day. Kind Regards, Sharon Fletcher
News & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
3 Ken H
1 Gloria M
2 Zivko V
4 Shirley McQ
3 Geoff M
4 Jack H
6 Brian W
11 Olive E
6 Christina B
10 Judith B
12 Nina S
14 Aubigney T
13 Albert T
13 Margaret W
15 Stamatia N
24 Fred B
15 Geraldine L
17 Bill C
16 Helena D
18 Nancy M
17 Jean C
20 June D
17 Faye S
22 Jean A
22 Yvonne E
26 Ray McM
28 Wen C 29 Brian L 29 Lillian A 30 Betty C
Family and Carers of residents are invited to a FAMILY MORNING TEA When: 2nd Wednesday of every month - 10:30am Where: Casa Mia Garden Gazebo Looking forward to seeing you there for a social chat and/or support if you need it. Cathy Strachan - 0435 814 411
Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator
2nd - Father’s Day Morning Tea & Surprise 4th - Father’s Day 6th - Entertainer: Lauren 22nd - Precious Pets 28th - Entertainer: Kane
OCTOBER 12th - Outback BBQ 19th - Entertainer: Stan 24th - Precious Pets
NOVEMBER 1st - Melbourne Cup 3rd - Mobile Zoo 11th - Remembrance Day 24th - Precious Pets
Free online course for anyone (carers, family, nurses) wishing to enhance their understanding of demen7a. Enrol online: www.utas.edu.au/ wicking/understanding-demen2a
Activity Reviews OLYMPICS AT CASA MIA On the day of the opening ceremony in Rio, Casa Mia held their own fun torch relay. Starting in Lavender Fields, the torch was passed from resident to resident as they moved from section to section, accompanied by the music from Chariots of Fire. Finally, the torch reached Primrose House where the cauldron was lit and all the staff, residents and family members sang “Advance Australia Fair”. Staff were encouraged to dress in international traditional clothing and there was a prize for the best dressed. It was a morning of excitement and laughter and it was wonderful to see everyone participating so enthusiastically. As the Olympics was being avidly watched on TV, the residents competed against each other in specially designed “sporting events”. We even tried swimming and had a bubble machine to simulate being underwater. Joe thought it was great fun and was declared our winner for this event. Prize-giving was held at our month end birthday morning tea.
CASA MIA OLYMPIC SCORES SPORT
Primrose House
Magnolia Way
Rose Garden
Frangipani Lane
Lavender Fields
Paper Planes !
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Shoo7ng !
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Discus !
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Basketball !
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Synchronized Swimming
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Javelin !
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Volleyball !
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Bowls !
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Shot put !
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Casa Mia Olympics - Photos
Casa Mia Olympics - Photos
Activity Reviews GARDENING ACTIVITY Our residents have enjoyed planting bulbs and vegetables, and tending to them.
It was Margie’s idea to grow Sweetpeas up our trellis and she was the first to notice that our Wisteria is budding again. I think she misses her gardening days!
PET THERAPY The goal of Pet Therapy is to improve our residents’ social, emotional or cognitive functioning. We try to offer a variety of activities, especially for those who don’t wish to or are unable to leave their rooms and participate in group activities. Precious Pets come to Casa Mia at least once a month and visits our residents one-on-one. Studies have shown that therapy dogs help to make a huge difference in the lives of the elderly and we welcome families bringing dogs to visit their loved ones.
Resident Story - Robert Wood Bob ran a tattoo parlour in Bankstown for years before retiring and eventually moving into Casa Mia. He got his first tattoo when he was 17 from his mate, and from then on he slowly covered his arms and legs with body art. Bob never liked wearing long pants so he always wears shorts even in winter. Staff at Casa Mia noticed and so, to prevent him from getting too cold in winter, they bought him fake tattoo leg warmers to complement his existing body art. He loves the gift and wears them proudly around his Home - he only wishes they were real tattoos. "I got my first tattoo when I was 17, and starting tattooing not much older than that," he said. "Me and this mate of mine got interested in doing this, so we both put in a few quid each and bought a machine and colours and designs and started like that. I built a shed in the backyard and a few mates came in and we started tattooing them and it just expanded.” "I always made all my own gear and did all my own drawing. Anything people wanted I could draw. I still do it here, just the drawings, at our afternoon art class," Bob said. He's still got a bunch of his old business cards to remind him of his life's work. After getting one tattoo, covering your body could quickly become an addiction, he said. "You do one and then there's a space so you fill that up, and fill that up, and fill them all up.”
Staff Profile - Mfon Jones Mfon Jones (known to most as Jones, as people pronounce his first name incorrectly) was born in Calabar, Nigeria. He was the last born of eight children and his name means ‘goodness’, but sadly his mother passed away when he was only six months old. He left home at the age of 17 to go to Portharcourt to study computer engineering and then started his own company which he ran for 10 years. When he wanted to study software further, he went to London, UK where he stayed for five years. He didn’t finish the course because he was accepted into the British Army in Brookwood for two years. He met Rebecca, an Australian lady, who was praying for a husband who knew God. Mfon was also praying for a wife who knew God and since their faith is very important to both of them, they were married in Edinburgh, Scotland nearly three years ago. Rebecca’s family came from Glasgow originally, but a year ago the couple decided to come back to Australia and were blessed with a baby boy of their own on August 17, 2016. Mfon will be furthering his nursing studies in the new year to become an RN. We pray our Father’s blessings on him and his family.
Happy Father’s Day SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 - 2016 In Australia, Father's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September, which is the first Sunday of Spring in Australia, and is not a public holiday. Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 (St. Joseph's Day) since the Middle Ages. On June 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first ‘Father’s Day’. However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Initially, the campaign to celebrate American fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm as Mother’s Day - perhaps because, as one florist explained, “Fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have”. As one historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products, often paid for by the father himself ”. On the third Sunday of every June in the United States, sons and daughters across the country honour their fathers with cards, gifts and a little encouragement to kick back. Why Australia, Fiji, PNG and New Zealand are the only countries in the world to celebrate this day on the first Sunday in September remains a mystery!
Smile Smiling is infectious – you catch it like the flu When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin When he smiled, I realised I’d passed it on to him I thought about that smile, then realised its worth A single smile just like mine could travel round the earth So if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected, Let’s start an epidemic quick and get the world infected
Married 65 Years Ron and Lola Drane celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary August 25, 2016. They met at the local butcher shop where Ron worked and he asked her to a church dance as their first date. When they went for their first bicycle ride together, Lola managed to knock Ron off his bike! They were engaged for two and a half years and got married when Ron was 21 and Lola was 19. They have been blessed with three sons and have spent 57 years of their married life in the same house, in Panania. Lola says the secret to staying together for so long is “all the hard times they went through. We just had to stick together�.
Our residents love family visitors
Join us for an
Outback
BBQ at Casa mia
Pull out your flannelette shirt and throw on your overalls for a true Aussie Outback experience at Casa Mia. Enjoy some classic Aussie songs and hear our resident choir perform.
Come dressed for the occasion in a country costume!
• Whip Cracking • Working Dogs • good ‘ol Aussie hearing Sausage Sizzle • Sheep S
Entrance + Sausage sizzle
$5
per person
When: Wednesday 12th October Where: Casa Mia Aged Care 28 Alma Rd, Padstow Time: 4-7pm /christadelphianagedcare www.chomes.com.au
Read, Rest & Relax! MEANING OF THE OLYMPIC FLAG The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world - Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colours, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red.
Apricot Tarts with Honey Cream
• 1 1/2 x 200g packets shortbread biscuits • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 100g butter, melted • 1 1/2 cups thickened cream • 2 tablespoons honey • 4 large (400g) fresh apricots, each cut into 6 wedges • Icing sugar mixture, to dust
1. Grease eight 2cm-deep, 10cm (base) round loose-based fluted flan tins. Process biscuits and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add butter. Process to combine. Divide mixture evenly between prepared tins. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture over base and sides of tins. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. 2. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, honey and remaining cinnamon until soft peaks form. 3. Carefully remove biscuit cases from tins. Divide cream mixture between cases. Top with apricot wedges. Dust with icing sugar. Serve. Makes 8 tarts
Olympic Alphabet Challenge
Can you come up with an Olympic themed word for each leNer of the alphabet?
Disclaimer: All photos and stories have been published with consent of relatives and residents involved. Thank you for your submissions.