Ryman Times NZ Winter 2018

RT

Ryman Times New Zealand Edition

Farewell to Kevin Hickman

Winter 2018

Ryman wins Trusted Brand accolade again

Congratulations to all our winners

Portrait of a painter

A note from Gordy Hello and welcome to your winter edition of the Ryman Times.

Congratulations to all our Ryman awards finalists and winners – it was nice to be able to celebrate with you all a few weeks ago in Auckland, I’m sure the party continued back at the villages when our champions returned home.

We took the opportunity at the awards to bid farewell to our co-founder Kevin Hickman, and he was characteristically humble about the fuss.

It is hard to do justice to Kevin’s contribution to Ryman. Without him there would not be a Ryman, but he did much more than just start a company.

He spotted an opportunity to set up a company to meet a neglected area — the care of older people — and he and John Ryder built an ethical company with an enduring model that is fair to residents and a stable long-term investment for shareholders.

Since 1984 we've cared for over 30,000 residents and provided work for 21,000 staff.

The standard of retirement living options and care amenities has improved immensely over those years, and I think Kevin can take a lot of credit for that.

His original vision — that the care we provided had to be good enough for Mum — remains our goal today. He knew that if we put residents first — and put care at the heart of everything we do — then all else would follow.

And just to make sure his legacy is preserved we’ve set up an annual award in Kevin’s name, and it will go to the person in Ryman who best represents his values. The inaugural award will be in June next year.

It has been a busy few months with many highlights, but I was particularly pleased when I found out we’d won the Most Trusted Brand for the fourth time.

Trust is essential to everything we do, so there’s no better accolade for all our staff.

I couldn’t think of a better award to win.

We were also pleased to announce recently that we’ve reset the pay of our staff, and, in particular, our 517 nurses.

Increasing pay is just one part of the equation for staff. Making sure they are developing to their full potential is just as important.

We have also invested heavily in leadership development, and 288 of our leaders have taken part in our LEAP development programme this year.

In addition, we have sent a number of senior leaders to London to study, and 50 senior leaders are receiving individualised leadership coaching.

Giving away charity cheques is always fun, and everyone in the wider Ryman family did themselves proud by raising a combined $415,000 for frontline dementia work as well as research on both sides of the Tasman.

Kindness takes many forms. It was also nice to be able to help out Ngati Rangi by donating our surplus bricks to help upgrade Reporua Marae near Ruatoria.

It was Paewai Tume’s idea, and he should be proud of it.

Please enjoy your latest Ryman Times.

Ka kite and keep safe as the winter continues. It may not feel like it right now, but it will be spring before we know it.

Trust me, it will!

In this issue 3 4 6

Farewell to Kev

7 8

Live stronger for longer

10

Growing demand lifts results

11

Record donation for the battle against dementia

13 14

Portrait of a painter

15 16

Tracey's journey home

17

Ryman wins Trusted Brand accolade again

18

Logan Campbell opens its doors to the public

19

Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure

20

Karakia signals start at River Road

Joyce's tips for migrants From a brush with death, to a thirst for life

Congratulations to all our winners

Oh wow! Look at us now

Latest on dementia design

Regards,

Ryman Healthcare Ltd

Gordon MacLeod Chief Executive

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Airport Business Park, 92 Russley Road, Christchurch PO Box 771, Christchurch 8042 0800 588 222 www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz

Board Chairman Dr David Kerr, Mene Mene and Kevin Hickman at the Ryman annual conference.

Farewell to Kev In May 2018, our co-founder Kevin Hickman announced he was standing down from the board of Ryman after 34 years of service.

Chairman Dr David Kerr said there was no doubt that Ryman would not be what it is today without Kevin’s vision and leadership.

Kevin’s Ryman journey began back in 1983, when as a former policeman turned private detective, he was asked to investigate a resthome fire in Christchurch, and he did not like what he saw.

“There were four people to a room with shared toilets down the corridor. The people running the resthome were nice and did a good job in as much as they were expected to. But to me, it was crazy.

The standards were so poor. But that’s how resthomes were in those days.”

What bothered Kevin was the lack of privacy and dignity for residents.

He started thinking about what the standards should be like: “I thought, what would I want for Mum?” Kevin teamed up with John Ryder, and they got the idea to improve the way older people lived and how they were cared for — it was a business they could believe in.

The pair soon found a block of 14 two-bedroom flats in Christchurch, that they would convert into their first

resthome and Ryman — formed by combining Ryder and Hickman — was born.

More than 30 years later Ryman’s 32 villages are home to 10,800 residents in New Zealand and Australia, with another 16 in the pipeline.

Kevin said he left the company in good heart.

“After 34 years, I’ve decided the time is right to stand down, but I leave knowing that Ryman is in great hands under Gordy’s leadership.”

“A company is nothing without people.

I’d like to thank the many thousands of residents and their families as well as loyal shareholders who have put their trust in us, along with the great team at Ryman

who have made the company a success.”

Kevin was honoured with a standing ovation at Ryman’s June conference, which was attended by his family and one of his closest friends, Mene Mene.

Gordon MacLeod touched on what makes a great leader.

“Great leaders make you feel good, they make you think you’re capable of more and they push you to achieve more.

They’re humble and seek recognition above themselves and they’ve always got your back, and that’s you Kev,” he said.

“We know you’ve always got our back as a company and we’re here because of you and we promise to look after this beautiful company you have created for us.”

Gordon MacLeod during his tribute speech to Kevin Hickman.

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Joyce’s tips for migrants Joyce Roa loves her life as a migrant worker in New Zealand so much she’s turned her experiences into a book.

Joyce and her husband decided to leave their home in the Philippines four years ago and faced a choice between New Zealand, Canada and Australia for their new lives as migrants.

“I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so there was never really much choice,” Joyce laughs.

“We love it here and we want to stay.”

Joyce has a degree in communications and worked as an event organiser at home, putting together conferences for up to 10,000 people, and her husband owned a travel agency.

But arriving in New Zealand meant leaving those careers behind and starting over as migrant workers.

Joyce first worked as a check-out operator in a supermarket, and then worked as a caregiver before finding her niche two years ago as an activities co-ordinator in the special care unit at Diana Isaac Retirement Village in Christchurch.

She says she’s never looked back, but she’s learned a lot along the way.

She wanted to put her lessons into a book so others could learn from her experiences.

Her book Live It Great: 12 Real Life Lessons to Help You Create Your Own Happy and Meaningful Life As A Migrant has been a hit with her workmates.

Her experiences in New Zealand provide the key lessons in the book, which include how to deal with coming to a crossroads in life, how giving of yourself heals you, and how to live for more than money.

Many of her lessons come from her new life working to create engaging activities in a dementia unit in a retirement village.

She loves working with the residents; “dementia is a really unkind disease but in the end dealing with it is all about kindness, laughter and friendship,” Joyce says.

“It’s challenging but it is also very fulfilling.

Our residents are intelligent, they know straight away if someone is bored or not putting much effort into their activities with them.

“We have to find other ways to communicate joy — they respond really well to music, to dance, to touch and to humour.”

For Joyce, the number one lesson from her residents is to enjoy the simple things in life.

“People get so focussed on earning a living here that they forget to live a life. Of course, we all must face the fact that we have to earn, but we also need to walk outside and appreciate what we have.”

"We have to find ways to communicate joy – they respond really well to music, to dance, to touch and to humour."

As a migrant, there have been times when Joyce has been unable to work while waiting for her work visa to be renewed, which can be frustrating.

Changes to migration rules introduced last year mean that migrant workers face a one year stand down after three years in the country.

Joyce supports calls to change the rules; “the stand down period will interrupt the continuity of care that we provide, constant change will confuse our residents and won’t provide them a stable environment.”

“There’s also the fact that there’s just not enough local people willing to work in aged care. There’s not enough people with the skills and or the attitude that’s necessary to provide quality care for older people.”

Joyce’s next goal is to train as a diversional therapist.

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Ryman Joyce's Times experiences •5 in New Zealand provided key lessons for migrants in her book.

Joanne Wang says trust is essential to building a great team culture.

From a brush with death, to a thirst for life To understand why Joanne Wang has been so successful in her career you need to know something personal about her: she almost died.

When the clinical manager at Weary Dunlop retirement village was a teenager in her native China, she was struck down by a life-threatening illness.

She recovered and came to Australia to study soon after, but her brush with death has had a profound impact on who she is. However, most of all, it has had an impact on how she goes about her work.

“I think I always had a belief that when I recovered from my illness, before I came to Australia, that life is very short,” she says. “If I want to do something, I want to do my very best because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow.

“I think my approach to life is totally changed after [my illness]. I just can’t believe that I’m still here talking to you today when I think of how ill I was then.

“So, it makes me appreciate life and time a bit more.”

It has also given her a greater appreciation of what it’s like being on the other side of the nurse-patient relationship.

When you understand how fragile life can be, as Joanne does, it informs your philosophy of care for residents.

“That’s why I keep saying to the staff… never just walk out of their room without asking them; ‘what else can I do for you?’”

That dedication to her work and her empathy for people needing care has been central to her career success.

At just 30 years old Joanne has been the clinical manager at Weary Dunlop for almost three years, where she oversees more than 50 staff and is responsible for 82 residents.

But she’s not just managing Weary Dunlop’s clinical services, she’s leading them.

Joanne won the ‘Leader of the Year’ category at the Ryman Awards in June.

Asked if that recognition came as a surprise, she melts into laughter: “I don’t know how they chose me but, I’m thankful for the trust they all have in me. It is everyone’s

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effort — I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today, and we wouldn’t be able to achieve the [recent] accreditation, without any of them on the floor.”

That the nomination for the leadership award came from her staff means the most to Joanne because, she says, it reassures her that the team is behind her in their pursuit of excellence.

But high-functioning teams don’t just happen by accident. Asked how she built that culture among her staff, her response makes clear that her empathetic outlook extends beyond a sense of shared experience with patients.

“You trust them, and you put yourself in their role. I was a PCA before I was a nurse, and I was a nurse on the floor before I was a nurse unit manager, and I was a nurse unit manager before I became a clinical manager. So, I know it can be hard.

“And I have trust in them. I always have trust that everyone is always genuine and kind.”

Gordon MacLeod with Julia Wallace residents Beth Roach, Louise Illingworth and Margaret Gregory.

Live stronger for longer ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway was put through his paces alongside some seriously fit senior citizens at the Julia Wallace Retirement Village in Palmerston North in late June.

The minister joined Gordon MacLeod and around 30 village residents — some aged in their 90s — for a Triple A (Ageless, Active, Aware) exercise class.

The minister was promoting ACC’s ‘Live Stronger for Longer’ programme, for which Ryman’s Triple A classes have recently received formal accreditation.

The programme was created to prevent falls and fractures in over 65s. It includes strength and balance classes across New Zealand, and online resources.

“It was a huge amount of fun,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“It was really enjoyable just being part of the group and it was clear how much the village residents enjoy spending time together as much as they do exercising. It’s obviously having a really positive effect because there

are some very fit people living here.”

Ryman’s Triple A classes have been running for 11 years, Gordon said.

“It started off small, but we now offer 765 classes a week across all our villages. That’s literally thousands of residents taking part and enjoying the benefits of a more active lifestyle every day.”

Activities and Lifestyle Coordinator Chelsea Richdale, who also took part in the class, played the lead role in getting the Triple A programme ACC accredited.

“For a long time, we have known that the programme was a success,

but by becoming accredited with ACC this further proves it,” she said.

“We often receive questions from residents and relatives asking how we know Triple A is improving our residents’ mobility and health. By being associated with ACC we can now say that ACC approves what we do.”

"It's obviously having a really positive effect because there are some very fit people living here."

ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway participating in the class with residents.

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Congratulations to all our winners!

The 2018 Ryman Awards was a night of immense celebration, with seven prizes presented to thoroughly deserving winners.

Among those honoured during the night was co-founder Kevin Hickman who is retiring from the board after 34 years.

The finalists for the Caregiver of the Year award were Sue Gemmell from Jane Mander village, Ronita Prasad from Wootcote village, and Adnan Mahamad from Edmund Hillary village.

Deputy Operations Manager Liz Dilger presented the award to winner, Adnan, for his kind, caring and passionate nature.

Hayley House from Ryman Christchurch, David Wand, maintenance at Ernest Rutherford and Judy Patterson, Assistant Manager at Yvette Williams were the finalists for the Support Team Member of the Year.

Judy won the award presented by Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Debbie McClure.

Her colleagues say Judy never hesitates to help anyone who needs it.

The finalists for the Young Achiever of the Year award were Andrew Inch, Construction Foreman at Charles Upham, Leah Hand, Assistant Manager at Grace Joel, and Cassie Scaife, Registered Nurse at Anthony Wilding.

Chief Financial Officer David Bennett presented Andrew with the award, praising his ability to juggle the requirements of a busy construction site with his desire to keep his residents happy.

The Construction Team Member of the Year Award went to Scott Redmond. Paulina Woch, Ryman office, and Tony Clyne, Brandon Park, were the other two finalists.

Chief Construction Officer Tom Brownrigg presented Scott with the award, and said that he was a health and safety guru who showed initiative to proactively build respect and trust with his team members.

The finalists for the hotly-contested Sales Advisor of the Year award were Kate Morgan from Frances Hodgkins, Fiona Scotland from Jane Mander, and Shona Bayliss from Princess Alexandra.

Bernadette Forsdyke, NZ Sales and Community Relations Manager, presented Kate with the award. Kate also won the inaugural sales advisor of the year award in 2011, and has celebrated her 20th anniversary at Ryman.

Joanne Wang, Clinical Manager at Weary Dunlop, was named Leader of Year which was presented by Nicole Forster, Chief People and Technology Officer.

Joanne was praised for the way she had wowed the team at Weary Dunlop. “She is an amazing role model, who inspires and mentors everyone around her,” Nicole said.

The other finalists were Travis Cocks, Project Manager at Nellie Melba; and Shalimar Bawayan, Clinical Manager at Jane Mander.

And finally, the Village of the Year Award for 2018 went to Evelyn Page Retirement Village in Orewa.

Evelyn Page managed to balance achieving high survey ratings — meaning its residents and their families were happy with the experience of living there — with achieving great results in terms of occupancy and staffing rates.

The award recognised the efforts of the whole Evelyn Page team and is a just reward for the amazing teamwork that has seen them be successful over a number of years.

Barbara Reynen-Rose, Chief Operations Officer, presented outgoing Village Manager Lynn Charlton and the Evelyn Page team with the award as testament to their hard work and dedication to their residents.

Congratulations to all our 2018 winners and finalists. You are all great examples of the Ryman Difference — our people.

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Village of the Year

Evelyn Page Retirement Village Presented by Chief Operations Officer Barbara Reynen-Rose

Sales Advisor of the Year

Young achiever of the Year

Caregiver of the Year

Andrew Inch

Adnan Mahamad

Presented by Chief Financial Officer David Bennett

Presented by Deputy Operations Manager Liz Dilger

Support Team Member of the Year

Construction Team Member of the Year

Leader of the Year

Scott Redmond

Presented by Chief People and Technology Officer Nicole Forster

Judy Patterson Presented by Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Debbie McClure

Presented by Chief Construction •9 OffiRyman cer TomTimes Brownrigg

Kate Morgan Presented by New Zealand Sales and Community Relations Manager Bernadette Forsdyke

Joanne Wang

New villages Ryman's new Burwood East village in Melbourne has received development approval.

Growing demand lifts results Increasing demand to live in Ryman’s unique villages helped lift underlying profits in the 2018 financial year.

Chairman Dr David Kerr told investors in May that increased earnings at existing villages had driven the result, and Ryman's unique villages and high-quality care offering continued to be in strong demand.

Full year underlying profit rose 14.2% to $203.5 million and audited reported profit after tax lifted 8.8% to $388.2 million.

Dr Kerr said he was pleased to report a solid full year result and progress in developing staff and care systems and Ryman had a great development runway ahead with 16 villages to build, including new sites at Aberfeldie in Melbourne and Havelock North and Karori in New Zealand.

Speaking at Ryman’s annual meeting in July, Dr Kerr said Ryman had unveiled a substantial pay rise for its nursing staff, and secured development approval for its fourth village at Burwood East in Melbourne.

Dr Kerr said the pay reset for staff followed a substantial lift in rates for caregivers last year.

“We talked to staff about what

we could do and listened to their views. I’m delighted to say that we have increased remuneration for all our staff. They were overwhelmingly supportive.”

“Our more than 500 experienced New Zealand nurses have had an average pay increase of more than 20% since last April and other village staff have also enjoyed significant increases.

“This reset is likely to cost an additional $5 million this financial year and is over and above the 2% increase in Government funding for aged care — this is an investment in people that we are happy to make.

“We think the increases are necessary to reward everyone fairly, and to make sure we’re competitive. The new rates of pay make us one of the highest payers in the industry.”

Dr Kerr said full-time village staff had also benefited from a doubling in their sick leave allowance, which includes wellness days. Weekend allowances for nurses had also been doubled.

In addition, Ryman has continued to invest in developing our staff with 288 staff, including care and nursing leaders, attending the new bespoke management and leadership development programme.

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Open with construction continuing: • • • •

Charles Upham, Rangiora: Final stage under construction.

Bob Scott, Petone: Final stage under construction.

Bert Sutcliffe, Auckland: Final stage under construction.

Logan Campbell, Greenlane, Auckland: Care centre open.

Under construction: •

• • •

Nellie Melba, Brandon Park, Melbourne: First residents about to move in.

Devonport, Auckland: Construction under way.

Lynfield, Auckland: Construction under way.

River Rd, Hamilton: Site works under way.

In the planning and design phase: •

•

• • • • • • • • • •

Burwood East, Melbourne: Approval received, work due to get under way later in the year.

Coburg, Melbourne: Approval received, works due to get under way later in the year.

Aberfeldie, Melbourne Mt Eliza, Melbourne Mt Martha, Melbourne Geelong, Victoria Hobsonville, Auckland Lincoln Rd, Auckland Te Aute Rd, Havelock North Karori, Wellington Newtown, Wellington Park Terrace, Christchurch

Alzheimers NZ Chair, Dr Ngaire Dixon and Gordon MacLeod.

Record donation for the battle against dementia Ryman residents and staff have raised a record $415,000 for dementia research and support on both sides of the Tasman.

Residents and staff at Ryman’s 32 villages raised $207,500 which Ryman Healthcare matched dollar for dollar to take the total to $415,000.

Alzheimers New Zealand received a cheque for $390,000 and a second cheque for $25,000 goes to Dementia Australia from funds raised at Weary Dunlop in Melbourne.

The Alzheimers New Zealand charity cheque was handed over in June at a packed village centre at Charles Upham Retirement Village in Rangiora.

Alzheimers NZ chair, Dr Ngaire Dixon, said it was the single largest charity fundraising donation her organisation had ever received.

“It is a huge sum that will have a major impact on our ability to support New Zealanders living with dementia,” Dr Dixon said.

“We are so very grateful to Ryman Healthcare and to the many residents and staff of the Ryman villages around the country whose fundraising efforts have set an incredible record for us.”

Dr Dixon said Alzheimers NZ would

use the money to fund front-line support services around New Zealand for the 60,000+ people living with dementia and their care partners.

Some of the funds are also ear-marked for research.

Gordon MacLeod said it was a pleasure to be able to help.

“The money’s been raised at hundreds of events around our villages and is the most we’ve ever raised for a charity partner. I think it reflects the widespread impact Alzheimer's and dementia have on so many lives.’’

In addition, Ryman has agreed to sponsor Alzheimers NZ’s national conference this year. The Tackling Dementia conference will attract 600 delegates and overseas speakers.

In Australia, Weary Dunlop Retirement Village residents raised $12,500, which Ryman Healthcare matched dollar for dollar. Village Manager Kym Faulkner presented the cheque to Dementia Australia executive director, Leanne Emerson, at a village ceremony attended by staff and residents.

In handing over the donation, Kym acknowledged the huge challenge Dementia Australia has undertaken:

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425,000 Australians are living with the illness and that number is projected to grow to 900,000 by 2050.

“Those are staggering numbers, but it’s important to remember that beneath the statistics are real people and their loved ones whose lives are impacted profoundly,” Kym said.

Our new partner The charity partner for the coming year is the Stroke Foundation in New Zealand and Australia.

Each year we consult with our residents and staff about who they would like to support. Stroke is the third largest killer in New Zealand and affects more than 475,000 Australians, so we’re delighted to lend a hand. We’re looking forward to a great partnership with the foundations on both sides of the Tasman.

Ryman has donated more than $3.2 million under its charity partnership programme since 1999.

Artist Craig Primrose with his artwork of Grace Joel.

Portrait of a painter A stunning new portrait of New Zealand artist Grace Joel has been unveiled at the Auckland retirement village named after her.

Renowned painter Craig Primrose QSM revealed his vision of the artist with the help of Gordon MacLeod at a special presentation early in June.

Residents of Grace Joel Retirement Village and representatives from Auckland East Arts Council gathered to see the new painting unveiled, accompanied by the sounds of harpist Robyn Allen-Goudge.

In his address, Gordon said naming the village after Grace Joel, one of six female artists that Ryman has named villages after, reflected the company’s continued support of the arts.

“Naming our village after her, was one way of honouring her artistic legacy and keeping it alive for the generations to follow, which is something that Ryman Healthcare values highly.

“Given that she was one of the earliest New Zealand woman painters to gain an international reputation we think she deserves to be a household name,” he said.

Describing the artist, who died in 1924, Gordon said the ‘rich quiet tones’ used in her paintings were ‘reminiscent of the old masters’.

She was renowned for her fine portraits and a common focus of her work was on the human figure, especially mother and child studies which she described as ‘the most beautiful subject in the world’.

Gordon explained that the village became intrinsically linked to Grace Joel as her nephew, Hartley Joel, was one of the original residents to move in when it opened in 2002.

Art has become a huge focus at the village — in conjunction with the Auckland East Arts Council the village hosts an annual Art Showcase every Mother’s Day weekend, featuring some of the best New Zealand artists and acclaimed speakers from the art world.

The event has grown to become a huge highlight of the village calendar and has inspired other Ryman villages to put on similar events.

The unveiling is the third in a series of

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paintings Ryman has commissioned Craig to produce of all its village namesakes.

His portraits of Bruce McLaren and Sir Edmund Hillary were unveiled last year at the Howick and Remuera villages named after them.

When he took to the stage, Craig acknowledged the challenges he faced with this project, including painting a portrait of someone renowned for painting portraits herself!

“Grace Joel was a very private person and there weren’t many photographs of her in existence so that was a challenge, but I like a challenge!” he said.

“Being an artist, one cannot afford to be intimidated by the subject even if the subject is a very renowned artist. Our job is to break the painting down into sections and then start. Eventually the painting evolves and is completed, however at times I am still puzzled as to how I got there.”

He added: “Her style was very refreshing and spontaneous and she did many wonderful still lifes of flowers, which is why I have incorporated a mass of colourful flowers around the portrait.”

"Naming our village after her, was one way of honouring her artistic legacy and keeping it alive for the generations to follow."

The aspect of the painting he was most proud of was the resounding self-assurance in her face yet still depicting poise, he said.

The afternoon then turned into an impromptu Q & A session with one resident asking how long the painting had taken.

Craig’s response? “A lifetime. It’s taken a lifetime of work to get to this point,” he said.

“Each painting I have undertaken for Ryman has been so different and it is an incredible buzz for me that they are. I am very privileged to be painting these exceptional New Zealanders for Ryman Healthcare.”

The models twirled for a final time before the end of the show.

Oh wow! Look at us now Wellington may have its own high fashion designer event in September, but Bob Scott Retirement Village in Petone has pipped them at the post this year.

The village residents and staff created an amazing array of costumes from coffee cups, chocolate wrappers, bubble-wrap and many more!

The participation of the village was incredible. Many a chocolate was eaten for the good of the show.

The raised plywood catwalk was expertly made by Stephen Fearnley and Norm Dalziel, two talented residents; Stephen also recorded the event for the village. Kerry Mongan, a retired DJ played the drums with Faye Cook on piano.

Resident, Gary McKay escorted each model onto the catwalk, which he did with style and aplomb.

The independent apartment crafting group worked on most of the creations, and activities coordinator Terri Taylor has spent months organising the event.

All the creations were unique and inventive so it was hard to pick a favourite.

Wet Weather, Ada George's ensemble, included fancy gumboots, black garbage bags and a spotted umbrella. Designer, Jan Hawthorn came up with the idea after hearing that Dunedin prison inmates were making mats for the homeless out of plastic bags. She used over 100

shopping bags to knit the outfit.

Incontinent Tango was a creation made with incontinence wrappers.

The idea came from hospital resident Janette Keown. Hospital Activities Assistant Frances Twaalfhoven spent hours making the dress and it was modelled by Grace who is the barista in the village café.

Wartime Memories was a hit close to the hearts of the audience when 95-year-old Shirley Brown modelled the mini Peggy-square shift dress, emblazoned with poppies and dog-tag necklace. Her chosen song, White Cliffs of Dover had them all singing along.

The Queen of Hearts, Boozy Ensemble, Summer Garden, Stormy Weather,

Chocolate Wrapper, Pretty Poppies, Coffee Time and Jig Saw all wowed the audience of residents and families supporting them.

The Wedding Dress was fit for a princess and some of the hats were said to have been more exciting than those at a recent royal wedding!

Designed and made by the independent apartment residents crafting group, was Proud as Peacocks, which featured feathers especially flown from Whangarei.

It symbolised the pride the residents had in the work they had achieved in bringing all the areas of the village together for this absolutely Wellington occasion!

Bob Scott resident, Shirley Day, blowing a kiss on the catwalk.

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Tracey’s journey has come full circle, back to her home – Rita Angus.

Tracey's journey home Tracey Sprott has always been a woman on a mission; her eyes well focused on future goals.

She now manages the village that she cut her teeth on; the village she considers ‘home,’ but Tracey is no newcomer to Ryman.

She started with Ryman at Malvina Major on 15 July 1998.

Over the next 20 years, Tracey has done every job in the village apart from registered nursing and gardening.

“I have pulled teaspoons out of jammed waste disposal units, changed lightbulbs, washed dishes and done cooking, laundry, activities and housekeeping.

From the get go, Tracey recognised that Ryman was a company where she could move ahead, and she had the motivation to do it.

She enjoyed the setting-up period in a new village — so next stop was Shona McFarlane in Lower Hutt.

Tracey stayed on as a senior caregiver, training new staff and was offered the job of quality assistant.

On the lookout for new

opportunities, Tracey transferred to Kilbirnie for the opening of Rita Angus. She continued with the quality assistant role, which soon mushroomed to quality coordinator for the Wellington area, and then audited other villages nationwide.

“I think if you want the best from your staff it starts with kindness.”

In typical Tracey fashion she jumped at the chance to become studio coordinator at Rita Angus, then administrator. In 2006, she took a short maternity leave when she and husband Todd welcomed their son Sam. In 2009, Tracey was offered the village manager's role at Rita Angus and she jumped at it.

It was a huge challenge as Tracey was one of the first managers not to have a clinical background.

“I just got stuck in and learnt along the way.”

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Having first-hand knowledge of Rita Angus was both an advantage and a disadvantage — “it was personally hard to have worked alongside people and then become their manager.

“Six years ago, my biggest challenge was saying no. We all want to please people — but it's what's best for the residents. I have never deviated from that.”

Still, she considers it one of the best moments in her career. One of the worst was leaving Rita Angus.

“I grew up in this village. I invested a lot into Rita.”

Moving to manage Shona McFarlane, Tracey came in as the village manager and built a team around her.

“I think if you want the best from your staff it starts with kindness. It's hard to get that back if it's lost.”

And her next challenge? Managing Rita Angus — coming home.

“I've come home. I want the people working here to feel like they are part of a family and to think — is it good enough for Mum?”

Wendy Perry (left) and Lesley Palmer from the University of Stirling's Dementia Services Development Centre.

Experts share latest on dementia design Two of the world’s leading thinkers on dementia design have been brought to New Zealand by Ryman Healthcare to share their expertise.

Dementia experts Lesley Palmer and Wendy Perry, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, visited villages and attended a two-day seminar with 50 of Ryman’s staff and contractors to share the latest thinking.

Lesley Palmer was interviewed on Radio New Zealand as part of the visit, so that she could share her wisdom with as wide an audience as possible.

More than 62,000 New Zealanders and 425,000 Australians have been diagnosed with dementia, and the numbers are predicted to more than double over the coming years as the population ages.

The Dementia Services Development Centre at Stirling is a world-recognised hub for research into dementia design, and Chief Architect Lesley and Dementia Specialist Wendy train designers and clinicians from all over the world.

Ryman Healthcare has been looking after residents with dementia for

more than 20 years and has in excess of 700 beds in its special care units.

Chief Operations Officer Barbara Reynen-Rose said having Wendy and Lesley in town was the perfect opportunity to run a two-day summit on dementia design.

Barbara said it was good to learn what we were doing well, but even more important to find out what we could improve upon.

The audience included design, construction and clinical staff from across Ryman, as well as team members from interior designer Frobisher and technology partner NCS. “We've never done anything like this before — there was an enormous amount of brain power in the room,” Barbara said.

“It was a unique opportunity to get every member of the team who has a significant interest in dementia design into the same room to learn about the latest research, to network, and to understand why we do what we do for our residents with dementia.”

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Nurse Call Solutions The team from Ryman’s technology partner Nurse Call Solutions (NCS) was delighted to be asked to the summit.

NCS supplies the essential call bell systems as well as technology such as light sensors to make life more comfortable for residents with dementia.

Managing Director Jason Long said the experts from Scotland gave them plenty to think about.

“Although we were very happy to hear that with some things we excelled in (technology wise), the speakers brought up many new challenges we can now get back to the drawing board with. We’re excited to continue collaborating with Ryman, to develop the systems further to help Ryman residents suffering with dementia — calm, clear and intuitive technology that will help them enjoy each day.”

Ryman wins Trusted Brand accolade again Ryman Healthcare has been named the most trusted brand in the aged care and retirement village industry for the fourth time.

Ryman took the top award in the Reader’s Digest 2018 Most Trusted Brands awards, which reward the names Kiwis recognise and trust the most.

The Reader’s Digest survey has been running for 19 years, and it is the fifth year the retirement industry has been included in the categories surveyed.

The winners are chosen from a survey of 1,400 Kiwis across 65 categories. Catalyst Marketing & Research quizzed respondents on which products they recognised and used, and which held their trust in each category.

In a sample of comments, Ryman was described as having kind staff, fair charges, providing excellent care and providing villages that residents loved living in.

Reader’s Digest said consistent winners were brands that continued to offer quality and substance and held consumers’ trust.

Brands such as Ryman were those that New Zealanders had grown up with, and had a long history of being reliable and providing reassurance to consumers.

The winners were also companies that carried strong local identity and history.

Gordon MacLeod said it was fantastic to win the recognition again.

“As a company that cares for thousands of older New Zealanders, I can’t think of a better accolade to win.

“Working in aged care means that there has to be a high degree of trust between our staff, our residents, and their families. We’ve spent the past 34 years building this trust and we work hard to maintain it.

“We were delighted to win the first time, to win four times is testament to the amazing work that our staff do.”

Gordon said Ryman built trust by providing the best of care and constantly innovating.

Ryman regularly surveys residents and their families on the company’s performance, so that it could identify areas

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where it could improve upon.

“A good example of something we have done to maintain that trust has been to install permanent emergency power generators at all of our villages.

“It is very reassuring for our residents to know that our care centres and village centres will be able to keep the lights on when the power goes out, and our generators have fired up more than 140 times since we installed them.”

"We were delighted to win the first time, to win four times is a testament to the amazing work that our staff do!"

Logan Campbell village features great views of One Tree Hill and Cornwall Park.

Logan Campbell opens its doors to the public Hundreds of people flocked to the open days at Ryman’s Logan Campbell village in Greenlane over a weekend in June.

More than 700 people had come through the doors by the end of Sunday with more than a dozen staff pitching in to run back-to-back tours through the village with the ladies wishing they had worn flat shoes!

New Zealand Sales and Community Relations Manager, Bernadette Forsdyke, said the team was ‘thrilled’ with the response.

“This was the village’s first open day and up until now people had only been able to see it from the road because the nature of the site meant access was not possible.

“It was a really good response and it created a real buzz for the village.

It has a great community feel already.”

Bernadette said the large numbers prompted a quick purchase by one couple.

“There was a couple who hadn’t

intended to purchase on the day but they did because they could see how much interest there was.”

Bernadette said it was also a good opportunity for the sales advisors, who came over from Ryman’s other Auckland villages, to help Lucy and Taryn show prospects around the village for the first time.

"There was a couple who hadn’t intended to purchase on the day but they did because they could see how much interest there was."

“Each village is always a little bit different and it’s good to see how we evolve with the features and design with each one.”

Before the village was opened to the public, a few special previews were held during the week prior.

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Existing residents were first to get a look around, followed by those who were under contract and waiting to move in. The next invitation was to those on the database, and then neighbours to the site were welcomed on the Thursday evening.

Drinks and nibbles were enjoyed plus pianist Joe Fingers and his singing accompaniment entertained visitors while they waited for the next tour to start.

The team estimated that nearly 800 people toured the village by the end of the week.

Kiri Te Kanawa Village Manager Neville Parkinson with Ngati Rangi Committee Chair, Walton Walker.

Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure Members of Ngati Rangi hapu recently held a hui at Kiri Te Kanawa village, to say thank you to Ryman Healthcare.

Ryman donated a considerable quantity of surplus building materials to Ngati Rangi to be used for the upgrade of their small seaside marae, 16km northeast of Ruatoria.

Reporua Marae is one of the older marae in the Ngati Porou region. It's very isolated, has no electricity (they use a generator) and no sealed roads or water supply. It's like stepping back in time.

However, it remains central in the hearts and minds of its many whanau and the Ngati Rangi people have been fundraising to improve the facilities for over 20 years.

It's been a struggle for them because of the isolated location.

The donated materials will be used to upgrade the ablutions block and other facilities, and to build paved pathways to provide wheelchair

access for their pakeke (older people) who yearn to return to the marae.

Paewai Tume, the Construction Health and Safety Officer at Kiri Te Kanawa village, planted the seed to offer the materials to the hapu when he met up with a friend following the Anzac Day service in the village.

"It couldn't have happened at a better time."

Paewai then talked to Site Foreman, Chris Turnbull and they approached Ryman to arrange a purchase of the materials. They were thrilled to learn that the company was willing to donate them for use at the marae.

Glenis Hiria Philip-Barbara and Ngati Rangi committee chair, Walton Walker, organised the hui. This included the presentation of a symbolic brick by Village Manager Neville Parkinson, which represents the materials that are currently held at Dukes Transport.

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The people of Ngati Rangi returned the gesture by generously donating koha to Ryman's recent charity, Alzheimer's NZ. Walton Walker thanked Ryman Healthcare and said he was “extremely humbled and pleased” by the gesture; “it couldn't have happened at a better time,” he said.

“It has accelerated our work. It's been a challenge — a 20-year journey to build the wharekai [dining room and kitchen]. We can now get the frilly bits added to the cloak of what we have begun. My debt to you is unlimited.”

As a final gesture of goodwill, local Gisborne company, Dukes Transport have offered to transport the materials on the two-hour journey to the marae.

Some of the residents at Kiri Te Kanawa have strong connections to Reporua Marae and were present along with family and guests who made the journey from East Cape for the hui.

Kaumatua from Ngati Mahanga, Ngati Wairere, Ngati Haua, Ngati Korok , Ngati Mahuta and Ngati Tamainupo, joined with Ryman staff for the blessing.

Karakia signals start at River Road Maori kaumatua representing six hapu from Waikato-Tainui have blessed the site of Ryman Healthcare’s newest retirement village in Hamilton.

The 8.3-hectare site at River Road in Flagstaff is of great significance to Maori, being situated beside the sacred Waikato River.

The six local hapu who came together at the karakia held early in July were Ngati Mahanga, Ngati Wairere, Ngati Haua, Ngati Korokı, Ngati Mahuta and Ngati Tamainupo.

Fronting proceedings was kaitiaki Piripi Matika who led the group, which also included Ryman staff, down the hillside towards the river.

Water from the river was sprinkled and prayers were recited as part of the karakia, or blessing, with each representative taking turns to say their own prayers.

Piripi said: “we are grateful to Ryman for letting us come here today to perform this karakia and we’d also like to thank them for being part of it.

“I would like to acknowledge the pa site and I thank the men for their karakia and all they’ve done,

and all the different tribes that are represented here today.”

He also explained why it was so important to perform the ceremony: “we want to make provision for and give clearance to any spirits that may have been left on the land.

“It is also important to ensure that everybody who works or lives on the site is safe.”

The group then sang a waiata before Regional Operations Manager Arthur Keane spoke, thanking everybody present.

“Today is an important step for Ryman Healthcare in establishing a new community here in partnership with you, the first communities from here, the tangata whenua,” he said.

“Thank you for asking for a blessing on this land so that our building may be safe for our construction workers and so that our village residents can enjoy their retirement here for many happy years.

“We are humbled to acknowledge the history and the people of Kirikiriroa and we are proud to become a part of that history with the establishment of a village in this

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beautiful place, a village that the whole area can be proud of.”

The riverside location is believed to have once been the site of a Maori pa before later being farmed.

Archaeologists have been on-site after the discovery of pre-European human remains, and iwi have been consulted as part of the partnership with Ryman.

Ryman Healthcare bought the land in 2015 from a local farmer and plans to build townhouses and apartments for more than 400 retirees.

The village will be built in different stages and will cater to a variety of needs. It will include resthome suites, hospital and dementia care, serviced apartments and independent living apartments for more than 330 people.

Amenities will include a swimming pool, gym, hairdressing salon, cafe, movie theatre, and bowling green.

The village will also create long-term jobs for the area, including registered nurses, caregivers, housekeepers, activities coordinators and gardeners.