Jane Mander Retirement Village • Summer edition 2018
Raising awareness Our residents supported Alzheimers New Zealand at a charity walk
Meet Margaret
Pom-pom parade
Skilled knitting
Greetings from Wendy... Hello and welcome to the summer edition of Jane’s Journal. Things are really warming up, which is perfect for the events schedule we have planned as we approach the festive season. The Ryman Healthcare and Royal New Zealand Ballet season of The Nutcracker is upon us. We have decorated the village centre to the theme and it looks amazing. To add to the festivities, we are working on our float for the Kamo Christmas Parade which has a Kiwiana theme. Make sure you come down to the parade on 24 November and check out our float!
Recently, air-conditioning was installed in the village centre and in the main lounges for the resthome and hospital. It is perfect timing with the warmer weather we are having. On a bit more of a formal note, we have recently had our village and kitchen audits, both of which went extremely well. I feel really privileged to be working here in such a beautiful environment, with such wonderful residents and staff. Kind regards,
Wendy Turner Village Manager
Breakfast for a cause During a busy few months, we hosted a Blue Ribbon Breakfast for prostate awareness. We raised $967 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Everyone enjoyed the delicious breakfast prepared by our talented chefs. Fiona
Wendy Turner Village Manager Ph: 09 435 3850 Call Wendy for general enquiries or for information about resthome, hospital and dementia care.
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Fiona Scotland Sales Advisor Ph: 09 435 3803 Talk to Fiona for information about independent apartments, townhouses or serviced apartments.
Choral performance It has been a real treat for residents to enjoy two choir performances in the resthome atrium at Jane Mander recently. The Whangarei Harmony Chorus and the Bella a Cappella chorus from the Bay of Islands sang selections of their repertoires to an enthralled audience. The residents and staff filled out the atrium space to listen. The Bella a Cappella ladies, who are affiliated to Sweet Adelines International, recently won a regional contest in Dunedin which has earned them an invitation to the upcoming Division A Harmony Classic competition in St Louis, Missouri. The contest features the top five small and mid-sized choruses worldwide, all singing in four-part harmony, or barbershop. The group said they were thrilled to perform at the village for what was effectively a dress rehearsal for the big event. The MC for the event, Ron, who introduced himself as the husband of the choir director Patti Cooke, said: “The acoustics in here are wonderful. It makes 15 sound like 50!” Above: Choral performances in the Jane Mander atrium were a real treat for residents.
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RYMAN E H T
H E A LT H C A R E S E A S O
If you notice the Christmas decorations going up a bit earlier in our villages this year, it’s to celebrate our partnership with the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s season of The Nutcracker. We know our residents will enjoy being immersed in the whimsical story of the Nutcracker as our villages are transformed – think sugar plum fairies, gingerbread houses and toy soldiers. There will be a range of activities on offer – from appreciating Tchaikovsky’s beautiful
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musical score, to having a go at making themed-decorations for display. The ballet will be touring throughout New Zealand, opening in Wellington on 31 October, and finishing in Auckland on 15 December.
Want to see a show near you? Contact your village reception for exclusive Ryman discounts on tickets!
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Ryman chefs take top prize At the recent New Zealand Hospitality Awards, our in-house Chefs; Steve Iraia and Paul Korunic, took the top two prizes.
also pleased to go one better than last year. “We’ve got the two top positions in the country, which is a brilliant result.’’
Steve has been the chef at Princess Alexandra village in Napier for 10 years. He was named the winner in the senior lifestyle section.
Steve and Paul had 75 minutes to cook meals for eight people consisting of four hoki loin dishes and four dishes featuring beef cheeks.
Steve came second in last year’s competition.
Ryman Hotel Services Manager Andrew Gibson said he was proud of the chefs, as the dishes they prepared had to be practical and suitable for Ryman menus.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic, it was a bit like taking care of some unfinished business.”
Village chefs serve up more than 10,000 meals a day to our residents. Chefs prepare the food fresh on-site, with three main course choices, including a vegetarian option.
Both Steve and Paul’s classic recipes feature in Ryman Delicious menus. Paul, Chef at Anthony Wilding village in Christchurch for the last four years, was
myRyman rollout crosses the finishing line Our myRyman electronic care system has been rolled out to all our villages in New Zealand. myRyman is a robust electronic care system located in each resident’s room. It allows nurses and care assistants to view the full care profile of each resident at the touch of a button. Information is recorded in real time, dramatically reducing paperwork. In 2015, Chief Operations Officer Barbara ReynenRose went looking for an electronic care
system but couldn’t find one she liked, so Ryman decided to build its own version.
“It makes us excited about what’s possible, and where we can take it next.” Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod said the project would keep Ryman Healthcare at the forefront of aged care. “What we have achieved is very, very rare. To take a concept that involved a complete change in how people work and make it into a system that is operable 24/7 in a care operation is incredible. “It makes us excited about what’s possible, and where we can take it next.’’
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Resident Profile
Meet Margaret
I spent 25 years as the librarian at the college and during that time saw quite a few changes. Initially I had to type all the small catalogue cards on one of those old black upright typewriters, then when computers came along all that information had to be entered in a database. When even more computers were added by the college, it was a challenge to keep them all connected. My love of handcrafts came from my mother and grandmothers who taught me most of the old crafts of sewing, knitting, crochet and tatting. When our children were young I became very involved with spinning and weaving. Later, night classes gave me the opportunity to try lead lighting, copper work and so on. After retiring I was introduced to bead work.
While I retain an interest in all ‘crafty’ things my main interest now is genealogy which I have been studing for nearly thirty years. Hello, my name is Margaret Morton and I was born in Eltham, South Taranaki in 1937. Our family shifted to Pahiatua, where I met and married Philip Parkes and our three children were born there. In 1973 Philip accepted a position at Huntly College so we moved there.
While I retain an interest in all ‘crafty’ things my main interest now is genealogy which I have been studying for nearly thirty years. It is an addictive hobby as there always seems to be something new to discover and it is like being a detective. It also fits in well with my love of my computer. I really appreciate the social opportunities and the new friends I have made here at Jane Mander. I wouldn’t wish to live anywhere else.
Kawa Kawa outing Serviced apartment residents had a wonderful outing to Kawa Kawa to check out the world famous Hundertwasser mosaic toilets. These were designed in 1999 by Frederick Hundertwasser. He formed a connection to Northland, after a two month stay in Kawa Kawa Hospital.
Hundertwasser died in 2000 and is buried in Northland. A Hundertwasser Art Centre is underway at the Whangarei town basin, for all to enjoy. I am sure we will go to check it out. Right: Serviced apartment residents take in the mosaic setting.
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Skilled knitting
Pom-pom parade
Our newest Activities Coordinator Setareh Matthews wanted to learn how to knit so serviced apartment resident Margaret Theuma got Seterah to come in before work to learn the useful skill of knitting. Margaret has made many patchwork blankets and other crafty things, and enjoys teaching these skills.
With a bit of ingenuity Lewis Eyre has taught our resthome residents how to make pom-poms.
Above: Setareh and Margaret knitting away.
Lewis, with his infectious smile, is often accompanied by an abundance of wool, needles, and tools. His ability to create pom-poms was lovingly instilled by his mother. Above: Lewis Eyre enjoys teaching crafts.
Staff Profile
Introducing Milagros
Hello, I’m Milagros McKernan, and I’m a caregiver at Jane Mander. I was born and raised and worked most of my life in the Philippines. My family are from Manilla and I have three sisters and three brothers.
I also trained to be a healthcare worker, so I could better care for my mum who is still at home.
In the Philippines I worked my way up from a shop assistant to working as a budgeting advisor for a large company. I also ran my own retail business before moving to New Zealand in 2010.
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I was first introduced to my now husband by a friend. We developed a loving relationship online and I moved to Whangarei to be with him. I also trained to be a healthcare worker, so I could better care for my mum who is still at home. I go back as often as I can to care for her. Since 2010 I’ve loved working here, caring for our residents. My Christian values have taught me to care for our older community members. Although I call them “my young people“.
Alzhiemer’s walk What a great day to go out our five-kilometre town basin walk to raise awareness for Alzhiemer’s NZ. Fifteen of our residents took up the challenge and joined other locals and enjoyed a 45-minute walk around the town basin. The group was walking in support of a disease that impacts on communities large and small around the country. Alzheimer’s NZ represents people living with dementia, by raising awareneness, and advocating for services and research about prevention and care. Well done everyone! Pictured: Residents walk to help raise awareness about Alzheimer’s.
Upcoming events November
December
24
08
Kamo Christmas Parade
Market Day
December
December
11
13
Christmas in the village
Royal NZ Ballet talk
262 Fairway Drive, Whangarei
www.janemander.co.nz