Diana’s Journal Diana Isaac Retirement Village
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Winter edition 2018
Victory! After some effort, we are pleased to have retained our bus stop for our residents and staff
We saved the bus!
Meet Elisabeth
Hollywood Dance!
Greetings from Nicki... Hello and welcome to the winter edition of Diana’s Journal. My first couple of months as village manager have flown by and I am thoroughly enjoying being in the village after 11 years at Ryman. I want to congratulate the residents and staff who fought to save our bus stop. We are very happy that Environment Canterbury decided to include us in the new route. Well done!
On a final note, Diana Isaac was the proud winner of the Aged Advisor 2018 Best Retirement Village award for the third time. The selection process is very stringent and to win the award is no easy feat. The judges received over 25,000 reviews, so we are really proud of this achievement. Congratulations to our wonderful staff who truly go the extra mile! Kind regards,
It has been a busy few months at the village with a very memorable Anzac Day and our Hollywood Dance was a village highlight. There are a few new and exciting projects in the works from spawning salmon to taking part in a cardiac research project.
Nicki Brown Village Manager
A magical Antarctic trip Recently, we hosted a special guest at the village. Traveller and Antarctic historian, Dr Stephen Hicks, led an informative and interesting talk about his last trip to the Antarctic, with fantastic photographs to showcase the barren beauty of the continent. Dr Hicks was born in Montreal,
Canada and moved to New Zealand with his family in 1999. It was a fantastic talk and we hope to hear more from him in the future. Right: Dr Hicks on a recent visit to Shackleton’s hut on Ross Island. Adrienne
Nicki Brown Village Manager Ph: 03 386 3018 Call Nicki for general enquiries, or information about resthome, hospital and dementia care.
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Adrienne Todd Sales Advisor Ph: 03 385 3518 Talk to Adrienne for information about independent apartments, townhouses or serviced apartments.
We saved the bus! The battle of the buses was won after the regional council decided to include our stop on the new route. Residents and staff, led by Graham Tate, marched on Environment Canterbury (ECan) after the regional council proposed cutting our beloved bus stop from right outside our village on Philpotts Road. They intended to move it 1km away to Innes Rd on a new route. More than 120 residents protested outside the council’s headquarters and presented a petition to save the bus stop. At a packed meeting at Diana Isaac village in May, ECan staff presented an alternative route. The new proposal is to loop
the number 44 bus down to connect close to the village, and a new stop will be provided 150m from Diana Isaac’s gates. The bus will run every half hour, with extended hours for our staff working up until 9pm. The new 44 bus service will connect the village to The Palms mall and into town to connect to other services for places such as Christchurch Hospital. It is expected to start later this year. Above: Residents ready to fight for their bus stop Right: Resident Graham Tate makes his point at the protest, supported by Duncan Webb MP
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It’s got to be
good enough for Mum In May 2018 Kevin Hickman announced he was standing down from the board of Ryman, ending 34 years of service at the company. There is no doubt that Ryman Healthcare would not be the company it is today without Kevin, and everyone at Ryman wishes him all the best with his retirement. The Ryman story began back in 1983, when Kevin was a former policeman turned private detective. He was asked to investigate a resthome fire in Christchurch, and he did not like what he saw. “The fire was in an old villa and there were four people to a room all with shared toilets,’’ Kevin recalls. “To me it was crazy, the standards were so poor. But that’s how resthomes were in those days.’’ Kevin would never dream of putting his mother into a place like that if she needed to go into care. “I thought, what would I want for Mum?” And so, Ryman’s philosophy that care has to be “good enough for Mum” was born. Kevin teamed up with John Ryder, an accountant, and together they made a dynamic pair. Ryman – a combination of Ryder and Hickman – Healthcare was registered and they bought their first property to convert into a resthome in 1984.
“I thought, what would I want for Mum?” As well as providing care that was better than anywhere else, the company had to be sustainable, with its systems constantly refined and improved upon. The size of the villages and the facilities offered may have changed over the past 30 years, but Ryman’s core philosophy remains the same. Care is still at the heart of what we do. And it’s got to be good enough for Mum. Or Dad!
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Italian meatballs Meatballs 500g Mince beef 1 Onion diced 2 tbsp Fresh thyme 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Egg 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs Salt & Pepper
A note from Ryman chef,
Sugo sauce 1/2 Onion, diced 1tbsp Garlic 1 tbsp Basil, chopped 1/4 cup Red wine
400g Tinned crushed tomatoes 1 Bay leaf 500ml Beef stock
Method • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. • Combine all the meatball ingredients with the beef mince and mix well, then roll them into golf ball size portions. • Fry all the meat balls in a semi deep fry pan to seal the meat, and place them onto a baking tray. • Use the same deep fry pan to sauté the onion, garlic, basil and bay leaf, then deglaze with red wine and add the crushed tomatoes and beef stock. • Once the sauce starts bubbling, pour over the meatball tray. • Cover with baking paper and foil and cook for 2 hours. • Serve hot on a bed of mashed potatoes. • Serves 4-5.
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Lawrence Slow cooked Italian meatballs are a resident favourite at our Weary Dunlop Retirement Village. It’s a hearty dish that blends well with our new Harvest menus, and residents love the texture and flavour. Furthermore, it’s a healthy option and is easy to prepare. You simply combine the ingredients and let the oven do the cooking – leaving more time to spend with your loved ones. Weary Dunlop chef Lawrence with resident Enid McCauley
Resident Profile
Meet Elisabeth
We immigrated to New Zealand and welcomed three children. My husband had itchy feet, having lived in Indonesia, Holland and NZ. Therefore, he wanted to try out South Africa, so off we went. However, after three years there, we decided to return to NZ. My eldest daughter lives in Canada with her Canadian husband and she is now a grandmother, which makes me a greatgrandmother! My second daughter married a Dutchman and lives in Holland. My son is still travelling the world as a hypnotist. After my husband died in 2007 and the earthquakes struck, I thought it would be better if I found some security, so I ended up at Diana Isaac. I bought an apartment and I was quite happy here. Unfortunately, I then had a stroke.
My husband fought in WWII and I was a Red Cross standby nurse. Hello, my name is Elisabeth Verschuren and I was born on 26 July 1930 in Holland. I am pleased to tell you a little about myself. My husband fought in WWII and I was a Red Cross standby Nurse. This meant that when the bombs were falling I was needed in the hospital, even if it was only to hold a patient’s hand or to help clean up.
I am now living in the resthome, and I must say that the staff are marvellous and so helpful. My only regret is that my children travel so much. I keep in contact with them via Skype but it is not the same. However, you have to row the boat with the oars given to you. Best of wishes to all of you.
Hollywood Dance Our Hollywood Dance was a fantastic event at the village. The residents and staff dressed in their best for the red-carpet event. Everyone was treated like Hollywood stars and their photos were taken upon arrival. The night was spectacular and the food was out of this world!
Not only did we have a delicious dinner, but we also had a great time on the dance floor. Another highlight was of course the photo booth, which was never empty for long! We hope everyone had a fantastic evening. Right: Resident Dorothea McKenzie looked fabulous
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Commonwealth Games Mother’s Day soap craft The serviced apartment and resthome residents banded together to form six teams for our very own Commonwealth Games. The teams competed in mini shot put, tenpin bowling, quoits, basketball, mini archery and mini golf to win gold, silver or bronze medals. There was much laughter in amongst some tough competitiveness but everyone enjoyed the day immensely.
For Mother’s Day this year, our serviced apartment and resthome residents joined together to create handmade soap. Some soaps were shaped into hearts while others preferred to make flowers. The scents also varied, with many choosing lavender, or made sweet pea or infused dried flower petals. The ladies were so impressed and they even had enough to present to their families and friends.
Above: Congratulations to all our medal winners!
Above: Resident Dot Rice making her masterpiece
Staff Profile
Introducing Karma
Hello, my name is Karma Yangchen Gurung and I am from Nepal. I am a housekeeper here at Diana Isaac Retirement Village. I immigrated to New Zealand in 2014 as a student and started studying in Nelson. I moved to Christchurch just recently. When I am not working, I like to spend time reading novels and watching movies.
I realise everyday how proud and happy I am to be working in this wonderful place.
It hasn’t been that long since I joined the team at Diana Isaac, but the experience has been
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amazing. I am enjoying taking care of the residents like my own family and the staff have also been great. Diana Isaac has really become my second home. Working at Diana Isaac has taught me how much a smile and good conversation can mean to others. The residents rejoice in chit chat and I love how much positivity there is in the village. I realise every day how proud and happy I am to be working in this wonderful place.
Anzac Day To commemorate Anzac Day we held a ceremony in the village centre with 300 residents and their families attending. The residents take a special interest in this event every year and contributed to the programme, which always makes the ceremony more special. This year the Diana Isaac choir sang a war medley and brought tears to the eyes of many who attended. An 11-year-old student from Chisnallwood Intermediate performed the Last Post and we also laid the wreath. The ceremony ended with a high tea where residents had the chance to share their stories and special memories. Above: Residents Terry Tattley, Des Cirton and Peter Chant with their service medals on Anzac Day
Upcoming events July
July
18
23
Mid-winter lunch
Red Cross presentation
August
August
06
Scam Savvy talk
16
Chisnallwood Intermediate concert
1 Lady Isaac Way, Mairehau
www.dianaisaac.co.nz