Billy's Beacon Winter Newsletter 2019

Billy’s William Sanders Retirement Village

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Winter edition 2019

Family connection Grant and Glennys are excited to move into William Sanders village

Construction update

Introducing Pele

Knitting for a cause

Greetings from Mark & Janet...

Hello and welcome to our winter edition of Billy’s Beacon.

through the kitchen window’ and a superb musical afternoon is coming with The Eno Sisters.

We have entered the most exciting stage in the development of the village, with our first residents now living in their apartments and enjoying the beginnings of a warm, vibrant and inviting community.

We are now selling the fourth independent apartment stage, with a selection of sunny apartments to choose from.

It has been a busy six months and we have enjoyed interesting and informative events at the nearby Rose Centre Theatre.

We can provide all the information you need to be able to make a confident decision.

Lynn Dawson’s talk about her work in women’s prisons was inspiring and Bronwyn Groot’s insights into how to avoid scams taught us all to be more vigilant.

Give us a call if you would like to arrange to come in for a coffee and to view our plans.

Kind regards,

On a musical note, pianist Carl Doy entertained us with his grand piano repertorie, made even more enjoyable by the acoustics in the theatre.

Keep an eye out for upcoming events over the next three months which will include Devonport Chocolates, David Veart on ‘New Zealand history

Stanley bowling event We have become an avid supporter of the Stanley Bowling and Petanque Club and its members.

The club enjoys an idyllic setting on the edge of Ngataringa Bay and we have been delighted to sponsor their end of season bowling tournament.

The weather was perfect for the event and the afternoon ended with a convivial prize giving.

Right: Members of the Stanley Bowling and Petanque Club.

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Mark Cooper & Janet Coutts Sales Advisors Ph: 09 445 0909

Village evolution begins With the first few residents now officially moved-in, a major milestone has been reached and the village is really starting to feel like a village with a growing community.

Project Manager Matt Hutchinson said there was a slight hold-up due to consents being delayed which put the first move-ins back by a couple of weeks, but it was crucial to get things just right for the new residents.

“Everybody seems to be very happy with their new homes so while it was unfortunate that we had to postpone the move-ins the most important thing is that we got everything properly in place beforehand.”

Residents Judy McGrath and Eileen Pearce were the first residents to move in, and were delighted with their new homes. While moving in, they discovered that they have a mutual friend and that they are now neighbours across the hallway.

There is still plenty for the construction team to get on with on the other stages too.

“We’re well into the interior works in the serviced apartment block and have started the first suspended floor in the village centre.

“Then for the next independent apartment block we are onto the foundation work for the side closest to Ngataringa Road and excavation work for the side further into the site.”

The other big news is Matt has been promoted to a Regional Construction Manager role and has handed over the project manager reigns to his second-in-command, Matt Bell.

Matt, who has stepped up from the Site Manager role, was featured in the last edition of Billy’s Beacon and is looking forward to the next challenge in what has so far been a stellar career with Ryman.

Matt (Hutchinson) said: “I am confident that the site will be in great hands under Matt and I’m glad to still be involved with this build, albeit from a different perspective.”

Above: Delighted residents Judy McGrath (left) and Eileen Pearce.

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Glennys’s link to namesake Turning 80 was a big factor and prompt for Waiheke couple Glennys and Grant Adams to start thinking about retirement living.

“I was absolutely delighted when I found out Ryman wanted to name the new village after him,” says Glennys.

The pair, particularly Glennys, have had close associations with the stunning suburb of Devonport.

Because of that history the new Ryman location was immediately attractive.

Although William has been recognised in various ways, such as the Sanders Cup yacht race and Sanders Avenue in Takapuna, as naval historian Grant Howard says, New Zealand’s “enigmatic war hero Lieutenant Commander William Sanders VC had remained something of a mystery”.

But Glennys admits there was another very special reason behind their decision to choose this village — Glennys is the great-niece of the village namesake, naval hero William Sanders.

With Ryman putting his full name well and truly on the map, it would mean younger generations would learn more about New Zealand’s most highly decorated naval hero, she said.

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or Uncle Willy as we called him, was very much part of my life.

“As a special treat my grandmother would recount stories of William’s exploits and show us grandchildren his sword and naval uniform which are now displayed at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.”

Buying an apartment in the village was an obvious choice because of the family connection, which she admits was definitely ‘appealing’, but Devonport is a great location for other reasons too, she says.

“Devonport was where I learned to swim!” she says.

“In the summer, although we lived in Mt Albert, Mum would often take me on the ferry to Devonport for a picnic, which we both loved.

“My husband Grant lived in Takapuna when we first met and we lived in Birkenhead for 30 years so the Shore has always been special for both of us,” she adds.

While their apartment is yet to be built, Glennys admits that having some certainty for their future is reassuring.

William, who was the only Kiwi to be awarded a Victoria Cross in a naval battle, died after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1917.

He was awarded the VC – the Commonwealth’s highest honour for bravery – as well as the Distinguished Service Order.

Glennys said she grew up learning about her brave great uncle.

“My grandmother Emily Keith, nee Sanders, was William’s only sister. She, William and their other two brothers Charles and Walter were very close.

“As I lived with Emily for my first six years, William,

“As one ages, thoughts naturally turn to what may be needed at the next stage of life’s journey and it seems that a retirement village offers a sense of security.

“It is also reassuring for Grant and I as we enter our 80s to know that there are different levels of care available to us if required in the future.”

In the meantime, as they wait for construction to begin on their apartment they are happy to enjoy the delightful surrounds of Waiheke Island, continuing with their interests which include playing Mah Jong, walking, reading and writing.

“No doubt there will be opportunities to develop some new hobbies too!” says Glennys.

Left: Grant and Glennys in downtown Auckland at the ferry terminal.

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Forgetfulness: Normal Ageing or early Dementia?

A few months back I visited someone in Mangakino, a small New Zealand central North Island town, originally built for the workers who were constructing the huge hydro dam of the same name.

I had visited there as a kid to see the massive building works.

When I returned home, a drive of around 40 minutes, my wife enquired where I had been.

I knew where I had been in crisp detail, but not the name of the town. Whakamaru was the next town and that I remembered well from my schoolboy visit more than 60 years ago.

But Mangakino had taken fright and raced away from my finely tuned neurones. “Come back” I wanted to shout. But I could only bleat: “It’s slipped my mind. I’ll remember later.”

Simple solution: I’ll Google it, or least the neighbouring dam: Whakamaru. Sure enough, there on the map nearby was Mangakino.

Problem solved.

Nope. Not solved at all. After I closed the screen I called out to my wife: “It was XXXX?” The pesky word remained absent, absent without leave I might add, and the Google jog had gone with it. I began to think that I’d better check in to a dementia unit as I was losing it, and what did I need to take with me?

Common sense prevailed as I felt on top of stuff otherwise. So, I wrote the word Mangakino on a card and placed it beside the phone and computer.

It took three days for that pesky neurone either to wake up or pass the name to an underworked neighbour. And it did, and now I am Mangakino educated and friendly.

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Self-diagnosis is a wobbly area and can prematurely label a spouse or loved one with a disturbing diagnosis that is not the case.

Sometimes the individual is reacting adversely to medication; drug doses for older subjects are commonly too high.

Or their thyroid gland is out of kilter, or there are disturbances of their liver or kidney.

Type II diabetes can induce changes suggestive of dementia, as can mini strokes.

Too much alcohol in the elderly is a common disrupter of behaviour and memory.

Depression and anxiety can overrun the governors of normal behaviour.

A bladder, or even deep skin infection may tip behaviours off balance and individuals can appear confused.

Low levels of vitamin B12 are a common cause of abnormal behaviour and personality in older people.

So, don’t rush to judgment.

Find the disorders that are not dementia and get them treated.

I don’t have dementia!!

So occasional, or even common trouble with memory recall is a feature of normal ageing.

When dementia arrives, at first with isolated episodes of abnormal or even bizarre behaviour, sudden mood changes, or increasing patches of forgetfulness or lack of recognition of people they know well, or increasing confusion, then it is time for action.

Daily skills begin to fade; individuals can struggle with conversation; judgement becomes unreliable; they may wander without knowing where they are, and their personality can alter materially.

It is time for a proper medical assessment, to be sure that the issue is dementia, as in many instances it is something else.

You don’t want to get it wrong!

Missing a masquerading condition that is readily identified and treated is a major lost opportunity to discard the dementia label and return life to its rightful path.

About Dr Doug Dr Doug Wilson is an academic, a physician, a pharmaceutical industry researcher and a medical scientist as well as a writer. For the past 30 years he has monitored the scientific literature as it relates to ageing and his aim is to cut through the fads and fallacies to concentrate on the core issues and the physiological and psychological reasons behind them.

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New Village Manager, Murray Bain, happily on board We are delighted to announce our new village manager, Murray Bain.

Murray’s first day here ended up being the same as the first residents to move in, on 13 May. “I’d visited the site of course but no one could get in at that point. I couldn’t wait to get started,” he says.

he has shadowed a couple of village managers at Ryman’s Charles Upham and Edmund Hillary villages and he has spent time with the new manager at Murray Halberg, all under the expert tuition of Regional Operations Manager Lynn Charlton.

And the excitement is still palpable for Murray who had spent the weeks leading up to the big day being fully ‘Rymanised’ – something he admits he is loving wholeheartedly!

Murray says it is quite a change from his previous roles working in vocational tertiary education, most recently as academic dean of innovation and development, for business enterprise and high technology networks at Unitec.

“It’s quite unbelievable, the set up that Ryman has got in place, and the package of technologies that the company has developed, it’s impressive.”

“It’s different but there are a lot of parallels with education and the aged care sector,” he says.

He adds: “It’s the savvy way that Ryman has, that really struck me. The organisation is thinking about integrated systems to free up people’s time so they can concentrate on the core business of ‘is it good enough for Mum?’ and that is remarkable.”

Murray, who lives north of Auckland in Millwater with his wife Karen and their beloved cat Sky, says his friends and family have all had extremely positive reactions on hearing about his new role.

But none of them are as positive as Murray’s own view of a standout culture at Ryman.

Murray’s training period has seen him do an insightful stint at head office in Christchurch,

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Staff Profile

Introducing Pele

“He kept his promise and called me and that’s how I started my apprenticeship at Ryman.”

After joining Matt at Edmund Hillary, Pele left for a short while before returning as a Leading Hand at Bert Sutcliffe. Within two weeks he was quickly promoted to Structural Foreman.

This role sees him looking after all the panels, ribs and boxing to be done on the structural side and involves him managing big concrete pours on a regular basis.

After a six-month stint on the Logan Campbell village he joined Matt once again at William Sanders in Devonport.

“I guess I’m doing something right and that’s why I’m still here!” he laughs. “But I didn’t get to where I am today without having my family and the team here behind me, supporting me.”

Indeed, Pele says he is grateful for that support and always tries to learn with everyone he works with whilst encouraging others to do the same.

“Some of the guys see me in this position and they ask me how they can move up and I say if you work hard and do what you have to do there are lots of opportunities with Ryman and they are good people to work with.”

I can go home and say to my family ‘I was a part of that!’

Pele Vaaga has worked for Ryman since 2008 but he remembers how he felt when he first got the job as if it was yesterday.

“I was so happy, I was starting work on the Monday, but then my father passed away on the Tuesday. It was a very emotional time,” he says.

Pele says while there are sometimes frustrations with the job, he always takes stock of what the team has achieved to regain his perspective.

“It’s amazing how the building goes up, what the team can do.

Pele had joined his Dad on building jobs as a teenager and when he arrived in New Zealand from Samoa in 2001 he was keen to get into the construction industry to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“What is rewarding for me is at the hand over, when you look at the building and walk around inside it, it’s something you can feel proud of.

His first encounter with Ryman was working on Grace Joel as a contractor with Project Manager Matt Hutchinson in 2008.

Pele, who is father to six-year-old Jessiah, says he wishes his Dad was still around to see what he has achieved with Ryman over the past decade, but he takes comfort from the fact he at least saw him take the first rung on the ladder.

“When that job ended he said he would give me a call to work on the next project which was Evelyn Page at Orewa.

“I can go home and say to my family ‘I was a part of that!’”

“I know he was very proud,” he says.

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Welcome to our community William Sanders Retirement Village is a community in its own right, and will feature wonderful amenities for residents to make use of. There will also be plenty of events and groups to get involved in.

Play bowls with friends.

Have morning tea with your friends, group or club in our café.

Enjoy our complimentary happy hour.

Take a dip in the indoor heated pool.

Get together with the blokes in the Men’s shed.

Attend shows from visiting bands and performers.

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We’ve done it again…

Fabulous five as Most Trusted Brand Ryman Healthcare has been named the most trusted brand in the retirement industry for the fifth time.

“Deciding to move into a retirement village is one of the biggest decision people make in their retirement,” he said.

We’ve taken the top award in the aged care and retirement village category in the Reader’s Digest 2019 Most Trusted Brands awards. Ryman also won in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018.

“Our residents trust us to look after their care and their security, and to care for them into the future.

It’s a privilege to look after them.

The aim of the awards is to identify the brands Kiwis recognise and trust the most. The winners are chosen from a survey of 1,500 New Zealanders across 65 categories. Catalyst Marketing & Research surveyed respondents on which products they recognised and used, and which held their trust in each category.

“To win this award five times shows that we’re consistently delivering, and we will continue to do so.”

“To win this award five times shows that we’re consistently delivering, and we will continue to do so.

“It is always nice to win awards, but the best reward is the feedback we get from our residents and their families each day.”

Ryman Healthcare has also won the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award in the aged care and retirement village category four times.

Ryman was singled out for praise for having helpful and friendly staff, residents who love living in Ryman villages, and for providing care that is “good enough for Mum”.

Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod said it was humbling to win the award for the fifth time.

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Knitting for a cause Devonport identity Lynn Dawson, is behind a network of knitting enthusiasts, including Ryman residents, making woollen blankets for vulnerable children around New Zealand.

Lynn is the Community Development Coordinator of charity project Peggy & Friends, the national group that makes the blankets and knitted dolls.

She has spoken to some at our Bert Sutcliffe village as well as potential William Sanders residents, encouraging them to join the national network of needle nuts.

Ryman is supporting the project by providing yarn for many groups around the country and to help set up new groups in its villages.

Lynn explains how the project had grown from a small group at a Northcote Community House who heard through Plunket that newborns were being wrapped in tea towels, to a nationwide network that had produced more than 10,000 blankets to be distributed by groups in their communities.

Lynn’s work running knitting, writing and library workshops in women’s prisons gave her the expertise needed.

“It’s a very simple premise, we’re just knitting blankets for vulnerable children,” Lynn says.

“Each new group gets a bag of yarn and a few knit kits which contain bamboo knitting needles, a ball of wool and instructions to knit a basic square.”

Mark Cooper & Janet Coutts Sales Advisors Ph: 09 445 0909

While their creations helped others, the knitters themselves also benefitted from their efforts, she adds.

“I knew of a woman who was plagued by arthritis and the knitting helped straighten her fingers out.

And new research has found that knitting is the best thing to help stave off dementia illnesses – so we knit every day!” she laughs.

7 Ngataringa Road, Devonport

williamsandersvillage.co.nz