Summer 2022 Issue 20 HillView Times

HILLVIEW

by Jenni Eddy

HillView Care welcomes you to the last newsletter for 2022!

December, the favourite month for many is when we celebrate the joyful Christmas season and the end of 2022 Queensland's balmy temperatures, endless sunshine and occasional storms remind us that summer is here Remember to protect yourself from the sun when going out between the hours of 10am to 3pm, and wear a hat and drink water to prevent dehydration

This is the time of year when families get together and celebrate Christmas by enjoying food, gifts and each other’s company If it’s your first Christmas with your loved one in aged care, this can be a particularly tough time Similarly, if a loved one is about to move into residential aged care, it might be difficult to conceptualise what or how you spend future Christmas celebrations

HillView Care takes pride in spreading the Christmas cheer, with help from our Catering & Lifestyle teams, who plan the big end of year parties and scrumptious traditional Christmas Day lunch for residents.

The HillView team would like to wish the residents, their families and our exceptional staff a safe, happy, healthy and prospero New Year.

what's growing this summer?

After a bumper Spring with plenty of warm sunshine, any expected rains in Summer will now come as a welcome reprieve for our gardens

Ashmore residents can now enjoy the new garden edging, and the bonus new garden bed outside the north dining room, full of new plants. Merrimac residents can take in the annual blooms of the Poinciana trees located around the grounds

The Star Jasmine has been sensational at both homes throughout Spring, filling the grounds with their fragrant perfume. It's now fading, giving way to the outstanding Summer blossoms in the garden - such as Frangipani and Poinciana However, if you have ventured into the gardens recently, you would also have seen the following plants in bloom:

Kangaroo Paw Agapanthus & Spider Lilies

Crepe Myrtles Gymea Lilies

I've seen a lot of Water Dragons arou sun and set about breeding. Keep an e

Following on from last month, we've c 'Name that plant' quiz over the next couple of pages Test your knowledge and go eye-spy! Until next time...

W I T H H I L L V I E W H E A D G A R D E N E R , T O M

N A M E T H A T P L A N T

Pentas

N A M E T H A T P L A N T

Test your knowledge (or Google skills!) with the plants below All plants shown are currently flowering in the gardens (as of November) Take a walk to see if you can find them, and match the name with the flower

PHILIP & MARGARET SFORCINA

Phil was born in Cottesloe, Western Australia, the son of a builder and stay at home mother. One of seven children, he recalls his youth as being very busy with Cubs, Scouts, School Army Cadets & later 6 months of National Service Phil worked Friday nights and Saturdays at the local corner store to earn some pocket money.

At the age of 14 Phil moved with his family to Albany where he began working with his father laying bricks At the same time he became a member of the local Apex club as well as joining the local AFL side and the surf club, where he earned his Bronze Medallion After 5 years spent in Albany and with his older siblings having moved away, the family decided to move back to Cottesloe where he continued to work with his father

Phil began to learn to dance and went to the embassy ballroom every Saturday night It was one special Saturday night at the ballroom where Phil met his wife-to-be Margaret, after he asked her for a dance

Margaret Rose was the youngest of 3 A self-described “surprise” baby, she remembers her childhood as a very happy one, not filled with money but with love She recalls being fascinated by story-telling, opting to hear stories from her life instead of fantasies or nursery rhymes Introduced to concerts and the theatre at a young age, Marg has very fond memories of nights out with her older sister where she sang and danced

After completing school Marg started work as a typist clerk at a large truck dealership, and went to dance school in her free time where she was later asked to stay on as a jive instructor This is around the same time she began heading out to ballrooms to get social on the weekends A regular at the Centenary court ballroom she was left stuck after the ballroom closed She decided to try out a new dance room, the Embassy where she met Phil The two fell for each other at what felt like love at first sight, going from dating to happily married within 12 months They were lucky enough to find a home together in a newly built housing commission, as Phil opted for a career switch into a sales role with a building equipment company After a short while at the company, Phil was asked to move to Port Headland to assist with the opening of a new branch These were very busy times as the mining boom was starting to begin Whilst Phil kept busy at work, Marg and her two daughters Deb and Cathy joined the local Brownies group and had great fun with Marg as their leader It was in Port Headland that they welcomed their third daughter Amanda into the world

After impressing with his talents, Phil was headhunted to lead the start-up of another branch in Darwin As if moving halfway across the country wasn’t enough, the family welcomed their first boy, Phil into the family

The family settled in Darwin and spent 30 years up north Phil (senior) was given sole responsibility of the store and often describes it as feeling like running his own business The family were fortunate enough to have been interstate in Perth when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin They returned almost immediately afterwards to begin restoration works post Cyclone Phil & Marg’s children, Deb, Cath and Mandy all found good jobs, whilst son Phil became an Army Major

Phil was kept very busy with teams of scaffolders on all major projects in the NT, and out at sea on drilling rigs Phil retired in the early 90s, whilst Marg, who was by then working as a teacher aide, continued to work for a few more years Phil had to learn how to cook, and do the washing and ironing! In his spare time Phil restored a lovely FE Holden

Unfortunately, Phil suffered a heart attack, so the family decided for a change of pace, selling their home and car, packing their belongings and heading off to the Gold Coast in search of a more laid back lifestyle They have many fond memories of the coast, spent cruising and travelling

Phil & Marg recently moved into HillView Care, where they say they are very happy and well looked after by the lovely staff With their 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren all spread around the world they look back on their life with very fondly with fantastic memories

STAFF FEATURE: ARUNI HERATH, ASSISTANT NURSE

My name is Aruni Herath and I was born in Sri Lanka My family comprises of my mother, one brother, and one sister

My father passed away when I was 3 and a half years old I am closest to my mother and my lovely husband Jag, I share everything with them

I married my husband in 2014, he looks after me very well. He's giving me a good life He is a Chef at the Hilton hotel

My first job was as a nurse in Sri Lanka I worked in a private hospital for nearly 10 years After getting married, I moved to Australia - it was my first time overseas! It was a big change for me because everything was so new and different. Upon moving to Australia, I completed some courses, then found my first Australian job at HillView Care as an AIN - I'm still here and enjoying my job! The staff are really helpful, I feel very comfortable working with multicultural friends.

My interests lean more towards sports, and I love to play cricket. I also enjoy watching movies, and shopping.

physiotherapy SIM

EXERCISES TO HELP WITH CIRCULATION

Performing regular ankle and lower limb exercises is great in our legs These can be completed lying down, standing couple of exercises you can perform while sitting in a chair

HEEL AND TOE RAISES

Seated with both feet on the floor in front of you, raise both heels and hold for 3 seconds

ANKLE ROTATION

Repeat 10 or more times

Repeat the lifts, but this time raise the toes of both feet

You can vary this exercise by alternating a heel raise and toe raise in a steady rocking motion Or raise the heel on one foot and the toes on the other foot at the same time

Seated with both feet on the floor, lift one foot up slightly

Rotate the ankle clockwise 10 times and then counterclockwise 10 times

Repeat with the other foot

In addition to exercises, keeping your legs elevated can assist in aiding your circulation and improving oedema/swelling in your

Director's Award

The HillView Director's Award seeks to recognise an individual who has continually gone above and beyond to provide service and care to our residents

Chloe is a recognisable character around HillView Care, both at Merrimac & Ashmore The ever-jolly, singing, dancing Chloe brings a certain zest to our Lifestyle team, energising events and activities with her vivacious personality As a qualified AIN, Chloe also assists in nursing

CHLOE REEKS DIVERSIONAL THERAPIST/AIN

Tell us about yourself:-

I grew up in Ballina, right behind the Big Prawn, with my parents Shannon and Dee, and my two sisters Ashley and Dani - lucky me is in the middle! I

relocated to the Gold Coast in 2020 and was lucky enough to gain employment at Hillview Care in the lifestyle department!

I have two pet cockatiels Daisy and Dusty, the two best feathered friends I could ever ask for

Q: What do you enjoy most about working at HillView Care?

A: There is no better feeling than working hard with everyone involved in lifestyle events and watching the residents smiling, laughing and interacting with each other and having a great time Even if we are running around like madmen behind the scenes It gets me every time! We honestly have the best job in the world don't we!!

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?

A: I love getting out and about - camping, going to the beach, I do venture home to Ballina some weekends because who doesn't love a bit of quality time with mum & dad I am also a sucker for live music, I can't help myself but dance - but some of you would probably already know that!

Q: What is your favourite food?

A: Ooooh this is a tough one! I have 3 favourites that I go between - Thai Green Chicken Curry, any pasta with Napoli sauce because I'm slightly obsessed with Napoli sauce (YUM) and lastly, you can't go wrong with a nice steak with Dianne sauce!

Q: What is your favourite animal?

A: I absolutely love animals it's so hard to pick one when I feel so connected to them all! But I have two favourites - firstly a dog, I just love dogs they're so amazing and always have their owners backs Another favourite is a bird Ever since I got my first cockatiel I feel I've had a special bond with birds not many would understand, so for that reason, a bird is also high on my list!

YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS SUMMER