SEN March & April 2024

HELLO FRIENDS

Dear Residents, Families and Friends

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

We marked February with one of the bigger events planned for this year, courtesy of a talented team of traditional Chinese dancers who helped us celebrate Lunar New Year with their incredible performance.

It’s already been six months since I joined SwanCare’s Social Engagement team, and I must say, all the staff have been very welcoming and happy to help me as I find my feet.

The team is buzzing with excitement for our upcoming main events, including St Patrick’s Day which is right around the corner and an early Easter Sunday to follow, where residents will be gathering in the gardens, baskets in hand, looking for the odd chocolate egg to celebrate the occasion.

The weather has been relentless, reminding us all to keep hydrated while waiting for a more favourable season. By our next issue autumn should be in full swing, relieving both residents and staff from this arid, desertic heat!

In the meantime, the Social Engagement team would like to thank you for your ongoing support, and we wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Easter!

Warm regards,

Nilla Curia

Nilla Curia

GREAT MOMENTS 1

Australia Day

We celebrated Australia Day with a visit from Ranger Red’s Zoo!

Two care centres at a time came to the SwanCare Kingia courtyard to get close and personal with some of the native animals brought to us on the day. Among others we had a long neck turtle, a python, a bush kangaroo, and a lizard.

Each and every resident who attended the event chose their favourite animal, cuddled it, and had a photo taken with their new friend.

Some residents were more prone towards the warm-blooded bush kangaroo, while others loved their reptiles. Personally, I am scared of snakes, therefore I was nowhere to be seen outside, but watched on from nearby.

It was a nice balmy day, and the residents made the best of it.

We hope everyone had a very happy Australia Day!

- Nilla Curia

GREAT MOMENTS 2

Celebrations

Valentine's Day

Our four care centres celebrated Valentine’s Day in their own unique way, either with an afternoon tea for the couples present, or writing love notes for one another. Residents also dedicated a card to someone they cherish, be it a friend, a partner, a carer, or a grandchild.

Valentine’s Day in a residential aged care centre can be daunting, especially if our other half has passed away, but we reminded our residents that love has many forms.

Lunar New Year

For Lunar New Year we celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a visit from a hot pink Lion Cub, courtesy of the Chung Wah Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe. Residents from all four residential aged care centres met in the SwanCare Ningana courtyard and had a very good time watching the dance performance.

Despite the balmy weather our spectators were very eager to have a photo taken with the Lion Cub, hoping it would bring them a blessed 2024.

KINGIA FAMILY

SwanCare Kingia and Tandara have embraced the hot summer days!

For our first big event of the year, we threw a Hawaiian Luau party which had people wearing grass skirts, colorful outfits, and flower leis while we all learned the Hula dance. We also had a Tiki Bar where we served ice-cold mocktails with little umbrella straws. The water feature in the Tandara courtyard completed our set up, making us feel as though we were truly on a tropical island.

In February we held a pool party by the Kingia garden, featuring our 'Mr & Mrs SwanCare' floaties! The Main Production Kitchen provided residents with icy poles which were enjoyed throughout the afternoon, as we dipped our toes in the water, blew bubbles and burst water bombs during our party games. Beating the heat never felt so fun!

NINGANA FAMILY

Interactive Game Sessions

Swancare Ningana has recently purchased the OmiVista Mobii+ projector which is an interactive projector system that responds to gesture and movement, creating dynamic images on any surface including floors and tables. This technology has been proven to be beneficial for elders, especially those living with dementia. Some of the benefits we have observed during our first sessions are how residents begin to reminisce, helping them to engage in meaningful conversations and improve socialization. It also improves physical and emotional wellbeing as residents share moments of joy and laughter while exercising their upper body and improving their coordination. These sessions have been added to the mainstream and Memory Support activities calendar.

Food Experience & Men’s Club

In February we started our Food Experience sessions, where we talked about specific types of foods and encouraged residents to use their senses to explore assorted flavors, aromas, and textures. On this occasion we made strawberry chocolate, perfect for Valentine’s Day. We all enjoyed the experience.

We’ve also had fun at our Men’s Club sessions playing Snakes & Ladders and throwing foam planes, bringing back lots of childhood memories. They loved playing along with other residents and staff, finishing the session with a delicious cappuccino.

TANDARA FAMILY

100 never looked so good!

SwanCare Tandara resident Stefano Z. celebrated his 100th birthday on the 2nd of January and exactly one month after, Tandara resident Peter T. celebrated his 100th birthday as well. They were in the party mood, both donning our special 100th birthday hat and birthday bow tie. Both residents appreciated their personalised photo display and gifts, as well as certificates from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a letter from the Governor-General of Australia and a letter from none other than His Majesty The King. It was full on! It was a true honour to be present for these monumental occasions. We feel extremely fortunate to have them and their family part of our SwanCare community. Congratulations again Stefano Z. and Peter T.!

WAMINDA FAMILY

Resident Chats & Ice Creams

At the beginning of the year, residents joined Social Engagement staff for ‘Let’s Have a Chat’. This session meant residents could voice any concerns or issues they had, as well as provide input on any activities they may want in future.

We also had our Residents and Relative meeting at the end of January which helped keep our families informed on how things have been going, including an update on the refurbishment project with some residents very keen to see the new rooms!

We also unveiled our new ice cream trolley a few weeks ago which has proven to be a big hit with our residents here at Waminda.

MESSAGE OF THE MONTH

Welcome our New GPs

At SwanCare, the health and safety of our residents is a priority. As such, we feel extremely privileged to have trusted GPs onsite, along with our team of qualified clinical staff, to ensure our residents receive the best possible care at all times.

I am thrilled to announce two new additions to the GP team, Dr. Tish and Dr. Raj. At this stage both GPs will be offering their services to SwanCare Kingia and Ningana residents, with the possibility of expanding their services to our other care centres in future. We are very excited to welcome them to our SwanCare community.

Duska Bodegrajac Clinical Operations Manager

Hello, lovely to meet you! My name is Dr. Raj, and I am a UK trained GP. My main passion is providing holistic, compassionate care, and I feel honoured to do so. I have enjoyed providing high quality aged care service the past few years and hope to continue for many more years to come. In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit with yoga, reading and travelling to see as many sunsets around the world as possible!

Hello, nice to meet you! My name is Dr. Tish and I completed my GP training in the UK. I love working as a GP and the spontaneity that comes with it, particularly in aged care; a very rewarding speciality that I am privileged to be a part of. Personally, I am an admirer of art, and am currently trying to develop a green thumb - any tips would be most appreciated!

SwanCare would like to welcome the following people:

Kingia:

John W.

Jeanette M.

Jennifer S.

Marie T.

John L.

Joyce R.

Peter E.

Ningana:

Maria I.

Shirley B.

Evelyn R.

Terrence M.

Gordon B.

Valerie M.

Josephine M.

Isabelle A.

Susan G.

Tandara:

Kaye C.

John M.

Mavis M.

Lilly W.

Pepe P.

Leona D.

Hylton M.

Terence J.

Mohammad A.

IT'S A CELEBRATION!

Birthdays & Milestones

ALL THAT JAZZ

W rd Search

ALWAYS SOMEONE TO TALK TO

Centre 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

Admissions Manager

Clinical Operations Manager

Food Services Dietitian

SwanCare Kingia & Tandara Managers

SwanCare Ningana Managers

SwanCare Waminda Managers

Julie Atkinson

Leanne LeBrun

Duska Bodegrajac

Alicia Peng

Jovy Tesani Iva Gayagoy

Sharleen Mann Arnel Braulio

Pauline Bremner Bindhya Baby Theres

WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS!

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.