SOCIAL
MARCH & APRIL 2025
HELLO FRIENDS
Dear Residents, Families & Friends,
A New Lunar Year has begun; the Snake accepted the yearly ropes from the Dragon and another Autumn is on the cards.
‘Love Heartz’ was our honoured guest in February; while in March, with ‘the luck of the Irish’ on our side, we are privileged to welcome a new performer for the St Patrick’s Day events. Mr O’ Brian normally resides in Dublin but is currently holidaying in Perth. He came with the desire of singing for a local nursing home and SwanCare is blessed to be the lucky recipient!
With Easter being celebrated in April, I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to the SwanCare Auxiliary, who have donated towards our residents’ sweet events.
I would like to extend a big welcome into the realm of the SwanCare volunteers to our former CEO, Mr Graham Francis, who has already started driving our residents around in one of our buses. It is wonderful to see his happy face around again.
I wish you all a blissful Easter with your cherished families and I will see you around the campus. As usual, if you have any queries, ideas, compliments, complaints for Social Engagement, please ask reception for the appropriate form to provide your feedback on. As it is always nice to know where we stand and if there any improvements we can implement.
Warm regards,
Nilla Curia
Nilla Curia
GREAT MOMENTS 1
Australia Day
Residents across all the care centres celebrated Australia Day in style this year with a special BBQ lunch thanks to the hard-working kitchens. The social engagement staff from the centres also organised food experiences for the residents to enjoy. Vegemite was part of SwanCare Ningana’s session as well as several different aussie snacks, while Waminda residents enjoyed a messy session of making lamingtons.
All four care centres had a visit from RedsZoo with their Australian animals like lizards, marsupials and owls. Kingia, Tandara and Ningana had an Australia Day Concert. Kingia and Tandara each had their own quizzes, Australian animals' art & crafts and Australia day parties.
Lunar New Year
Residents from Ningana, Kingia and Tandara enjoyed a concert by the “Love Heartz” group, they showcased beautiful dances and singing performances, some residents took over the dance floor and joined in the Chinese New Year celebrations, it was an enjoyable afternoon.
Tandara had a Chinese New Year party with Social Engagement team member Shuhao Yang sharing her culture with souvenirs and yummy treats.
GREAT MOMENTS 2
Valentine’s Day
Love was in the air for Valentines all around SwanCare. The residents enjoyed a special morning tea while staff organised various loverelated activities. SwanCare Ningana resident's reminisced about their loved ones and as well as played a game about how well they knew each other. The centres were very much full of love on this special day. Kingia and Tandara residents received crafted Valentine’s Day cards with chocolate inserts. They also made Valentine decorations in time for their Valentine’s party.
Coffee Connections
The first gathering of Coffee Connections was a success with residents from all four centres gathering to share a warm cuppa and something sweet. Several of the residents gathered to share stories about living in the village with the residents bonding over their experiences. Everyone appeared to enjoy themselves with many stating they can’t wait till the next catch up.
KINGIA FAMILY
Old & New Experiences
Our SwanCare Kingia residents got to re-live some of their past experiences through various activities, even experiences like having babies! Our Social Engagement team member Leidy brought her life-like baby dolls and everyone had a turn in carrying them with all their love and care. This kind of activity ignites memories and feelings of excitement and joy and is an activity which is beautifully received every time they come in.
Kingia residents also tried new technology to give them a sense of what the ‘young ones’ get up to these days. They used all kinds of gadgets like VR goggles and playing with the Nintendo Wii. The first few sessions of Wii games were a little bit rough, but with some repetition the residents got to appreciate the fun in playing these silly games. While no one won the tennis game, it was a success just knowing how to play the game.
NINGANA FAMILY
Armchair Travel
All aboard! SwanCare Ningana residents were ready once again with their passports in hand, to travel to beautiful places from the comfort of their chairs. Armchair travel has become our residents’ favourite activity.
In January we had an armchair travel to Malaysia, we learnt about their culture and traditions, residents enjoyed different snacks and drinks, also they had the chance to appreciate their lovely customs and dresses. In February we travelled to Madagascar, and we have the visit of two important guests, Julien the Lemur and Alex the lion! Our Social Engagement team dressed to impress and took the armchair travels to another level. Our residents enjoyed the session and learnt a lot about this beautiful island. It was a fun activity for all.
Cycling without Age
Residents are taking advantage of the beautiful summer weather, enjoying a ride around the village to appreciate the beautiful gardens and say hi to our lovely neighbours. Residents in wheelchairs can enjoy these rides too with our Villo bike, which has become popular with our residents. It has been a lovely time around in Ningana.
TANDARA FAMILY
Outdoor or Indoor
SwanCare Tandara residents had many occasions to celebrate with during January and February like Australia day, Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. But yet we still managed to find more reasons to celebrate like International Flower Day and Virtual Beach Day. The hot summer months didn’t stop our residents from enjoying their outdoor favourites. We played volleyball together with its full-sized net inside the activity area.
Tandara residents had an interesting Armchair Travel to South Korea. Thanks to our staff Arnold “Opa” for bringing his kids’ costumes and souvenirs, and to our Stanley student, Chloe, for the Q&A section which kept our residents minds active. Their tummies were also fed with Korean sweets that were very much appreciated.
Kingia and Tandara also had the Summer Hydration program to assist in filling the season. This initiative was originally introduced a few years back by our dietitian, Alicia, and continues to be a well-loved program. The residents enjoyed having icy poles, smoothies, slushies, fruit salads and of course ice cream. As a continuous improvement initiative, you’ll see a hydration station in all our activity areas.
Previously it only consisted of jugs of water but now drink dispensers for the juice have been added to provide different flavours daily.
WAMINDA FAMILY
Pizza
Our monthly food experience is always a hit with the residents here at SwanCare Waminda. February saw the residents enjoying some mini pizzas inspired by International Pizza Day. Residents appeared to have a great time selecting their toppings and the smell of the pizzas made everyone’s mouth water.
Cat Visits
Once a fortnight the residents have been enjoying visit from a cat. The cat spends the morning visiting various residents in their rooms before coming downstairs and finding a comfy lap or chair to curl up. During the weeks when the cat is not visiting the residents have also been enjoying pats and cuddles from our two robot cats who can be heard meowing, and on occasion have had people question where the cat is hiding!
MESSAGE OF THE MONTH
Dietitian’s Corner
As the seasons change, so do our nutritional needs! With Autumn approaching, it’s time to make use of nature’s harvest to aid our nutritional needs.
Seasonal Produce
Autumn brings the best of bananas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, melons, broccoli, and eggplant. They are rich in essential vitamins such as A, C, K, and B’s, which are great for the immune system. Not only are they packed with vitamins, but they taste fresh too! Keep your eye out as they are spread across our menu.
Warm Hearty Meals
With the cool weather, we tend to navigate towards hearty soups, stews, and casseroles. Dishes served here are packed with lean protein, starches and seasonal vegetables. They are both comforting and nutritious 2-in-1 for your body and soul!
Lastly, Hydration
Yes, summer is now gone and the weather is getting cooler. Hydration is still important as it keeps infections away and helps with body circulation. Most of us will start switching from icy poles to a nice warm cup of tea. Not a tea person? That’s alright, there are plenty of fluids available such as juice, jelly, soups, milk, Milo, custard, cordial, and of course, good old-fashioned water!
By starting a small, mindful change, everyone can be health-aware through food. Let’s welcome autumn with nourishment and well-being in mind!
Kingia: Hilda P.
Dennis C.
Ningana: Shirley W.
Irene T.
Maureen W.
Graham C.
Tandara: Leona D.
Ian M.
Robert W-J.
Barbara P.
Lewis G.
Edward L.
Lorelei R.
Waminda:
IT'S A CELEBRATION!
Birthdays & Milestones
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 6th Desmond L. 12th Severina C. MARCH BIRTHDAYS 2nd William S. 2nd Mary K. 4th Satima N. 6th Jean W. 11th May S. 12th David H. 12th Wendy J. 14th Frank L. 17th David O. 22nd Audrey B. 24th Wayne L. 25th Johanna M. 25th Marie T. 26th Peter E. 30th Rosemary R.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 1st Blaze R. 3rd Ann L. 4th John M. 6th Nancy S. 11th Kasik N. 11th Richard T. 12th Peter K. 13th Margaret L. 19th Rabia S.
MARCH BIRTHDAYS 3rd Peter W. 14th Terence J. 22nd Mavis M. 27th Lily W. 27th Maureen C.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 3rd Gloria F. 22nd Win T. 24th Margaret S.
MARCH BIRTHDAYS 2nd Lesie W. 5th Carolyn P. 21st Renate K. 27th Una L. 27th Joan D. 29th Lorelei R.
SwanCare Team. FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 2nd Peter T. 12th Pepe P. 19th Alan G. 21st Hellen F. 24th Yuan L.
MARCH BIRTHDAYS 5th Sigurd C. 5th Greta L. 6th Stanley B. 19th Marlene B. 20th Wendy H. 22nd Arnolda B. 23rd Doris W. 25th Neville P. 30th Arthur B. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO AUDREY B., PETER W., LILY W., MARGARET S. & JOAN D. WHO WILL BE CELEBRATING THEIR UPCOMING BIRTHDAY MILESTONES! Much love from
EASTER
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