Lifestyle by Ryman - Year in Review

Lifestyle

by Ryman

A YEAR IN REVIEW

ISSUE 2

Andrew London Trio A Ryman Treasure

Christmas

Rebecca Nelson

Friendship

Celebrations the Ryman way

Delighted to be back

Clever engineering in the Men’s Shed

Welcome to our Lifestyle by Ryman year in review

keep older people healthy and mobile for as long as possible.

Triple A has been a runaway success.

Each week more than 3,000 residents take part in the exercise classes which have an amazing retention rate - participants just keep coming back.

Our villages have had a busy year, which started with the roll out of our new Ryman Delicious menus.

I’ve seen it for myself whilst recently touring all our villages, and I’ve taken part in a few Triple A classes myself!

This has been one of our most successful innovations – we knew food was important, but we now have a new appreciation for just how important it is!

I think their success is down to peer encouragement – the classes are a great social event. The delicious morning teas also help!

During the year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Triple A exercise programme, which has been keeping our residents fit and healthy since 2007.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Lifestyle by Ryman. Who knows – maybe I’ll see you at an exercise class soon!

Triple A was a bold concept at the time, which aimed to introduce age-appropriate fitness classes to improve strength, balance and overall fitness. We believed appropriate exercise would help to prevent falls and

Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive Ryman Healthcare

Christmas fun facts!

Ever wondered about Christmas stockings?

The story goes, a poor man with daughters couldn’t afford dowries. Saint Nicholas dropped a bag of gold coins down the chimney which fell into a stocking hanging by the fire - hence the tradition was born.

Did you know that Santa Claus has traditionally worn blue, white and green? However, the jolly red suit we know today, came from a marketing campaign

by Coca-Cola in the 1930’s!

Chocolate Yule log is a Christmas favourite, but surprisingly this decadent dessert originated from the tradition of bringing a tree into the house. It was then burned with great ceremony during the twelve days of Christmas!

Christmas in a Ryman village Each day at Ryman villages, there are a multitude of activities and events to entertain residents. So, it’s no surprise that we get excited when planning our Christmas celebrations.

We delight in making Christmas magical for our residents, families and staff.

Christmas carols are sung by school children, we enjoy festive parties and indulging in our Christmas menus. Villages are beautifully decorated and full of smiles, warmth and feeling connected to the village community.

Ambrosia Ingredients 1L unsweetened yoghurt 500ml cream fresh A punnet of raspberries or mixed berries 1 bag of marshmallows Method • Pour yoghurt into a bowl •

In a separate bowl, whip cream until it forms soft peaks

Christmas menus include all the trimmings - traditional turkey, ham, and pavlova.

Food plays a significant role in capturing the essence of Christmas. Our chefs add their own Christmas flair to each village, and dining rooms are decorated to reflect the festivities.

•

Stir the cream into the yoghurt

•

Stir the raspberries/berries and marshmallows into the yoghurt and cream mix

•

Chill for 2-4 hours

•

Portion mixture into serving dishes

We also recognise the holiday season can be a lonely time for older people, as families go on holiday. Our respite option provides flexible care so you can enjoy all the delights of a Ryman Christmas.

•

Chill until required

•

Garnish with grated chocolate and some mint leaves

w e i v e r n i r Yea vents ny exciting e a m o s h it s W yman village R r u o t a g in happen wcase ssible to sho o p im e b ld it wou e re a few of th a re e H ll. a them to contributed t a th ts h lig high ot only rable year n o m e m r e th ano , but rful residents e d n o w r u o for ff. also our sta

Rebecca Nelson tour Th e

l oL u nn c hg

Ryman Delicious launch February saw us celebrating the launch of Ryman Delicious with the long lunch. Our drive was to start a food revolution at Ryman villages across the country – and what a success it was!

Residents were blown away with the delights on offer, ranging from innovative choices that pushed boundaries, to creature comforts that satisfy everyday cravings. The name of the game was offering choice and an abundance of flavour. The best bit is we’ve been enjoying this ‘Deliciousness’ ever since.

In April, we were thrilled to have classical crossover singer Rebecca Nelson begin her tour of Ryman villages to perform for residents again. We were truly lucky to have a star in our midst. Rebecca had just signed to Sony Music and was promoting her Anzac-inspired album, Poppies & Pohutukawa.

Rebecca’s wartime hits and famous show tunes have always proved popular with her audiences at Ryman.

Residents connect with the music as it conjures memories from their younger days, even of significant events such as the London Blitz.

For Rebecca, she is delighted to give back to Ryman.

Her shows with Ryman originally came about after the Village Manager of Ernest Rutherford Retirement Village in Nelson heard her busking. This led to her performing for the Nelson residents, and then to her nationwide tours of the villages.

“It feels like coming home and performing for friends and family.” We say, you can come home to Ryman any time Rebecca.

Romeo & Juliet Ryman villages were buzzing with excitement surrounding the Ryman Healthcare season of Romeo & Juliet performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Residents and staff went above and beyond in their efforts to decorate extravagant balcony scenes, organising grand masquerade balls and performing pantomimes and plays. Artistic talents came out of the woodwork as residents created masks for the ball, whilst the foodies amongst us whipped up some rose apple tarts. We also had lots of fun entertainment at the children’s parties. It was like walking into the Ryman version of fair Verona.

Ryman sponsored prima ballerina Madeleine Graham, who plays Juliet, was delighted our village residents were so enthusiastic about the ballet and their planned activities surrounding the story.

Memory Walk for Dementia In spring, residents from a selection of Ryman villages completed a 4km walk to support Alzheimers NZ. The Memory Walks were a great way for villages to show their support for our current charity partner, Alzheimers NZ.

“It’s nice for the audience to relate to a story. When they know a story, they feel more a part of it – it touches them,” she said.

Jane Mander Retirement Village completed the walk, raising $2,500. No easy feat considering team member Marie Minhinnick, had just turned 90!

That is exactly the sentiment we gathered from the many residents, staff and relatives who attended the popular ballet.

Ryman Healthcare Chief Executive Gordon MacLeod explains “Alzheimer’s and dementia take a huge toll on our residents and their families. That’s why supporting the good work they do is so important”.

“The workshop brought us together...”

Best buddies Chris Cameron, John Still and Hugh Martin

Bruce’s Blokes Retired engineers and best buddies Chris Cameron, John Still and Hugh Martin, found forming friendships was made easy through their mutual love of all things mechanical at Bruce McLaren Retirement Village.

“The workshop brought us together,” says Chris.

The trio have created model cars, trains, ships and planes. Hugh’s latest project is a working replica of a Doxford ship’s engine.

John, the ‘master vehicle modeller’, is currently building a 1:10 scale model of Bruce McLaren’s Austin Seven racing car.

The shed members also undertake many tasks for the village and the residents.

One important project was to build a fourwheel trailer to enable the village’s gardening crew to move rubbish bins to the compactor.

Shed members are also happy to respond to many resident requests for help. “Our standard fee for doing jobs for ladies is half a dozen beers!” laughs John.

What the men most value is simply having a place to hang out with a mate, and to continue putting their creative talents to good use.

The men, whose wives also get along, say they socialise more with each other now than they did with their old friends from years ago.

“That’s the fascinating thing about this place,” Chris says.

The men quickly add that while it is called Bruce’s Blokes’ Shed, it is not out of bounds to the ladies at the village.

When asked ‘do you allow women?”

‘Of course! You just have to be able to spin a good yarn, not mind the odd swear word and take turns to make tea!” Hugh laughs.

Andrew London Trio As one of our longest standing entertainers, the Andrew London Trio have become a Ryman treasure.

Andrew’s 60s and 70s influence combined with 1940s-style swing and jazz, appealed to Ryman listeners.

“The excitement of rock ‘n’ roll is hard to beat when you are young, but once I began writing in the 30s and 40s-style, there was no going back” Andrew recalls.

Their Ryman journey began when a fan moved into one of the Wellington villages and arranged a performance. “Our mix of Rat-Pack era standards and satirical and comedic original songs went down fairly well.”

Crowd favourites include novelty songs I Can’t Keep Up and I Used To Be Your Rooster. It appears everyone enjoys a laugh at the joys of ageing!

“It’s very gratifying to see a face light up, heads begin to bob or feet start tapping to These Boots Were Made for Walking or Tennessee Waltz” says Andrew.

Word builder M

Nils Olsen, Kirsten London and Andrew London

One performance saw a resident brought to the concert in his dressing gown after recovering from being ill. Andrew noticed he enjoyed the performance and later expressed “I hope you get better”, to which the resident quickly replied, “I hope you do too!”

It’s that combination of memorable laughs, crowd pleasing music and Andrew’s easygoing manner that make the Trio such a hit. South Island villages can look forward to more toe tapping in their upcoming Christmas tour in December.

How many words of three or more letters, including plurals, can you make from the six letters, using each letter only once? No foreign words or words beginning with a capital are included. There’s at least one six-letter word.

Good: 14 Very Good: 19 Excellent: 26

R A

W T

Go to www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz to find the word builder answers.

H

Reference: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Copyright: The Puzzle Company

Enjoying every minute To read Hoko and Glenda’s full story visit www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz

The Anything Goes Troupe Ryman villages and surrounding communities enjoy regular entertainment organised and performed by residents living in the village.

The Anything Goes Troupe at Edmund Hillary Retirement Village, performed their show A Sentimental Journey which wowed audiences. Residents had their toes tapping to songs sung by the choir as they enjoyed the hilarious adventure story. The passion and dedication that residents put into the production is truly amazing – who needs Britain’s Got Talent, when we have our very own super stars?

For more information about the Ryman difference or to book a complimentary

lunch and a tour

call Josie on 0800 000 290