Christmas 2014 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 Cooinda Coonabarabran Residents & Relatives Summer Newsletter A message from the General Manager This year has flown by and I am looking forward to 2015 which will be another busy year for us. We will complete the Accreditation process in August which is an opportunity for us to show-case our wonderful home. We have been having a happy and busy time here at Cooinda with lots of Christmas celebrations and activities taking place for residents and staff. I would like to thank all the wonderful staff for their dedication and also the voluntary Board of Management that continue to support Cooinda in many ways. I would especially like to acknowledge the volunteers that provide entertainment and enjoyment to our residents. Finally I would like to thank our residents and their families for having faith in Cooinda and making everything we do worthwhile. May you all have a happy and safe Christmas and a wonderful New year! Leanne Redfern General Manager The Coonabarabran Club held a luncheon and raffle in October to raise funds for a new shower chair. $3000 was raised and Cooinda appreciate their support. Greetings from Care Manager I feel very privileged to be the Care Manager of such a wonderful organisation as Cooinda I work with such dedicated Registered Nurses, Team Leaders, care staff and hospitality staff who continually go above and beyond the line of duty for our residents. To continue to give quality care to the residents of Cooinda a partnership with the resident, the families and the staff is essential. We are all part of the Cooinda family and a family only continues to grow and thrive with good communication, understanding and working together for agreed outcomes of care. These outcomes are achieved by regular assessments to develop individual care plans for each resident I am available at any time to talk regarding care or issues as this is how Cooinda continually improves it s service. Please remember to check notice boards for Resident Relative meetings, as I would love to see you there. Christmas parties at all sections have been held and thank you to those that came along and helped us celebrate as a family. Thank you for letting us become part of your family. Best Wishes for a Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year. Sue Stephenson.
Bringing Food In For Residents If some or all of any perishable food is not eaten immediately, tell the staff and ask them about storing the food in a refrigerator. Some elderly people like to keep extra food in their rooms in drawers or bedside tables for eating later. While this is ok for shelf stable foods like biscuits and chocolates, it can be very risky with perishable food such as cold meats, seafood, custard or cream filled cakes, salads, cooked vegetables and meat dishes. Sometimes elderly people can also forget how long the food has been there. If you would like more information on Food Safety a brochure is available at entrances to the facility. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask a staff member. Merryula News There has been some excitement at Merryula with the addition of a baby chicken. Richard McDonald s daughter Leonie brought in some fertilised eggs, as one of our hens was clucky. The residents ticked each day off the calendar for 21 days, but the baby was late arriving on the 22nd day. Alas, excitement all around, including family and staff. One of our newer residents Barbara McKenzie brought her canaries in to live with us. Jason reconstructed the aviary, which was donated by Ian Cormie, and Barbara and the other residents can sit in the garden and enjoy them. We are very fortunate to have some wonderful volunteers, Fenella Cameron, Sam Meier, Kathy Edwards, and Tony Brain and his lovely ladies, who give their time freely to the residents. We send well wishes to Fenella who has been ill. We all hope she feels better soon. Merryula residents and families enjoyed a BBQ tea for the footy grand final. Darren and Maree Devenish cooked the BBQ, which was enjoyed by all the residents and families. We celebrated Melbourne Cup, with all the residents wearing hats. All enjoyed a special afternoon tea. We were very pleased to have some family members attend. We had the customary sweeps and the residents who were lucky to win were very pleased. Merryula will be having a Christmas Party on Tuesday 9 December. We will have a Residents & Relatives meeting at 11.30am, prior to a BBQ lunch. Page 2 COOINDA COONA BA RA BR A N
Father s Day BBQ at the Nursing Home On Thursday 4 September the Nursing Home celebrated Father s Day with a BBQ lunch in the courtyard for residents and their family members. Donations from the Community We have received many generous donations from the community: Hazel and Eric Coyte donated $1400 from their regular garage sale. Ian Cormie donated his bird aviary to Merryula. Alex Parsons made a donation from his book launch. Garry Graham donated a Sue Graham painting to the Hostel. The ADRA shop made a $1000 donation. Plus many other cash donations, which are all very much appreciated.
Community Care Community Package clients enjoying morning tea at Gecko Red. Cooinda Community Care provides ten Level 2 Packages, with no vacancies at present. The organisation has recently made an application in the latest Federal Government funding round, and we are hopeful of gaining some more packages in this round. A recent addition to our program is our Coffee Club. This social activity has proven to be highly successful and very enjoyable. Once a month all clients and staff are invited to a morning tea, and to date these functions have been well attended. Clients report they very much look forward to the social outing, catching up for a chat with friends, and they also make mention of the great coffee, tea and food. Not long back we held a special Wedding morning tea. Our clients organized a special treat for Kallee before her wedding. The morning was perfect with beautiful crockery and all the fancy touches. Kallee was touched by this special celebration. Remember if you are in need of some assistance to help you remain living in your own home independently, or you would like some information or advice on Community Aged Care, please contact us. Till next time Live Well. From the Cooinda Community Care Team. Kallee and Dusty on their wedding day in April 2014. Congratulations David and Kelly Staff members David and Kelly Ritchie welcomed baby Bianca Vickielee Ritchie in to the world on 8 August 2014 at Tamworth Base Hospital, weighing 5lb6oz (2.56kg). They are pictured here with the late Mrs Lorna Turner. COOINDA COONA BA RA BR A N
Day Therapy Centre Our regular program includes exercises 3 days a week, garden walks, the advanced walking group which heads down to the park once a week, weather permitting, and hair care. All these activities are going along very well. Bowls is a big hit, with lots of competition between residents. We have Hostel, Nursing Home and Community Care clients participating every week. On Friday 11 July we had a visit from Jason Russell and his family. Jason is an Aboriginal Artist. He paints canvases and also makes and decorates clapping sticks, didgeridoos, etc. Jason and his three boys Rohan, Liam and Aiden also gave us a performance with the clapping sticks and didgeridoo. Liam, the second eldest son, impressed the residents with his knowledge of the art work and the story behind each one. Jason and his family presented Maurice Cain with one of his paintings. Carer s Week 12 to 19 October 2014 A special morning was held on Wednesday 15 October to acknowledge the fantastic job of the Carers in our community. The morning tea was sponsored by Orana Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre, with representatives from Alzheimer s Australia and the Carelink Centre in attendance. The Carer s got a lot out of the information morning, and we hope to be able to provide further events in the future.
Resident Lifestyle Residents of the Nursing Home and Merryula continue to look forward to and enjoy our fortnightly Friendship Meetings with Tony Brain. Tony is also instrumental in officiating at Memorial Services for residents who have passed, allowing residents to mourn and reflect on the resident who has died. Tony officiates at Anzac and Remembrance Day Services, which are important days for our residents, many of whom participated in Australia s defence. On Wednesday 28 May residents and staff attended a special morning tea for Tony and Mona Brain, to celebrate both their 60th Wedding Anniversary and to thank them for their continued valuable time and support given to the residents and staff at Cooinda. Pat, Deanne, Janel and Vickie all attended a Basic Foot Care Course at Dubbo TAFE, giving them the necessary skills to attend to resident s podiatry needs. Residents continue to enjoy their fortnightly bus outings, with support from volunteer bus drivers. Residents enjoy an ice-cream and a tour to different areas around our town. We continue to implement a range of cares and activities for our residents. Recently we have introduced group and individual reading therapy for residents by our volunteer Jan Jackson. Staff have access to a wide range of CDs for the enjoyment of residents nursed in bed. Sand Therapy moulding sand assists in increasing hand function and dexterity. Carpet Bowls held in the Day Therapy Centre each Thursday afternoon. Happy Hour held on Friday afternoons. VOLUNTEERS If you would like to become a volunteer at Cooinda we would love to hear from you.