Newsletter : April 2008

A and A have been away…

Yes, Ann and Alan went to England for their son’s wedding and to enjoy a holiday.

It was a very family time with two birthdays to celebrate as well as the wedding so a very special holiday for us this time.

This is a photo of David and Susan with their daughter Emily Grace.

We could not get away for a break like this without the support of our wonderful staff who all did a great job keeping the place running during our time away- thanks everyone.

Activities of the last month

As well as our usual activities we have had some special themes and functions this month. We have adapted our caregiver’s roster to allow all the caregiver’s time to be more involved with the residents craft time and to run part of the activities program. This work is supervised by Frances Rodden, our Diversional Therapist. It is proving to be a very popular part of the daily cycle.

St Patrick’s Day (17th March) saw almost everyone wearing something green. The residents craft group had made shamrocks for everyone and the chef provided a green menu for the day. Anyone for green mashed potatoes?

Over Easter (21st to 24th March) we had an Easter church service and a visit from the Easter Bunny on Sunday morning with eggs for everyone. Prior to Easter the residents had spent many hours painting eggs to go into a colourful basket for the display.

We are participating in a Round Robin for the Resthome Games. We visit other Rest homes to compete in a variety of games and in turn we host other teams. Peacehaven Residents won the March round of games.

The Evergreen concert was again a popular event and we filled up the two front rows at the concert then enjoyed a finger lunch before retuning home. Music was popular this month as we were entertained by the Te Atatu Men’s choir and also a choir of 18 voices from America called Global Mission Projects. They had been away in Australia for a week then came to New Zealand to do two concerts: one in Hamilton and one at Peacehaven.

Working with clay was fun with wind chimes, pinch bowls and mushrooms being made under the direction of Susan Browne a local potter. (Susan is also our weekend cook). The items were “fired” by Susan so you may see more of these things later in the year when they have been completed.

Each year we support the Parkinson’s society and purchase tulip bulbs from them. This year a group has planted the bulbs in tubs and we are expecting the first leaves to burst through the soil at any moment.

Just remember in a few months time when we have a beautiful display of tulips at the front door that our gardening group has been tending them.

A splendid poppy display was made by the craft groups. There was a lot of discussion, reminiscing and sharing of memories of the war years during the time the poppies were being created. Several showed their medals, uniforms and badges. The ladies had a cooking morning and made ANZAC biscuits.

ANZAC Mission

Shortly after dawn (actually closer to 1130 hours) the excitement and anticipation of the mission was evident in the troops as they prepared to board the transport. HQ had approved the mission to take over the dining room at Titirangi RSA on the 23rd of April. The Transport Division had organised a light van and two cars to enable the troopers to spearhead the mission.

On arrival at the front some disarray was evident as the troops disembarked at a slow rush. Then on the command of commander-in-chief Rodden the troops moved forward from under cover in the car park and engaged in the first squirmish at the front door as walking sticks, walkers and wheelchairs rushed into the fray and excitement of getting into the bar. This victory was celebrated by ordering a lovely two course lunch.

HQ has banned the publication of all photo’s of the raid on the basis that it may compromise future operations, however I am happy to report that a 5th column photographer had infiltrated the raiding party and some 24 photos are on display on the Nurses Station window, so have a look next time you come to Peacehaven.

The troopers refused to confirm or deny that an officer had captured a pokey machine and during its interrogation it spilled the beans to the extent of $112.00. Apparently what happens on tour stays on tour. The first van arrived back home after 2pm with the rearguard arriving back to barracks later.

Quality Assurance: Client Satisfaction Survey

We are committed to delivering Quality Care and Service to our residents.

We place great emphasis on maintaining residents safety, ensuring their individuality, dignity, freedom and independence; considering their varying physical and mental challenges.

To help us attain our goals we measure aspects of service by Client Satisfaction Outcome Surveys which are sent to family members and/or residents to obtain your views on how we are doing. We have enclosed a survey for you to complete and return to us in the enclosed envelope.

We will analyse data from the surveys and ensure that recommendations are put into action, policies are reviewed and staff training put in place as necessary. Any deficits that have been identified in the surveys will be addressed as soon as possible.

We appreciate the time that you take to complete the survey.

Respite Care

Currently we have a full house with no spare beds so we have decided to cease taking respite care residents. (Pretty hard to fit people in when all the beds are full!) This will help us all concentrate on our long term residents and continue to provide them with the best quality of life we can.

Sadly this has impacted on several of our regular respite care clients. It has been a hard decision for Ann and Alan to implement, however we hope we will be able to keep in contact with our respite care people and continue to enjoy their involvement in the Peacehaven community.