Southhaven Nursing Home - Summer 2013 Newsletter

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

SOUTHHAVEN NURSING HOME Address: 11 Queensbury Rd, Padstow Heights

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I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!

The Saviour - yes the Messiah, the Lord - has been born tonight in Bethlehem!

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Luke 2:10-11

Phone: (02) 9782 6010

Email: admin@chomes.com.au

Managers Message

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Welcome to Southhaven Nursing Home

I can’t believe it’s Christmas already, the year has passed by so quickly and here we are looking into 2014! In reviewing what we’ve achieved this year it’s no wonder the year has passed so quickly. Some of the activity throughout the year includes: • The very successful and enjoyable Spring Fair • Grandparent’s Day • Purchase of a smart TV in the dining room (thank you Friends of Southhaven) • Commencement of the Home’s renovation project • Introduction of a new staff rostering system • Installation of our new call bell system • Installation of security cameras around the home It is great to be a part of a company that is always moving forward and improving. To the future - we will be seeing a lot of structural changes as the renovations continue. The building works have been predicted to be completed by June 2015. You will be kept informed of any change as time goes on. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to come and ask. Some exciting times ahead!

Could I please remind you to ensure your loved one has enough clothing and that the clothing is labelled as we have a lot of unlabelled clothing in our lost and found section of the laundry?

Please also be reminded not to place items on top of the wardrobes as they may fall and injure someone.

On behalf of the Southhaven team, I wish you all a very Happy and Safe Christmas and an even better New Year.

Regards, Peter Jessing

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

2 Thess 3:16

Message from our CFO

Sustainability is ‘the capacity to endure’. In nature, the word ‘sustainable’ describes how living systems of plants and animals continue on diverse and productive over time, even through many changes in weather and landscape. Ancient, healthy, tropical wetlands like Kakadu or remote, cold climate fern forests in Tasmania are examples of what it means to be sustainable. One day I’d love to visit Kakadu in the Northern Territory to experience its pristine beauty.

A sustainable aged care organisation is one that contributes to society’s need for the daily care, nursing support, recreation and accommodation needed by many older people, consistently across the years.

One of Christadelphian Aged Care’s eight values is about being Sustainable. We describe this as ‘running CAC as a professional and financially sustainable organisation’. In other words, we want to be able to care for people for a long time ahead, providing care and support for our residents and their families and also providing ongoing employment for our staff and suppliers.

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.

Over the years, CAC has taken the view that it is very helpful for our organisation to be of a size large enough to weather cycles in economic conditions and government policy, employ enthusiastic and experienced staff, and be able to upgrade and improve the physical facilities we offer – our buildings, equipment, technology, furnishings and fittings. So for a number of years we have been growing in size.

In November, we have been delighted to welcome our sister organisation in Queensland, Maranatha, to join with Christadelphian Aged Care in a merger. Maranatha operates as an integrated community combining a retirement village of 52 independent living units and a residential aged care facility able to care for 91 older Australians. They are supported by over 90 staff who are now part of the CAC team.

Ongoing changes to regulations and aged care funding continue to impact on smaller residential aged care facilities like Maranatha. Announced changes appear to be framed to fit larger organisations such as CAC that have a corporate support team, economies of scale and extensive systems supporting their six operations. So the Queensland Board and their members agreed that it was in our mutual interest to join together.

The merger allows Christadelphian Aged Care to increase its scale of operations and deliver residential aged care services in both Queensland and New South Wales via a single Christadelphian entity.

In being sustainable we seek to enrich the quality of life of the people in our care by nurturing them through our compassion, service and comfortable living environment.

Best Wishes, Andrew O’Toole

UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER 5th - Relative’s Cocktail Party 9th - Resident’s Christmas Party

JANUARY 24th - Australia Day Celebrations

FEBRUARY 14th - Valentine’s Day

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

13 Greg W

5 Terrance B

1 Aichea K

15 Joseph B

7 Florence D

2 Hilda R

18 Helen B

11 Marjorie M

4 Edmond C

23 Mounir S

16 Joseph C

4 Robert C

27 Lali B

21 Barbara C

7 Dorothy B

28 Mavis P

23 Vivian H

13 John G 18 Joan B 19 Gwen J 23 Virginia C

SEPTEMBER

Activity Reviews Pfizer Day - To volunteer, is to contribute your goodness and

to humanity unselfishly, without seeking any rewards. Volunteering has a meaningful, positive impact on our community. Nothing can beat the peace we have within us when we make someone’s life a bit easier or more joyful. Nothing beats seeing the smile on an elderly person’s face when getting a hug from our amazing volunteers.

Thank you so much to our Pfizer Australia volunteers who came and spent a day with our elderly on Friday 20th September. Their interaction was very well received by our residents, who thoroughly enjoyed the time they gave them. The day started with morning tea with our residents getting to know them and followed by group exercise that residents and guests enjoyed. With the help of our volunteers and residents we had a beautiful wall stencil that was put up on the wall near the foyer. Residents were very proud of the beautiful design they all did together.

The atmosphere was very enjoyable where you can see and hear lots of laughs and smiles. After this activity, volunteers helped escort our residents out to the barbecue area for lunch. The BBQ went down very well. Residents and guests thoroughly enjoyed sitting and chatting together while eating their lunch and as US Senator Edward Kennedy once said: “ The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die”.

Thank you again to our amazing Pfizer volunteers for a beautiful day that our residents will remember for a long time! Looking forward to see you all next year.

Club Outing - Everyone loves to go out, and our residents are no

exception. At Southhaven Nursing Home, our residents enjoy their club outings because it is very important for our elderly to stay connected to their community. Not to forget how much they enjoyed their lunch followed by wonderful entertainment where our residents were singing and dancing to the music and remembering their old favorite songs.

Also, what an opportunity for our residents to be able to socialise with other facilities and spend quality time with each other. Getting out and socialising with others is the best medicine our residents can take in order to live a fulfilled happy life.

OCTOBER

Activity Reviews contd

Gardening - Social activities are essential for our elderly to

improve their physical health and mental well-being. When they are involved with some tasks, it helps them to get rid of depression, concentration problems and memory loss. It adds to their confidence and gives them a sense of independence.

On Wednesday 16th October, our residents at Southhaven had a great time gardening. Gardening and caring for the plants is one such leisure activity that our elderly enjoy a lot. It may be difficult for them to take care of an entire garden, but a few small potted plants kept indoors are just perfect for them.

They will carry out the work at their own pace.

It was very nice to watch our residents having a blast of a time while sharing this activity with each other and also it provides a beautiful way to remember a special person or time of life.

Spring Fair - On Saturday 12th October, Southhaven Nursing Home held their Spring Fair

for the year 2013. With the warm, beautiful weather and the amazing team work, it soon turned into a great day to celebrate this special event. Just watching everyone putting their marquees and stands next to each other with a spirit full of energy and joy, made everyone feel so happy and excited!

We had a variety of stalls which allowed residents, staff and relatives to explore the wide range of items available for purchase. There was a good variety of stalls catering for everyone’s likes. But the real highlight was the animal farm, where everyone especially the children got to enjoy and appreciate these wonderful animals. The animals performed 2 trick shows during the day.

There was a wide variety of food to tempt your taste buds. This included Indian, Asian, BBQ , donuts, homemade jam, fresh juices, cappuccinos, milkshakes, hot chips, scones with jam and cream and of course ice-creams! Not to forget the amazing Heritage College Brass Band’s students that played a variety of beautiful music to start the day, followed by Keith Murphy’s Band who cruised along with easy listening music to pass the time away. Thank you to the musicians.

It was so nice to watch our residents with their families enjoying this day. It gave them the opportunity to socialize and spend some quality time with their loved ones while taking in the sunshine. It is very important to remember that as we age, socializing helps keep our minds sharp and perhaps even prevents dementia.

Big thank you to all the staff and volunteers that helped make this day a memorable one.

Fun Photos from Spring Fair

More Spring Fair Photos

Activity Reviews contd Ten Pin Bowling

Being physically active can help our elderly stay strong and fit enough to keep doing the things they like to do as they get older. Doing exercise and physical activity can improve our resident’s health and agility and help maintain their independence as they grow older.

Our residents at Southhaven Nursing Home participated in a Tenpin Bowling competition with other facilities at the AMF Villawood.

Watching them having the time of their life while they competed with gusto, cheering, clapping and concentrating, putting in their best bowling performances to try to get a Strike and win the trophy.

After they finished the game we all had lunch at Bass Hill RSL Club while our residents had the chance to socialize with other residents from other facilities in the area.

Also not to forget all the medals and awards that each facility received for playing their best!!

It was amazing to see our residents so excited and passionate about a game, which brought back good memories from their past.

All agreed it was a successful day, which has encouraged us to organize more events in the future that create opportunities for new friendships to be formed between bowlers from different facilities.

Well Done Southhaven Strikers!

Activity Reviews contd

Melbourne Cup 2013 - Tuesday 5th November

Melbourne Cup is a social and cultural event that continues to play a significant role in defining Australia’s national identity.

It is “the race that stops a nation“.

At Southhaven Nursing Home, preparations began two weeks prior to the Melbourne Cup with hat making. This caused much discussion and creative input from our residents.

The week before the race we started our $2.00, $1.00 and 50c sweeps with assistance from our DON Peter Jessing who enjoyed drawing the sweeps.

On the big day we played games and had lots of fun in the morning!! Staff joined in with the fun dressing up in various costumes.

Residents and staff all had lots of laughter and jokes over the fashionable creations!!

Wine, drinks and nibbles were enjoyed followed by a yummy cake made especially for this occasion by our amazing kitchen staff, then they watched the big race.

Much encouragement and cheering was given from our residents and staff to the horses as they raced. There were lots of positive comments from everyone who said they thoroughly enjoyed the day. The winning horse was Gai Waterhouse’s Fiorente. Congratulations!

Smart TV and iPad Feedback

Last few weeks we received from The Friends of Southhaven, a Smart TV and iPad. This was an amazing gift that lifted our residents’ spirits and took them back to their old days.

This smart technology enabled our residents to view and interact with shows and songs of their era. They were able to choose any movies, songs of their own choice. We had very positive feedback from our residents since we started using the Smart TV and the iPad. One of our residents while listening to one of her favorite songs; turned with teary eyes and said: “I can hear my husband’s voice in my head singing that song to me, he used to sing it all the time”.

Some other residents’ comments were: “Pink ladies now you can leave, no need to worry about us anymore we are enjoying ourselves”.

There were many other comments also stating how good this gift is. It has brought new life and excitement to our residents. Thank you to the Friends of Southhaven.

Not to forget, our residents’ relatives responses were very positive that the technology has been brought into the Nursing Home, making life more interesting for their loved ones.

A huge thank you to the Friends of Southhaven for giving such joy to our residents.

Resident Story - Gregory Woodward This is the Story of Gregory Arthur Woodward.

Greg was born in West Concord on the 13th December 1948. He lived at Favell St, Concord until he was 10 years old. He then moved to Robb St, Revesby in 1958 to live with his brother Trevor.

Greg lived in Petersham for 6 years in his mid 30’s but returned to Revesby after buying his dad’s place when his father passed away. That was his last address until residing in Southhaven.

He attended Revesby Public School and then East Hills Boys High School.

Greg worked at Peter Warren and Boyded Holden for 20 years at Lakemba Fleet and worked up to National Manager working 6 days a week. Boyded Holden was owned by Mitsubishi Australia then and every year they gave the Top 50 salesman a trip to thank them. Greg won this prize 8 times, travelling to New Zealand, Queensland and many Asian countries. When the car yard was sold over to the private sector, he moved into working with small car yards. Even though he worked a long time selling cars, he never had a favourite car or preference. He says “A car’s a car”.

Greg has been married and divorced twice and never had any children.

His parents Arthur and Mary played cricket some times with Yaralla A Grade (Dad’s team played until he was 55). Greg played with East Hills School cricket team as well as playing league with Concord United and Enfield Federals in the West Juniors.

Every Sunday “The Junior League” came back for a BBQ at his mates place until he died. They were good times. Greg used to catch up each night with around 6 friends at Revesby Workers Club.

Greg joined Men of League 3 months ago when they called in to see him unexpectantly. Warren Thompson and Alan Webb from Men of League pop in frequently as part of their service to past fellow league lovers. Greg started playing league at 8 years old and his love for league has always continued. He follows and supports West Tigers. Greg was featured in the August 2013 edition of the Men of League Magazine.

Greg is a simple living man and takes life as it comes. He enjoys living at Southhaven.

He said “If I had my life over again, I would never smoke”.

He finished his story with a smile saying “I look forward to waking up each day”.

Thank you Greg for sharing your story with everyone at Southhaven

ACTIVITY ASSISTANTS PROGRAM We once again welcome the Christadelphian Young People to our facility to be involved in the Activity Assistant Program helping the RAO’s with various activities from Mid December through to the end of January.

A wonderful opportunity for the young to experience “hands on” the needs of the elderly in our community and share with them their youth, their smiles, their energy and their love. The old and the young together a beautiful combination. Thank you young people for your enthusiasm and desire to care for the elderly. Enjoy your time with CAC.

Pastoral Care A WOUNDED SPIRIT Many people today are walking around with a wounded spirit. What am I talking about? I’m referring to those individuals who have been badly hurt by experiences in life, from which they have big difficulties overcoming.

Maybe that’s you today. We all carry some kind of internal wound or scar, and some have deep emotional wounds.

Maybe you’ve been rejected by a family member and never found resolution. It’s not sensible to ignore how you feel, for you are an emotional being, and emotional hurts can take a long time to heal - it can be a long process.

Physical wounds usually come from without and are easy to understand and cope with, but there are no simple bandages for a wounded spirit. Wounds to the spirit are sudden blows, and most of the time we don't see them coming, for they usually come from those whom we love and trust the most. And that is what is so disturbing about this. A broken arm or leg is obvious - a broken heart is not easily seen. A bruise is an inner hurt or injury, and we ask “where did this come from? Why do I react like this?” It can be serious. One writer describes it “the impairment of our past can bridle our present and detour our future”. No wonder the writer of Proverbs in the Old Testament says “the human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14). You can’t bury emotional pain or try to forget all about it; it will come to the surface eventually. I guess that’s why we tend to forget the bad and only remember the good. I’m sure no-one wants to stay in this hurtful place, instead we look for help, and getting professional help is always a good thing, indeed sometimes essential.

You can sometimes feel violated by others, by negative words, events, actions. It’s a reaction that knocks you down and you just can’t get up again. Each day is a nightmare, and it seems you can’t heal yourself. Negative, critical words are a common assault. Someone says something so nasty and horrible that you feel devastated, and the words have penetrated into your spirit. Marriages can, and often do, be destroyed by critical words spoken between a husband and wife. How often have we seen that happen? I don’t think we realise how harmful our words can be. And gossip is another harmful action. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:8 “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts”.

It’s important to remember our limitations. Sometimes we try to do everything and get stuck somewhere, trying to please everybody. We are not perfect. We do want to be loved and respected by everyone, but the reality is others will hurt us. Even betray us. That is a deep wound and a very hurtful thing to work through, a betrayal of confidence. To be betrayed actually means “to disclose a secret or confidence treacherously; to break a promise, to be disloyal to a person’s trust”. Guard against it as much as possible. Don’t inflict pain in the lives of your friends – keep confidences and be loyal.

Jesus knows and understands all that you are going through. He understands how you can be wounded by rejection because many rejected Him and His own disciples abandoned Him in the time of His greatest need. He knew the tears of pain and sorrow as He grieved for His friend, Lazarus. He understood how it felt to be misunderstood because His own mother and brothers did not understand Him, and even declared that He was mad. He was also wounded and hurt by the same people that He ministered to and gave His life for.

Someone has said “God does not waste an oun ce of our pain or a drop of our tears. Suffering does not come our way for no reason. He seems especially efficient at using what we endure to mould our character. If we are willing to allow Him into our lives, He takes our bumps and bruises, and shapes them into something beautiful”.

Source: Chris Witts

Bereavements

Our deepest sympathies have gone out to the families who have lost their loved ones over the Summer period.

Dental Care

IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HEALTH It is a fact that more and more older Australians are retaining their teeth as they age, thanks to improved dental care throughout life, fluoride and better nutrition. However as we age, natural fatigue and depletion of the salivary flow means that it becomes increasingly more difficult to keep disease and decay in check - Bacteria builds up on teeth making gums prone to infection and tooth decay. The body is then constantly ingesting this bacteria and gums remain inflamed until the infection is brought under control.

Did you know that a build up of bacteria in the mouth can be linked to many other systemic diseases?

There are multiple studies that have found links between many systemic diseases and the constant ingestion of oral bacteria. Years ago, a physician who suspected heart disease would probably not refer the patient to a dentist. The same went for diabetes, chronic chest infections, or just about any other medical condition. Times have changed. The past 5 to 10 years have seen ballooning interest in possible links between mouth health and body health, and for good reason.

In one recent study, people with serious gum disease were 40% more likely to have a chronic condition on top of it.* Optimal Oral Health Practices Best ways to maintain a healthy mouth as we age: 1. Twice Daily Brushing of teeth, tongue and gums 2. High Fluoride Toothpaste 3. Antibacterial Product after Lunch (such as Curacept Gel) 4. Keep the mouth moist (using products such as Biotene if needed) 5. Moderate Sugar Intake 6. Regular Dental Cleans (3-6 monthly) Regular Dentist Visits promotes better overall health By eliminating bacteria and infection and maintaining oral function (and hence vitamin intake), regular dental examinations of the teeth and gums is the best way to maintain better overall health within the Aged Care Environment.

Mobile Dental Services have regular visits to Christadelphian Aged Care facilities and offer our residents the opportunity to visit a dental professional highly experienced in the dental care of the elderly, with the convenience of not leaving the Facility. Please ask Facility Manager/Care Manager for more information on this service. *Source – American Dental Association

Volunteer Corner I would like to thank everyone for the wonderfully warm welcome you have given me since I started in the new role of Volunteer and Pastoral Care Co-ordinator at the end of August. I have already met many of you, and am looking forward to seeing more new faces in the coming months. Please introduce yourself and feel free to contact me with any suggestions you may have as to how volunteers can positively impact the lives of our residents. I love new and exciting ideas, and forward to as much involvement as you can give.

Part of our Mission and Values is to strive for excellence in our service and care. In support of this idea, we have Pastoral Carers who come into Southhaven regularly to talk to the Residents (and their families, if there is a need). If you ever feel that someone needs a caring, listening ear, please just ask and a visit will be arranged.

I have been privileged to work with some wonderful, cheerful and helpful volunteers at Southhaven. They come in and open the kiosk, do craft, play the piano and games and a host of other things including chatting to our residents, sharing quality time with them. They also put in many long hours of hard work for the Spring Fair in October and we are deeply appreciative of their efforts.

Cathy Strachan, Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator 0435 814 411

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves�

- James Barrie

Read, Rest & Relax!

In our day-to-day living, most people don't know what it truly means to relax. This very word brings images of some kind of discipline or "shut-down" mode, but the fact is that relaxation can be made up of simple little things you do as you go about your normal daily routine.

Simple things like breathing deeply and stretching outside in nature for 10 minutes before you start your day, reading a book before you go to bed with a candle flickering by your side, taking a relaxing walk along the beach or writing down all the things you are grateful for. Another favourite is laying out in the sun for 15-20 minutes a few times a week with cold-pressed coconut oil rubbed on your skin. All of these rituals are great ways to bring balance into your life, to de-stress and to keep you in the present moment.These simple little rituals can provide a peaceful chance to breathe, unwind and renew ourselves.

Christmas Jokes Q. What never eats at Christmas time?

A. The turkey - it's usually STUFFED! Q. What goes “oh, oh, oh”?

A. Santa walking backwards!

Time for a belly laugh...

I'm not 80 - I'm merely 28 with 52 years' experience!

Growing old is like being penalised for a crime you haven't committed.

'I don't drink anymore, I can get the same feeling from standing up quickly.'

Q. What did the cow say on Christmas morning?

A. Mooooey Christmas!

Fruit Mince Brownies

Makes 12

• 200g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped • 300g brown sugar • 250g unsalted butter, choppe d

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour • 1/4 tsp baking powder • 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa, plus ext ra to dust • 1/3 cup (85g) fruit mince • 1 tsp mixed spice • 1 cup (100g) toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm square cake or brownie pan and line the base with baking paper.

2. Place chocolate, sugar and but ter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted and well combined. Rem ove from heat, cool slightly, then stir in egg s until well combined. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, fruit mince, mixed spice and nuts, stirring to combine. Spread into the pan and bake for 25 minutes or until just set.

3. Cool in pan, then dust with coc oa. Cut into 12 squares and serve. Brown ies will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Word Scramble Unscramble each of these famous Christmas Carols.

To find the hidden phrase, copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number.

Hidden Phrase: Spring Newsletter Puzzle Answer 9 letter word: Dimension

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