C h ristade lph ia n A g e d C a re
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S P R I N G
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
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 61:1 1
Manager’s Message Welcome to Chamberlain Gardens As this newsletter is written, we have just enjoyed a beautifully warm Sunday of 28ºC, a foretaste of the Spring weather to come. With the warmer weather, our residents are able to enjoy more outdoor activities and just recently they had a Picnic in the Park, with the bus ferrying them to a local park for lunch. As you know, this year the ‘flu season has been particularly bad on the Central Coast and in NSW but we are pleased to say that none of our residents have been affected. Our generous support of charities continues, with special events being held for Red Nose Day, resulting in $436 being raised, Jeans for Genes Day with $170 raised and Daffodil Day with $310 raised, and we thank the generosity of families, residents, staff and visitors for their ongoing support. On Daffodil Day, we also focused on one of our Signature Behaviours: “Do What we Say we will Do” and our butterflies had positive comments attached to recognise staff who exhibited this behaviour. Our next event will be a Celebration of 70 Years of Christadelphian Aged Care. In 1947, their first aged care home was opened in Strathfield and over 70 years, the organisation has grown to eight facilities in NSW and one in Queensland. The anniversary will be recognised at Chamberlain Gardens on September 20. We plan to have a photo display of earlier times and we would love residents and their families to contribute old photos, particularly from around 1947. There will be a staff luncheon and other activities on the day. In October, we will again participate in Pink Ribbon Day by selling merchandise and holding our very popular annual pink mufti day for staff and any residents and visitors who wish to participate. The year seems to be flying past and before we know it we’ll be planning Christmas! I am always available if you have any questions or feedback. Warm Regards, Sue Thacker
News & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER Coastal 1 Neil Joplin
OCTOBER Coastal
NOVEMBER Coastal
21 Jill Charlton
OCTOBER 15th - Vintage Bike Rally visit at 10.30am Morning Tea 25th - GMS Minstrel’s Concert
2 Hugh Reeves 8 Terry Atkins 9 Enid O’Toole 13 Judith Blake 24 Alexander Cullen
Horizon
Horizon
Horizon
2 Joan Stafford
1 Betty Murray
8 Judith Tunnington
24 Betty Dawson
10 Patricia Drover 11 Joyce Robertson
26 Marie Austin
27 John Barlow
14 Anne Garland
28 Rita Hunter
14 Bev McCartney 15 Linda Thurston 22 Doreen Smith 30 Elizabeth Bullen
Garden
Garden
Garden
3 Ken Mortimer
1 Nellie Alliband 11 Vera Harris
Maria Kotris
1 Maria Knight
16 Jack Barraclough
9 Michael Speed 26 Bob Larkin
Keep updated with all the latest news and photos by “liking” us on Facebook!
24 Karin Covi
facebook.com/ christadelphianagedcare
Activity Reviews JUNE - ENTERTAINMENT June started with a bang, as we had The Minstrels come and entertain our residents. One of our residents, Dot Skinner, was a founding member of this group and it was nice for her to catch up with old friends. We had a new entertainer, Claire, come to the Home. Claire has a trained voice for classical music and was received well by the residents and we hope to have Claire back later in the year. Our regulars The Gals also visited. For those who don’t know, The Gals are a group of lady entertainers who tap and dance and have the most amazing costume changes. June was the beginning of monthly visits on a Saturday from a group of Christadelphian youths called The Lighthouse Gospel Music Choir. They come on a Saturday morning, play instruments and get the residents involved and sing gospel music. This has become a popular event, with the residents enjoying the company of the young people.
KOKEDAMA - JAPANESE GARDEN ART On Friday June 30, we had Kelly from Lily Creations come and demonstrate to our residents the art of Kokedama. Kokedama is a form of Japanese garden art that is centuries old. A combination of bonsai soil is wrapped in dry sphagnum moss and then bound with twine, hemp or sisal. The activity, while quite messy, was enjoyable and many of the residents attempted to make their own with the help of the demonstrator, staff and volunteers. We now have them hanging outside near the fountain and have put a couple in the courtyard in Coastal for the residents to admire.
Activity Reviews JULY Lavender Blue is a group of ladies that sing, and they came and entertained our residents on Wednesday July 5. Saturday July 8 we held an Open Day starting at 1pm. We had a succulent plant stall, Mary Kay makeup table, candle and soy melts stall, handsewed items, a jewellery stall and a cupcake stall. There was a sausage sizzle, coffee van, a jumping castle, helium balloons and face-painting for the children. Lisa was kept busy showing people through the Home and staff, volunteers and spouses kept the day running smoothly. A very big thank you must go to them. We were blessed with lovely weather, and were happy with the number of people who attended. See photo page for more pics For Men’s Club, the men went down to The Grange for lunch on Thursday, July 18, and enjoyed the outing which was attended by Mark our Volunteer and Pastoral Care Coordinator, David our bus driver and a male nurse. On Saturday, July 22 the Lighthouse Gospel Music Choir attended. We have purchased hand-held instruments that the residents are encouraged to use while singing along with the choir. It’s an enjoyable morning with the residents who enjoy morning tea afterwards. Wednesday, July 26 was the night of the Christmas in July drinks and nibbles night. The RAOs and volunteers decorated the TV room, so that it was looking very festive. The kitchen provided beautiful finger food and Julz was the entertainer for the night. The function was well attended, and it was lovely to see so many families together. See photo page The Memorial Service was held on Thursday, July 27. This service is to pay respect and remember residents who have passed in the last six months. Mark, our Volunteer and Pastoral Care Coordinator, officiated the service which was attended by families of past residents, staff and residents. A native tree was bought as a living memorial and this has been planted in the garden.
Open Day - Photos
Christmas in July - Photos
Activity Reviews AUGUST On Monday, August 1 we held an International Beer tasting afternoon. We had German, Dutch, Mexican and Asian beer, which 21 of our residents enjoyed tasting, while eating cheese and cabanossi. Each beer was discussed and awarded a like or dislike from the residents. One of the residents asked if we can have this activity weekly! Friday, August 4 was Jeans for Genes Day with staff encouraged to wear jeans to work for the price of a gold coin. That afternoon, the residents were entertained by the Antiques Roadshow, which are a couple of male singers. Wednesday, August 9 was World Indigenous Day so the residents in Coastal dot painted some rocks, which we will seal and put in the garden. In the afternoon, we had our regular entertainer Julz come and get the residents singing and dancing.
Reflection Chair
With the warmer weather approaching, we will start up our barbecue bus outings. If you are looking for a present to give your family member, a sunhat for these outings would help as the sun can get pretty fierce.
We had a small service conducted by Mark our Volunteer and Pastoral Care Coordinator to unveil the “Reflection Seat” and plaque in memory of Kay Shaylor, our work colleague, who was killed in a car accident on her way to work last September. The sandstone seat was bought with generous donations from Kay’s family, friends and work colleagues and is a place to go to sit and reflect near the fountain outside the Coastal Unit where Kay had worked.
Activities - Photos Table Bowls
Pet Therapy
Devotional Service Bingo
Facials
Resident Profile - Jean Kelman Jean was born in Hurstville, Sydney in 1925, and has a brother, Bob. Jean’s stepfather was an Agronomist (consulted with farmers) and travelled all over NSW, so Jean attended many primary schools in her younger years. Jean was a child living through the depression, she said she didn’t know how her mother did it, but they always had a good meal on the table and were always clothed and kept warm. Jean attended high school in Glen Innes for a short time, before finishing her schooling at Maitland Girls High. Jean left school at 14 and said everyone did that in those days. She then attended Elle’s Business College in Newcastle. Jean would commute by train from Maitland. Upon finishing her course at Business College, she went to work for Elle’s Travel Agency, her employer being a Mrs Jenkins. Jean then moved to Sydney and was working for a medical company before moving back to Newcastle to work for “Noise Engineering Company”. She stayed with this company until she got married. Jean met her husband Pat under a tent. Her parents had gone to his parents, who were on holidays, for afternoon tea and as Jean said “that was it”. Jean and Pat married in 1940, they went on to have two children, John and Jennifer and settled in Charlestown. They lived there for most of their married life, retiring to Port Stephens. Jean said her husband was a commercial traveller, so was away a lot, and she looked after the home and her children. Jean and her husband enjoyed gardening and she used to mow the lawns, which she considered her exercise for the day, and quite enjoyed it. Jean enjoyed knitting and she was very involved in the Charlestown Baptist Church. Family holidays were spent either camping or taking their caravan to a place on the coast. She said they went to New Zealand once. Jean has four grandchildren, three boys and one granddaughter. Jean said they have had a busy life, but has been wonderfully blessed with a very good marriage.
FRIENDS ARE LIKE FLOWERS
love
1 John 3:18
Pastoral Care
Let us not with word or speech but with actions and in truth
Friends are like flowers, beautiful flowers Friends are like flowers in the garden of life
Many years ago, in my youth, I heard and learnt a song about friends being like beautiful flowers in our life. That song, at the time and still to this day, touched something in me and I find that I often look at a good friend and picture them as a beautiful flower. Friends can be a blessing that many of us take for granted as “just being there”. No matter what the occasion, an afternoon at the theatre, catching up for a quiet lunch or a quick coffee, a warm and familiar shoulder to cry on, friends are those people in our life who enjoy our company, never judge us and are always there for us. “The heartfelt council of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense” - Proverbs 27:9 But sometimes, due to circumstances beyond our control, friendships can end all too soon. Circumstances such as relocation, ageing, illness and death can leave us hanging like autumn leaves on a windy day – very sad and quite vulnerable. So where am I going with this? Working in aged care and spending a great deal of time having one on one visits with many a lonely resident can give a pretty good perspective as to how important friendships have been in years past. There are quite a number of residents who have little or no family visitation due to numerous reasons, but what they do have are precious memories which can be encouraged and brought forward. Memories not only of family but of friendships formed in the school yard, at the workplace, in the armed forces, with neighbours and with social groups. Some friendships would have been made at mother’s groups, during overseas travel or even at the local pub. Some were made easily while others took time, some were fleeting while others lasted a lifetime. But with every friendship created comes the memories of that creation. I recently had the privilege of spending forty very rewarding minutes with a resident who was feeling down and lonely. When I came into her room she said, “Oh, thank God, someone I can talk to that will talk back to me”. I felt both humbled and most thankful that I had turned left rather than right in the foyer that day. This dear lady sat and cried for a short time about her loneliness and told me how much she missed her family and friends. When I felt that she was ready, I diverted her to tell me about some of her memories as a child and teenager. I heard her tell of being raised by hardworking parents who loved their five children, of how they were raised with hand-me-down clothes and shoes, home haircuts, lard sandwiches, and shared bath water, that started with the youngest child and dad as the last. How they sat on the floor of the lounge room every night after dinner to listen to the radio shows they loved, and how on a Saturday night once a month a block of chocolate was passed around and shared. She recalled a special friend from school who Our deepest sympathies have loved to sleep over at her place so she could have a lard gone out to the families who sandwich as she never had them at home.
Bereavements
After 40 minutes of crying, reminiscing, laughing and hand holding I left my resident rather reluctantly because I felt as though I had been taken on a short journey and I wanted more. Taking the time to listen and encourage memories can be a rewarding experience for all parties, it can take such little to give so much. By Jan Murray, Pastoral Carer, Courtlands Village <— P.S. I saw this lovely lady as a Pansy – pretty, bright eyed (after the tears) and smiling.
“Friendship is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others” - C.S. Lewis
have lost their loved ones over the Winter period.
Volunteer Corner SPOTLIGHT ON A VOLUNTEER - Brian Hi, I’m Brian and I have worked most of my working life in admin and accounting roles in big companies in Sydney. I am a carer for my mother and I volunteer at Chamberlain Gardens three morning a week. I’ll try and give you an idea what I achieve and get out of my three mornings. Day 1 - Monday Morning I try to arrive before 8am to get ready for residents’ breakfasts in our Garden area. I normally say my morning hello to Garden residents and feed one of the male residents who is 99 years of age and is partially blind and deaf. After breakfast, I take one of the ladies up to our hairdresser to have her hair washed. She just loves going up to Myee, our hairdresser, as she always has her little dog Sally there. I just love to see the smile on her face when she sees Sally. After the hairdresser, I normally have to help load our residents who are going out on our bus. This morning, I assisted with a trip to Patonga. We normally return at around 11:30am and then it's time to get residents ready for lunch. I normally feed the same gentleman again and by the time he’s finished it's time for goodbyes and home. Day 2 - Wednesday Morning Wednesday morning starts off as normal with feeding in our Garden area and after this is completed, I go up to our Horizon area and conduct one-on-ones with residents up there. I have known a lot of these people for quite a while (I have been volunteering at Chamberlain Gardens for more than two years). These people to me are friends that I try and see at least on a weekly basis. By around 10am, I’ll try and see which recreation officer needs a hand and help them out with the activities. Lunch time comes quickly and I have to head down to Garden and help feed again. I then say my goodbyes and leave for home. Day 3 - Thursday Morning Thursday morning starts off as normal with resident breakfast in our Garden area. It's always great to see the smiles I get on residents’ faces when I say hello of a morning. After breakfast, it's time to arrange for some of our Garden residents to have their biweekly bus trip. I have to speak to our recreation officer/team leader/RN to see who is going out on the bus. Sometimes there is much disappointment in the faces of residents when they can't go out on the bus due to doctor visits or illness. Most of our residents in Garden love going out, but there are only so many seats on the bus. I will help load the bus and get them in seat belts. In recent weeks, our Garden residents have gone to places like Patonga, Shelly Beach and McMasters Beach. For those who don't go out on the bus, we try and arrange for an activity to keep them occupied. We try to share out the bus trips with the other volunteers, as it's always fun to be on the road with our residents they love it. After the bus returns it time to get them organised for lunch again. My week can and will always change due to the needs of the residents at Chamberlain Gardens at any time. Be it helping out with Bingo, a reminiscing session, one on ones, helping out in the hairdressers or out on the bus with residents I always find that I'm having a good time helping out.
Read, Rest & Relax! SPRING CLEANING TIPS Finally, springtime is knocking at our door! After winter, we’re ready to swing open the windows and let the fresh air flow in. Spring is a season of renewal. Symbolically, it’s when nature comes alive again: blooming flowers, baby animals and cleansing rain showers! Many people grew up with a seasonal tradition: the spring-cleaning. It’s an annual reminder its time to clean house and de-clutter. For seniors, it’s a great way to shake the winter blues and reminisce. Many older adults are rejuvenated by the warming weather and sunshine. A cleanup confers health benefits as well: reducing symptoms of respiratory illness and risk for falling. A good cleaning is beneficial both physically and emotionally! Spring Cleaning To-Do List: Clean out bedside drawers and sort books/ magazines Open windows to circulate fresh air
De-clutter; remove objects that obstruct the flow of movement through the room such as unnecessary furniture Bust dust - don't forget photographs and art on walls, blinds, vents & light bulbs
FATHER’S DAY JOKES Q: What did the daddy tomato say to the baby tomato? A: Catch up! Q: Why are Fathers like parking spaces? A: The good ones are already taken! Q: Why did the cookie cry? A: Because his father was a wafer so long! Q: What did daddy spider say to baby spider? A: You spend too much time on the web. Q: Why did the baby strawberry cry? A: Because his dad was in a jam!
Lemon Delicious Slice • 50g unsalted butter, chopped • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/3 cup caster sugar • 1 tablespoon cornflour • 1 1/3 cups plain flour • Icing sugar mixture, to serve • • • • •
LEMON TOPPING 4 eggs 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 1/3 cup plain flour 1 1/3 cups caster sugar 2/3 cup lemon juice Makes 24 pieces
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep slice pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides. 2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM for 1 minute or until melted. Set aside to cool. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Sift flours over butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a soft dough forms. Transfer to prepared pan. Press into pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Set aside to cool. 3. Make topping: Whisk eggs, lemon rind, flour and sugar together until smooth. Add lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Pour over base. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Cool completely in pan. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into pieces. Serve.
Spring Riddles Find â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Spring relatedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rhyming words that match the clues. 1. What flowers do that rhymes with mud
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2. What flowers do that rhymes with room
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3. What plants do that rhymes with pout
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4. A spring blossom that rhymes with hairy
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5. A spring flower that rhymes with hill
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6. What birds lay that rhymes with legs
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7. What a bird builds that rhymes with best
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8. What eggs do that rhymes with match
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9. What farmers plant that rhymes with weeds
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10. A month in spring that rhymes with remember ________________________
Disclaimer: All photos and stories have been published with consent of relatives and residents involved. Thank you for your submissions.