Maranatha Summer Newsletter 2016

Christadelphian Aged Care 2 0 1 6 / 1 7 S U M M E R N E W S L E T T E R

MARANATHA

Address: 1582 Anzac Avenue, Kallangur QLD 4503

Phone: (07) 3482 5333

Email: admin@chomes.com.au

Manager’s Message Welcome to Maranatha

The Queensland spring is almost over and summer is simmering around the corner. The brief period of relief and encouragement we felt with the arrival of the warmer days has given way to trepidation as we are reminded of the excesses summer weather brings. The mosquitoes have begun their summer serenade, the air has taken on a liquid quality and we are unsure if the sun is our friend or foe. The change of seasons is relentless; as Shakespeare wisely observed ‘time and tide waits for no man’.

As time marches on and things change, I am about to embark on a new adventure in my life. This is the last time I will be writing to you from my desk at Maranatha. I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position as Facility Manager.

It was in February 2000 that I was employed at Maranatha as the only RN onsite. At that time, we had about 30 staff members and 40 residents. Over the nearly 17 ensuing years, there have been changes in many aspects, from domestic to corporate levels. Our capacity has increased from 40 to 128 residents and our staff has swelled to 130.

We have new buildings, new equipment, new staffing and corporate structures, new roads, new gardens, new décor and new systems. All those tangible things which by their physical, quantifiable natures will inevitably decline and require change. continued over page

Manager’s Message cont Although as unavoidable as death and taxes, change is a concept many of us struggle with.

We feel anxious and uncertain, we cling to the established and familiar and reject the new and different. Jesus, that greatest observer of human nature, encapsulated our views on change when he commented “And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, 'The old is better’.

We have an amazing capacity to view the old through the roseate lens of time and while reminiscing brings us much comfort and delight, we must guard against the seduction of past. We truly inhabit only this present moment. The great Persian poet Omar Khayyam beautifully wrote…

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it” So let’s make the best of our present moments, don’t pine for the past or fuss over the future.

We have the here and now to build things into our lives which will resist the tide of change.

In the end, the eternal changeless things are unseen, intangible and incorruptible.

Yes, over the past 17 years, the look of Maranatha has changed almost beyond recognition, but far more important and enduring are the things that cannot change: The foundation of love, kindness, patience, understanding and respect that makes Maranatha so much more than bricks and mortar. It is the nurturing and development of these qualities that gives real structure and permanence to our lives, all the rest is window dressing.

So another change has come and I bid you all farewell. It has been a privilege to be associated with all who live and work in this special place. I count it as a blessing to have had this opportunity.

I am confident that Maranatha will continue to develop and flourish into the future, but most importantly and unyieldingly it will remain a home where individuals feel wanted and loved.

Marantha’s new Facility Manager is Suzette Robertson

Kind Regards, Kathy Hallmark

Christadelphian Aged Care

2017 Resident Movie Calendar Residents at all our Homes and Villages recreated a favourite movie for photos that have been printed as a wall calendar.

All residents will receive a copy for Christmas.

If family or friends would like a copy, please see Reception.

Birthdays & Upcoming Events UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRARUY

8 Delcia Cooke

1 Ted Green

1 Cec Wright

8 Marie Mcivor

2 Kevin Burns

2 Beryl Malcomson

8 Helen Lloyd-Jones 4 Elma Prince

4 Alida Fielf

13 Sylvia Webb

5 Audrey Wigney

4 Nancy Stibbs

18 Henry Downes 6 Jeff Hermann

10 Joan Hollas

23 Robert Graydon 7 Richard Dwyer 16 Florence Askin 29 Roy Burgin

8 Heather Knox

17 Isabelle Bundeses

11 Joan Hamilton 17 Nancy Hill

2nd - Dakabin State School Choir 5th - Garden Club Breakup – facilitated by the Fundraising Committee 6th - Volunteer Thank You Morning Tea from the residents 8th - A wing Family Christmas Party Luncheon 13th - Christmas Craft Day – Fundraising Committee 23rd - Christmas Concert and Morning Tea 30th - New Year’s Eve Morning Tea/December Birthday Party and Concert

14 Eileen Ross

20 Beris Barrett

15 Irene Heath

22 Col Rushton

JANUARY

16 Val Lewis

27 Leila Vautin

24th - Australia Day Morning Tea – games and concert 27th - January Birthday Party and Concert

17 Bob Collins 20 Betty Sawell 20 Susan Collins 24 Margaret Baker

FEBRUARY 14th - Valentines Ball 24th - February Birthday Party and Concert

25 Pat Gardiner 27 Merle Deering 28 Des Dodd

All the usual choir, craft groups, bus trips and lawn bowls will continue as per the programming

Activity Reviews BOUTIQUE CARDS: MADE WITH LOVE Every second Monday afternoon, Maranatha is blessed with the assistance of long-standing volunteer Marjorie who, along with her able-bodied sidekick Ann, run a small boutique card making group. The ladies gather together in the dining area of the new wing and enjoy each other’s company while creating some truly unique and impressive cards.

Card making has various benefits to anyone that takes it on as a pastime - an outlet for personal expression, a therapeutic exercise, a time bonding with friends but it also offers the opportunity to extend that joy when they are mailed to family and friends, how joyful it is to receive a card especially made with love and care.

THE SUNSHINE CRAFTERS Every Thursday afternoon, Joan, together with her band of crafting residents and usually a couple of volunteers in tow (Joy and Tammy), enjoy an afternoon of craft and creation.

These weekly sessions offer an opportunity to not only produce art pieces (shell/bead bracelets being their latest conquest) but it stimulates memory, offers opportunity to interact and have fun in a social environment.

Laughter usually ensues and at times overtakes the session, sometimes overtaking the creative process - but it’s in all in fun and isn’t that what life is all about.

Activity Reviews MELBOURNE CUP The Melbourne Cup is one of Australia’s most prestigious annual thoroughbred horse races it is 3200 metres long (approx. two miles in old money). It has a long tradition, with the first race being held in 1861. But more importantly, it is a time for fun - for friends to gather and have a chat and a punt (otherwise known as a guess) as to who will win. Even those who never usually have any interest, join in the festivities, don a hat, eat to their hearts content and watch the sheer power and beauty of a thoroughbred horse in full flight.

No prizes for guessing who got the winning horse in the tipping competition.

Well done Topsy!

Resident Story - Athol (Col) Rushton Col was born in Brisbane but at the age of only 15, began his career with the National Australia Bank. As part of his work with the bank, he travelled extensively and while travelling, met a beautiful girl named Daphne at Longreach. This was the beginning of a long and happy marriage of 68 years, where Daphne supported Col in his work with the bank while also being involved in various committees and organisations. They almost had to make appointments to see each other!

Col was a Regional Manager for the National Australia Bank and his area was extensive, so this required that he had a charter pilot assigned to him to take him wherever he was needed. This obviously led to many adventures and meeting many interesting people out on the land on the Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Cunnamulla, Richmond, Cloncurry, Juniper Creek and the list goes on….

On one of his trips, the door of the plane did not close, which was a very interesting experience to say the least! As part of his role with the Queensland area for the bank, he was also required sometimes to host bank staff from Victoria, where they were stunned to see the expanse that is Queensland compared to their little state. This was a lifestyle which Col took in his stride (even thrived on, I would say) however, others were not as able to cope with this pace and one girl ended up in hospital for a week recovering!

During his career, at one stage the family was stationed at Kingaroy but while there, his wife Daphne developed asthma. However, Daphne was a wonderful hostess and was recognised by the bank as an asset, so they offered her a gift of a painting, which is the one hanging in Col’s room now - which obviously is of special significance to him.

Another place they were stationed was Wondai, where Col was with the Lions Club and Daphne was President of the Red Cross. While Daphne was with the Red Cross in that region, they established a home for visitors to stay in while visiting relatives in the local hospital.

Their next home was in Eyre, a sugar cane area, where customers were Spanish, Australian and Scottish – quite a mixed bag. This was Col’s favourite place in his working and living history. There, they built fishing huts where he and his mates would go for two weeks every May/June and just fish. They caught mud crabs, which were then cooked in a huge gallon drum which had been adapted for the purpose. While there, Col was responsible to the bank for assisting the landowners with their financial management arrangements.

As you can tell, this is just a fraction of Col’s life experience and there is a lot more to tell – girls, cars, etc so there could be more to come…

Staff Profile - Kathy Hallmark ANOTHER CHAPTER CLOSES AT MARANATHA The chapter ‘Kathy Hallmark’ is about to close, as we farewell the woman who has been integral to the success of Maranatha since February 23, 2000.

Kathy came to Maranatha as a Registered Nurse when it was a 41 bed low care facility and at a time of great change within the aged care industry; each facility was required to demonstrate that they could meet 44 standards in order to maintain government funding. Accreditation was to begin and Maranatha had a scheduled visit for July 2000. You could say that Kathy was thrown in at the deep end. As we have all come to realise, she has an underlying strength and that is the ability to face front on any challenge that is put in her way and remain calm and in control of those around her – the qualities of a true leader.

Kathy’s abilities were recognised by the Maranatha Board and she became the Care Manager, overseeing all aspects of nursing, until she was appointed Facility Manager in 2013.

She has steered Maranatha through times of great change – both in ownership and expansion. Using one’s talents and leaving a legacy is something we all desire to do and Kathy has succeeded in doing this.

Maranatha has always been a “family” and all involved here have borne witness to the kind, compassionate, caring Kathy… willing to assist staff, residents and their families as a true “friend”. She has always been prepared to share her family and their special milestones with members of the wider Maranatha family and so David, Rose, Sam and now Rose’s husband Tim, are well known to staff and others on a personal basis. Who could forget Rose and Tim sharing wedding shortbread with the residents all decked out in their wedding finery!

Kathy has provided a good role model for staff aspiring to a position of leadership and such is the strength of the foundation that she has lain, that Maranatha can face the future with confidence under her successor’s leadership. The best is yet to come, and we hope that sentiment holds good for her personally and for Maranatha.

For Kathy we hope that her morning tea and lunch breaks will finally be what they are meant to be – relaxed and stress free.

We congratulate her on a wonderful career and send her best wishes for the next phase.

It has been our pleasure to know and work with you Kathy and we shall miss you….

From Residents, Families, Friends and Staff of Maranatha.

“You have always been more of a friend, less of a colleague, more of a leader, less of a boss”.

The Power of One A business man visiting a resort community left his hotel early one morning to take a walk. When he reached the shoreline, he came upon a stunning sight: countless starfish had been washed up on the beach during the night in a high tide. They were still moving, still alive, clambering all over one another, trying to get back into the ocean. He knew it wouldn’t be long until the tropical sun would bake the poor creatures trapped there on the sand. He wished he could do something, but there were thousands of them, as far as his eye could see, and there was no way he could make a dent in saving them.

So he went on his way. Walking farther down the beach, he came upon a little boy who leaned over, scooped up a starfish, and flung it like a Frisbee into the ocean. He repeated the process over and over again, picking up speed, obviously trying to save as many as possible.

Once the man realised what the little boy was doing, he felt it was his responsibility to help the boy by informing him of a harsh life lesson. He walked up to the child and said, “Son, let me tell you.

What you’re doing here is noble, but you can’t save all these starfish. There are thousands of them. The sun’s getting really hot, and they’re all going to die. You might as well just go on your way and play. You really can’t make a difference here”.

The little boy didn’t say anything at first: he just stared at the business man. Then he stooped down and picked up another starfish, flung it out into the ocean far as he could and said, “Well I just made all the difference for that one”.

Often children have more to teach us than we have to teach them – certainly in this case. This boy did not allow the magnitude of the situation to keep him from doing what he could do. Save one starfish at a time.

Perhaps Helen Keller summed it up best…

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something: because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do”.

love

1 John 3:18

Pastoral Care

Let us not with word or speech but with actions and in truth

GRIEF: COPING WITH SPECIAL OCCASIONS Birthdays, Religious Celebrations, Anniversaries, Holidays You may experience an unexpected increase in your feelings of grief on special days that are important and meaningful to you and your family. For example - birthdays, anniversaries (especially the anniversary of the death), Christmas or Easter, or any other special family traditions. These feelings can also be triggered by other occasions such as hearing a meaningful song, smelling a particular perfume, or visiting places that bring back memories. It is normal to feel this heightened sense of loss with this type of reminder. It is common to wonder why you are experiencing increased feelings of loss and not understand the cause, only to realise that a significant date is approaching or has passed.

It can be useful to plan ahead for these days, realising they may be difficult.

Depending on the individual, you may like to spend the day alone or with friends and family, or keep yourself occupied in some other way. You cannot change the circumstances but you can change the way you approach these occasions.

Religious celebrations are supposed to be a joyous time and most people spend them with family. Again it will be normal to experience increased anxiety and heightened grief when anticipating the first occasion without your loved one. Be prepared for this to be a time of intense grief and sorrow, as family traditions at these times can bring painful reminders of your loss and loneliness. It is difficult to smile and pretend everything is okay when inside your heart is breaking.

It is your choice whether you wish to continue with your family traditions as they were or change things – for example: go somewhere different for your family holiday, or change the seating at the Christmas table, or open gifts at a different time. Perhaps you could start new traditions in memory of your loved one like sharing fond memories or donating to a special charity.

Difficult feelings may come and go or be mixed with happy feelings and memories too. Don’t feel you’re not coping as well as you should. It is very important to realise that you are unique and you will grieve in your own way and in your own time. There is no right or wrong way. The grief doesn’t end, but it does change and will become less intense as you adjust to a new world without your loved one.

You could: Plan what you want to do or do not want to do during the special occasion Accept that your distress is normal Do something to honour your loved one – plant a favourite tree, hang a special ornament on the Christmas tree…

Recognise that the absence of your loved one will cause pain no matter what you do. It is often a time of bittersweet memories. Sharing these reminiscences with friends and family can be helpful.

Give yourself permission to have fun and be happy in the same way as you allow yourself to mourn. Feeling happy is not a betrayal, and neither does it mean you have forgotten your loved one.

Tell people what you might find helpful. Sometimes others are unsure of how to help.

Take it slow and easy. Rest if you feel tired and don’t over commit yourself for that occasion.

By Cathy Strachan, Pastoral Care Coordinator, Casa Mia

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

Volunteer Corner We are very blessed at Maranatha to have a wonderful group of volunteers who give willingly of their very valuable time for the comfort and happiness of our residents.

We have had quite a few new volunteers join us in the last few months and we thank everybody for making them feel welcome and part of our lovely volunteer family at Maranatha.

There have been visits to hospitals, where escorts are needed for residents, which our volunteers kindly give their time to do if their families are unavailable or unable.

Some of our residents like to go shopping and escorts go with them, which can be an interesting experience for all involved.

We have a new volunteer doing library work to make books available for the residents to promote the use of the large collection we have in the new wing, which was kindly donated by the State Library. Also, we have one of our volunteers applying her patch making skills to creating roster boards for our nurses’ stations!

We have also established, with effort, a walking group program where residents are going outside and enjoying the sun while the weather is so very beautiful – that Vitamin D is so important and valuable in our health and well-being.

We have had donated by our Catholic Community visitors, some beautiful blankets which will be valued by the residents as they can only create cheer with the lovely colours they are made with.

Another programme which we are successfully establishing is our small group activities, where residents are being assisted by volunteers with making cards, playing card games and we have a resident who is still trying to find someone who REALLY challenges him at chess.

Obviously, I cannot mention all of the tasks our volunteers undertake but I know that our staff and residents thoroughly appreciate their constant help and cheerful spirits as they assist with the many activities that make up life at Maranatha.

Also, it is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Kathy Hallmark and look forward to the adventure of new leadership ahead of us, which God will guide us through.

If you are interested in joining the Volunteer program, please do not hesitate to contact me: Jane Hughes on 3482 5333 or jhughes@chomes.com.au Volunteer & Pastoral Care Coordinator

Read, Rest & Relax!

CHRISTMAS POEM Take a heap of child-like wonder That opens up our eyes To the unexpected gifts in life Each day a sweet surprise Mix in fond appreciation For the people whom we know; Like festive Christmas candles, Each one has a special glow.

Add some giggles and some laughter, A dash of Christmas food, (Amazing how a piece of pie Improves our attitude!)

Stir it all with human kindness; Wrap it up in love and peace, Decorate with optimism, and Our joy will never cease.

If we use this healthy recipe, We know we will remember To be in the Christmas spirit Even when it’s not December.

Written by Joanna Fuch

Chocolate Snowballs • 200g dark chocolate, chopped • 100g unsalted butter, chopped • 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar • 3 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 1 cup (150g) icing sugar 1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Place the dark chocolate and chopped butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water over low heat (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water).

Stir mixture until melted and smooth, then remove the bowl from the heat and stand for five minutes to cool.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir caster sugar into chocolate until dissolved. Gradually add eggs, stirring until well combined. Add vanilla, flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix until a smooth dough. Cover and chill for no more than 30 minutes to firm.

4. Use hands to roll two level tablespoons of the dough into a ball. Repeat until you have 14 balls. Sift the icing sugar into a dish, then dip each ball into the dish and dust heavily in icing sugar and place on the prepared trays about 2cm apart. Bake the snowballs for 10-12 mins until firm to the touch. Cool on the trays.

Makes 14

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