NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2024
HELLO FRIENDS
Dear Residents, Families & Friends
We have, once again, reached the last edition of SEN for the year! November has silently been lurking behind the scenes and Christmas is around the corner!
SwanCare recently held its Bentley Park Open Day & Fete, which included stalls dedicated to our residential aged care centres. The successful day saw us raise a considerable amount of funds for Social Engagement in the process.
Lots of preparation went into the event, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the event’s coordinator Ms Thelma Chilton and my Social Engagement Team who helped bring this exciting day to life.
Melbourne Cup also proved to be another fabulous day where sweeps were taken, bonnets were recovered out of their dainty hat boxes, and a special menu for the event, provided by Spritz Catering, was enjoyed by all. Well done to our lucky resident winners!
December will see us in full festive season mode with concerts, Christmas carols, our bus trips to see the Christmas lights and, obviously, our Christmas parties for residents and their families.
Lastly, a big thank you for the support we get all year round in the form of free concerts, donations and volunteering hours. We’d also like to give a heartfelt goodbye to our retiring CEO, Graham Francis.
Best wishes for the festive season to you all! We will welcome 2025 with more exciting updates in the next edition of our Social Engagement Newsletter.
Warm regards,
Nilla Curia Nilla Curia
GREAT MOMENTS 1
Father’s Day
Residents were able to enjoy a range of fun events this Father’s Day. Activities such as a pamper session, concert, raffles, and a pizza and beer get-together were thoroughly enjoyed by all. The Social Engagement Teams also organised some heartwarming gifts to further celebrate our resident dads.
Chinese Festival
Dance group Love Heartz came to SwanCare to perform a traditional ‘Welcoming the Spring’ dance for residents across all four care centres. Love Heartz danced and sang with the residents who appeared to enjoy the various outfits worn by the group, as well as the unique instrument played by one of the group members. Overall, it was a great show to honour this special Chinese festival.
GREAT MOMENTS 2
Coffee Connections
Residents from SwanCare Kingia, Tandara and Waminda gathered in the Swan Centre for a session we call Coffee Connections. Residents from the various care centres were able to mingle while enjoying a coffee and cake. It was great to see our residents build relationships with one another, and we hope to continue hosting Coffee Connections on a monthly basis.
Halloween
Residents and staff had a spook-tacular time celebrating this holiday! Residents at Waminda made their own Halloween-themed desserts before watching a movie, while Tandara and Kingia residents also had a blast with art and crafts as well as having the staff dress up to deliver yummy treats.
KINGIA FAMILY
Special Birthdays
Kingia residents had a lovely time celebrating the birthdays of Evelyn L. and Andrew S. The Social Engagement team enjoyed working with their families to ensure both residents had a very happy day. Evelyn L. looked very fancy with her debutant-like birthday, and Andrew S. had his talented grandson perform a special song. Congratulations to you both!
Royal Show
Staff dressed in their kookiest carnival costumes as we hosted our very own Resident’s Royal Show. Residents enjoyed having a cuddle at the petting zoo, collecting their show bags, and playing games like canthrowing and coin-tossing. The iconic yellow brick road was marked in chalk and had tasty treats lined up, with the ice cream trolley being the best seller. We finished the fun day with colourful party poppers as our fireworks.
Talent Show
In November, Kingia and Tandara residents had fun being the judges of a talent show! The Social Engagement team performed dancing, magic tricks, painting, poetry, singing, and even had Therapy Puppy Lacey do some tricks. The residents liked every act, but to no surprise, their favourite talent show performance was Lacey’s!
NINGANA FAMILY
Royal Show
We had our first Ningana Royal Show, and it was a success! Our residents enjoyed playing various games, such as ‘Shot the Ducks’ and ‘Can Tumble’, as well as reminiscing about previous shows. It was lots of fun although the sausage sizzle and ice cream seemed to be enjoyed the most! It certainly brought back beautiful memories, and everyone had a lovely day.
Oktoberfest with Men’s Club
Sausage in a bun and a cold beer was the perfect way to celebrate Oktoberfest with our Men’s Club! Some of our residents and staff have visited Germany so it was great hearing about their experiences, including how people over there celebrate the festival. We all had a very fun time. Proust!
Armchair Travel
In September we travelled to Chile! We learned about their culture, touristic places, traditions and delicious food. Our residents really enjoyed learning about this South American country.
Outdoor Activities
The sun is out, and the weather looks lovely, so we’ve started our weekly walks to the Bentley Park village. Our residents enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, and beautiful gardens. It is a wonderful way to start our day.
TANDARA FAMILY
Staff Fun
After an Armchair Travel to India last August, Tandara residents travelled to Bhutan in September. These were all made possible with the cooperation of our staff. Staff also get to participate, even for a short time, in other activities like birthday parties, art and craft and many more. It’s a great way for residents and staff to build bonds, with our family ties getting stronger each day. Please check out all of these photos on our noticeboards.
Spring Activities
The sunnier weather means residents get to enjoy more activities outdoor, like our AFL games, Line Dancing performances, Garden Club, Roll and Stroll, and Cycling Without Age.
Special thanks to Reed Collective for bringing their project to Tandara, called ‘Bloom it Forward’. Each of the residents had a lovely bouquet of crafted spring flowers and the warmest of hearts.
King’s Birthday
During September, Kingia and Tandara residents also celebrated the King’s birthday. We did some art and crafts, followed by a fancy party fit for royalty!
WAMINDA FAMILY
Birthday Bash
It’s been a busy time at SwanCare Waminda! One of our residents happily celebrated their 100th birthday with a big party surrounded by their family and friends. It was a joyous occasion to mark such a magnificent milestone.
Food & Friends
Waminda residents also enjoyed some Food Experience sessions, such as chocolate fondue and a special Halloween-themed DIY dessert. We’ve also had some very special visitors, including Baby the cat. Nothing quite like cuddling a furry friend!
MESSAGE OF THE MONTH
Occupational Therapy
By SwanCare OT, Alex Parker.
What is Occupational Therapy?
In reference to a recent article by Aged Care Today, “Occupational Therapist’s assist in helping older adults maintain independence and engage in meaningful activities like personal care, leisure or social pursuits.”
Why are our daily tasks important?
Often small and eemingly insignificant, these activities have been consistent for the duration of our lives.
They give us independence and a sense of purpose; both have a profound impact on our self-esteem, motivation and quality of life.
What does this mean?
They are more meaningful than we realise!
When we start to face challenges with how we complete our tasks, we may experience a sense of urgency or loss of control.
Cue: Occupational Therapy.
It is inevitable that with age, tasks will become more challenging for us to complete. My aim as an Occupational Therapist is to assist our residents in continuing to do the things they love and need to do. We collaborate and create new ways to achieve the desired outcome.
I am passionate about reducing the fear and stigma around age being a factor that stops us from continuing with the activities that make us feel our best.
If there is one key takeaway about Occupational Therapy that I can leave readers with, it would be the following words:
“Medicine adds days to life. Occupational Therapy adds life to days.” - Anon.
SwanCare would like to welcome the following people:
Kingia: Leonard E.
Elsie L.
Ningana: Helen M.
Alan P.
Mary Y.
Esme T.
Ronald T.
Tandara: Donald R.
Margaret J.
Maureen W.
Bernard G.
Isobel P.
Wilma L.
Clarence G.
John M.
Waminda:
IT'S A CELEBRATION!
Birthdays & Milestones
Andrew Anne Beatrice Camilla
Charles Charlotte Edward Elizabeth
Eugenie George Harry James
Katherine Louis Louise Meghan
Peter Philip Sarah Zara
ALWAYS SOMEONE TO TALK TO
Kingia, Ningana & Tandara
visiting hours: Monday – Sunday 9:00am – 7:00pm
Waminda visiting hours: Monday – Sunday 9:00am – 12:00pm 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Spritz Café hours: Monday – Friday 7:30am – 3:00pm
Jarrah Café hours: Monday – Tuesday CLOSED Wednesday – Sunday 8:00am – 3:00pm
General Manager Health & Aged Care Services
Julie Atkinson
Admissions Manager Leanne LeBrun
Clinical Operations Manager Duska Bodegrajac
Food Services Dietitian Alicia Peng
SwanCare Kingia & Tandara Managers
SwanCare Ningana Managers
SwanCare Waminda Managers
Jovy Tesani Iva Gayagoy
Sharleen Mann Arnel Braulio
Pauline Bremner Bindhya Baby Theres
There are plenty of volunteering opportunities for you to share your skills and time with our residents, so get in touch with us to express your interest. WE LOVE OUR