KnoxLife43

Futures in our hands

TOTAL BED OWNERSHIp

CHARITAbLE SECTOR 19%

INDIVIDUAL OR MINOR GROUP 27%

MAJOR GROUP - LISTED 34%

JILL WOODWARD CEO

I had hoped this newsletter would have no reference to COVID-19, however we have experienced several outbreaks of COVID-19 among residents and team over the past month.

At the time of writing it is feeling as though things have settled. We will continue to be careful and so RAT testing and appointments for visiting continue. These precautions are reviewed several times a week and it is hoped we will be in a position to relax some of these in the near future.

energy over the three days and this confirmed the Eden Alternative remains in great heart at Knox.

Continuing frustration at cumulative funding shortfalls

In the June KnoxLife I outlined the lack of progress in the national Age Residential Care funding negotiations.

In the aged care sector real costs grew in the past year by over 9%, after protracted negotiations the original offer of 1.5% was increased to 5.5%. As the negotiations had been drawn out Health New Zealand did not backdate to 1 July and the effective increase was around 4.8%.

However, after adjusting for legislated increases to Care Partners pay rates, the net increase to cover cost of living pressures was only 3.3%.

Aged care provision requires much greater investment

In Auckland the number of permanent closures of care homes has continued to rise and this trend is unlikely to change as more facilities require renovation or rebuilding with funding difficult to secure in this cost/funding environment.

MAJOR GROUP - PRIVATE 19%

MAJOR GROUP - CHARITAbLE 9%

In an environment where funding does not even meet the costs of operating the business it is unsurprising capital investment in building by most in the sector will be limited or ceases.

Care fees annually reviewed (this year from July 2022) are made up of an increase in 'Maximum Contribution' and, if applicable, 'Room Premiums'.

The latter is the only increase Knox has control over as the 'Maximum Contribution' is set annually by the Director General of Health and is defined as the maximum weekly amount (GST inclusive) that any resident assessed as requiring care may be required to pay for contracted residential care services. This is different for each region and reflects means testing.

This year almost 70% of the fees increase was attributed to an increase in 'Maximum Contribution' as set by Government.

Visiting appointments are self-arranged via the Knox website – www.knox.co.nz and prior to visiting you are required to RAT test and photograph the result and this is shown on arrival. Information is regularly updated on our website.

Eden Associate training restarted

In November we were delighted to have three-day Eden Associate Training for a further 30 of our team which was our first opportunity for this since March 2020 just before our first lockdown.

There was great enthusiasm and

The reasons for closures cannot be simply dismissed as being a result of staff shortages. This phenomenon was predictable, inevitable and a result of failure on the part of funders to understand how much value this sector has contributed to the health of elders.

Service and workforce planning for the aged care sector has been left to private providers.

The aged care sector has 35,000 beds. Public Hospitals have 16,000 beds. The cost of construction and maintenance of those 35,000 beds and all the supporting amenities has been undertaken by 'private' or 'charitable' sectors.

The sector is then paid a 'bed Day Rate' which is based on the resident’s assessed level of care – 'Hospital' or 'Rest Home' and negotiated by New Zealand Aged Care Association.

Too soon to celebrate healthcare worker funding announcements

The Government announced in the last days of November, funding for 'Pay parity for healthcare workers'. This is intended for community-based workers including those in aged care facilities, hospices and Maori and Pacific health care organisations.

In 2017 the 'Health Care Assistants', or Care Partners as we have at Knox, were part of the national settlement to raise wages for that group. Therefore this recent announcement reflects

a commitment to fund pay parity for Registered Nurses and ALSO those Health Care Assistants who were outside the 2017 settlement.

The $200 million per year being committed to this across all of New Zealand, will likely have minimal impact on the funding of Knox care costs. We already pay Registered Nurses competitively, as if we didn’t we wouldn’t retain staff.

The national community-based workforce impacted by this announcement is over 20,000. No detail is yet available regarding funding allocation however as with most things “the devil is in the detail” and it is far too soon to see this as a solution to historic under-funding and cost shift by other Government funded providers.

Our focus on across-theboard sustainability

The Knox board has recently met to review the 5-year Strategic Plan. There is a clear commitment to creating and maintaining an environment that appeals to prospective residents, supports wellbeing and maximises

independence and our financial sustainability is also dependent on maximum occupancy. Failure to maintain buildings in our sector inevitably results in a drop in occupancy, creates issues around compliance and quality and also negatively impacts staff recruitment and retention.

Knox community is growing

The Totara Home project is progressing well. Parking challenges will continue as we all negotiate the tight space for construction. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.

Remembering Queen Elizabeth II

We joined together as a community to remember and farewell the Queen with high tea and stories. Residents shared their memories and stories:

“I met the Queen and King Charles in 1963. I was the Mayoress of Eltham and my family were very well-known. I had the opportunity to discuss restorative justice with King Charles.”

DOROTHY MCCARRISON

Planning for Christmas Day is underway and we have plenty of outdoor space if family are planning to visit with a picnic. Or you may intend taking your family member out for a family celebration.

Please let the team in their home know of your plans. Unfortunately we cannot arrange transport to your family event.

There will be festive treats around for sharing and residents will have midday Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings.

“My father was British so my family followed the Royal family. I remember when the Queen came to Auckland and we followed her around the park in Epsom. We all lined up and I was able to shake her hand. She was a very sweet and pleasant lady.”

NOREEN WALSH

“The Queen held herself with dignity and put on a brave face through it all. A true royal leader with empathy for the people.” LEAH JACObSEN

“I remember watching her Coronation on television and hearing them speak about how heavy her crown must have been. I admired her ability to keep on going and finish her duty.”

But definitely a very Merry Christmas!

Demolition of the old Totara Home is almost complete and we'll soon see progress on the new 60+bed home.

Artist

How music changed my life

Knox resident, Roger Hicks is a longstanding member of the CelebRation Choir, a music therapistled singing group for adults with acquired neurological conditions that can affect communication and social participation. The Choir is a long-term partnership between University of Auckland clinicians, researchers and the community.

During Music Therapy Week, The Big Idea asked Roger to explain the importance of this creative outlet in his life.

"Picture me as a UK university student in the 1950s.

Rock and roll was all the rage, and I loved dancing with my friends. However, I had to stand aside on occasion, while my left leg moved to its own beat and couldn’t be stopped.

This was the first sign of Parkinson’s disease, but I didn’t know it.

I brought my family to New Zealand

and for 25 years, I ignored Parkinson’s Everything was new – so many opportunities. We settled into the Kiwi lifestyle, and I continued my career in IT. but Parkinson’s doesn’t go away, and eventually a neurologist diagnosed it: progressive, non-fatal, incurable. I was advised to live life to the full and not to hide in a corner; to find people with similar symptoms and to learn from them.

In 2009, I was persuaded to join the CelebRation Choir a few months after it was formed by the University of Auckland’s Centre for brain Research.

At the time, this was against my better judgment! I felt I had no musical sense, and my voice was rough, gruff and untrained.

I joined anyway!

I found a friendly, sociable singing group, and the music enabled me to join in.

My sense of humour has expanded the mix of songs to include John Clarke’s Gumboot Song and The Scaffold’s Lily the Pink!

Since my teens, I have written a few poems. CelebRation Choir friends encouraged me to read my poems aloud, which helped my voice therapy.

One poem, Don’t Sing, was based on my experiences of growing up and being told not to sing. No wonder I was reluctant to join a choir! I published this poem and two others in an anthology of writing about music therapy.

This locally produced book – Only Connect: Stories and Poems from New Zealand Music Therapy, edited by Claire Molyneux was subsequently reissued by international publisher, Jessica Kingsley, as Tales from the Music Therapy Room: Creative

Connections

Following this success and positive feedback, my story and this poem featured in a short documentary film about the CelebRation Choir, by film student Sakshi Chadha. Sing, They All Said, Just Sing was selected for the 2020 Doc Edge Film Festival and generated lots of “me too” comments.

I felt inspired to collaborate in creating a new song about Parkinson’s for the Choir. I wrote a poem, imagining Parkinson’s as an unwelcome visitor:

When Mr Parkie comes your way, Mr Parkie comes here to stay; Little by little, year by year, A little shake here, a little stiffness there?

Do I wish he’d go away? Yes! Get lost, Parkie!

I asked our music therapist and choir director, Alison Talmage, to compose the music. As this was a lockdown project during the pandemic, we shared drafts and audio recordings via email.

Tackling new songs can be challenging, but my choir friends have worked hard to learn this one.

To celebrate Music Therapy Week 2022, we’ll be singing for residents of both Selwyn Village and Elizabeth Knox care home. Mr Parkie will be included, along with other choir originals and old favourites.

Joining the CelebRation Choir has expanded my social and intellectual activities and supported my voice therapy and vocal exercises. The Choir has been instrumental in providing me with friends and new challenges."

Republished from thebigidea.nz

New cleaners join the Knox team

For quite some time all or part of the cleaning service at Knox has been provided by an external contractor.

A few months ago, in order to futureproof the cleaning service in this current employment environment it was decided to bring the control of the service back into Knox. The team is managed by our Care Administrator Megan bell.

Welcome to the team and thanks for all your hard work already.

Kelly Hayward-Yeo

RECEpTIONIST

I’ve been with Knox for one year now after nearly 20 years in the hospitality industry and I'm really enjoying the change and new environment; it’s fun and every day is different.

Prior to that I spent eight years travelling overseas including six years living and working on a super yacht. It was a fantastic experience and the best time of my life, not to mention it is how I met my husband!

I live locally with my husband and two teenage boys. As a family, we are involved with surf lifesaving where both boys are volunteer lifeguards at Mangawhai Surf Life Saving Club. It’s a great sport to be involved with while supporting the community at the same time, not to mention lots of time on the beach and in the sun!

In my spare time I go to the beach, practise yoga, walk and have recently joined summer twilight bowls which is a fun midweek social event.

STAy IN TOUCH

WE ARE LISTENING!

Carole is an independent contractor, working for us in the Quality Team on an ad hoc basis. She develops and analyses our annual team member and family questionnaires, the quarterly First Impressions surveys of family members of new residents, team member training needs analysis, along with a variety of other surveys, focus groups and observational studies primarily based on resident and team member experience.

Her role is to find out what Knox people (residents, families and team members) really think, and to interpret sometimes large volumes of data to make recommendations for changes and improved processes. A registered nurse with post-graduate qualifications in Gerontology, Risk Management and Project Management, as well as being an Eden Associate, Carole has been a friend of Knox for almost 15 years.

When you see an invitation to respond to a survey or to join a focus group in your email, please do respond if you can – we are listening!

There are many examples of changes that have been made at Knox as a direct result of Carole’s findings. For example, our “10-Point Promise“ to new residents and team members and updating and improving the information given to new residents and families.

Remember to LIKE, FOLLOW US and SHARE on Facebook and Instagram to see what is happening at Knox; it’s where you’ll find photos and stories about loved ones.

Carole McIntosh

One busy caring community

We've been in, we've been out. We've baked, cooked, created, arranged, drummed, strummed, poied, collected, bowled, listened, read, watched, met, celebrated and so much more with each other through the past few months.

When the magic happens

In recent months, we have been thrilled to be back out volunteering in our community; helping our residents share their skills and make a difference. And the cherry on the top; our community work was acknowledged with the Kalandra Community Connections Award at the NZACA National Conference (see award photo below). but why, you might ask, would we encourage and support our elders to volunteer in the community?

On one hand we have a society short on resources - time, skills, and knowledge. On the other we have the answer: elders rich in these assets. They have time, knowledge and skills –all untapped!

We just need to bring these two together!

This sounds simple but at Knox it can get quite complex. The large majority of our 215 residents require hospital-level care and often have fragile health. but, we focus on their capabilities not their disabilities.

So what do we do?

From discussions with the community, it was clear that new migrants needed a safe space to practise their English. In collaboration with the Epsom Community Library, our elders provide fortnightly English conversation classes. Our classes are not only full but have waiting lists. The energy of these classes, the chatter and the connections and engagement are powerful to see.

As a daughter of one resident who volunteers said, “So lovely to see mum is still able to help others, which she has done since in her teenage years, in spite of now being blind”.

Through these conversation classes, the newest community members are improving their English and the unexpected outcome of these sessions ... new relationships have developed. This was seen in the way we had participants of earlier classes coming into Knox pre-COVID and teaching our residents to play Mahjong and now we have members of the class offering to come in to volunteer with us at Knox. These connections and relationships have opened up ways for everyone involved to be meaningfully involved in the community.

Looking outside Knox we see ways to contribute

We’ve all heard about the terrible literacy rates in New Zealand right now: by the age of 15, 35% of teenagers struggle to read and write.

A group of our residents have been providing reading support at a local primary school – visiting each week to listen to these gorgeous kids read. Why?

The school kids love the reading sessions. We know that if you enjoy reading, you will become a good reader. And it’s more than just developing literacy. It is about positive reinforcement about both their learning and who they are – having an elder

completely focused on them and only them, giving positive feedback and telling them that they are interesting and important is very empowering

Our residents have the time and skills to make this impact. While COVID has put this on hold recently, we are looking forward to being back up and supporting at the school in 2023.

In August, we supported the Cancer Society on Daffodil Day. Our residents gave their time and impressive persuasion skills to collect in Newmarket. They were completely in their element out in the community, supporting and making a difference. Having volunteered for many years before they moved to Knox, this opportunity had a lot of meaning for them.

The by-product of active and meaningful participation in the community is elders who have purpose, who feel valued, who know they, with our help, can make a difference and as a result are happier and healthier.

Opportunities for meaningful community connections are everywhere. We just need to believe that our elders have something worth sharing. When we connect the needs of our community with the gifts of our elders, well ... that’s when the magic happens.

Thank you!

We’re grateful for the generous support of the following companies and organisations:

Welcome to new caterers

Good food and pleasant dining is important for everyone and particularly so for Knox residents.

We recently reviewed our catering service and a decision was made to procure a new service provider. We are delighted that Cibus Catering are our new caterers, having commenced on 4 December 2022.

The Latin word for nutritious food, Cibus was founded in 1994 and specialises in providing food services to aged care homes. They pride

themselves on being a professional company with a focus on quality and innovation.

As well as providing nutritious meals they bake fresh cakes, slices, muffin loaf or scones each day for residents.

Our Knox resident-directed Food for Thought Group will continue to provide feedback, advice and direction about the quality of the food and meal service at Knox.

Rod & Reel Newmarket

Generously donated a fishing rod for our resident's fishing trips.

Milestone Foundation

Funded costs of our ESOL course.

Albert-Eden-puketapapa

Assisting with Accommodation Support Funding.

Knox is a fully-registered Eden Alternative Home committed to deinstitutionalising aged care and reducing loneliness, helplessness and boredom. Continuing education is key. In November, 30 new team members took three days out of their busy working schedule to train to become Eden Associates. Knox CEO Jill Woodward, a qualified Eden trainer

and Chris Mc Mahon from Eden in Oz &NZ delivered interactive and inspiring training. Participants were encouraged to reflect on their personal values, share their knowledge and experience, and contemplate new and different ways of working. “Strengthening team work” was a common theme and on the final afternoon plans were developed to put the learning into action.

Ministry of Social Development

A grant from the Care in the Community (CiC) Disability Welfare Fund.

Te Whatu Ora

Care in the Community Disability Fund Grant.

Hidden powers of dance

It was the middle of our cold, dreary, wet winter. COVID lockdowns were still threatening. Everyone needed a boost. Is there a better way to lift the spirits and energy levels than with dance?

We called on one of our team members, Rowena, once we discovered that on top of being a kind, caring and talented nurse she had hidden super-powers.

Dance!

Not only is she a fabulous dancer but can teach dance. What followed were fun, energetic and often very funny afternoons spent learning rock’n’roll moves for the hour before Rowena changed into her nurse uniform.

These dance lessons culminated in our

Rock’n’Roll Party. Everyone jumped at the opportunity to get dressed up in their frocks and glad rags and enjoy a fun afternoon of music and dance in the dining room that had been transformed into a dance hall.

Staff and residents showed off their moves out on the dance floor with walkers and wheelchairs whirling and twirling together in harmony. Music and laughter filled the corridors and reminded us of the joy of dance and joining together.

Knox Art Exhibition

JOHN DRYDEN

Making and engaging with art is constant at Knox. Many of our residents engage in art on their own and Olive Café is a site of regular group sessions.

Since 2017, we have had an on-going relationship with the wonderfully creative team at Connect the Dots, a charitable trust that engages elders in creativity, which empowers and connects them to their communities. They have led many sessions using diverse mediums and processes.

While the art making process has always been our focus, proud residents liked the idea of sharing it with the Knox community and families. So, October saw corridors filled with display boards and art. Unfortunately this coincided with a COVID lockdown and many families did not get to enjoy the display, but residents loved seeing each other’s work and celebrating their creativity.

Dancing is the poetry of the foot

Ma - ori Language Week doesn’t stop at Knox

Thanks to the generous support of Te Pou Consumer Leadership Grant we have been able to undertake an exciting and diverse Tikanga Programme. In line with our commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and our belief that learning is lifelong, we designed a programme, in collaboration with residents to uplift, empower and educate.

Jennifer Ward-Lealand joined us to share her beautiful and inspiring journey to becoming a fluent Te Reo Maori speaker. She is a true story-teller and we were so grateful to have her spend time with us.

The programme included workshops on poi making, learning and singing waiatas and working with wood to tell your story. Weekly Te Reo Maori sessions used a lot of song and rhythm to help us with recall and pronunciation. There was a real pride in the learning and getting to the point of being able to something like describe your whanau in Maori.

The Rongoa workshops were a hit as we learnt about the medicinal properties of different trees and plants as well as the origin stories of this knowledge. It was empowering to know how healing nature is. No Maori and Tikanga programme would be complete without kai –learning the tikanga around kai and sharing a hangi together. Residents have enjoyed travelling on this journey and we look forward to continuing our learning into 2023.

We always finish our lessons with this karakia which we share with you:

Kia tau

Kia tatou katoa Te Atawhai o to tatou Ariki A Ihu Karaiti me te Aroha o te Atua Me te whiwhinga tahitanga Ki te wairua tapu Ake ake ake

Amene

Diba Houshmand

Baking up a storm

We’ve been taking full advantage of our resident kitchens by baking up a storm. Often produce such as rhubarb, spinach, lemons or herbs are collected from the vege patches around Knox and used as the inspiration for the baking session. Savoury muffins, lemon slice, and rhubarb and apple muffins are just some of the delicious goods coming out of the ovens. The process of working together in the kitchen, each person taking on a job such as cutting, mixing or measuring and together creating something is a joy in itself. The conversation and connection is a powerful outcome. Add to that the delicious treats that are produced from the ovens and it is not surprising that we never have a shortage of residents ready to jump in and help bake at Knox.

HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR

I grew up in a big family with three sisters and two brothers. I’m a twin to one of my sisters. The desire to help others has driven my involvement in the health system since I came to New Zealand 11 years ago. Knox is a great place to work for me not just because of the golden-hearted Knox family of residents and staff, but also because as a dog lover and plant enthusiast, I enjoy working here.

I had the opportunity to work at Knox as a Care Partner seven years ago. Following my departure from the organisation for more focused work in HR, recruitment and projects, I’m delighted to be back at Knox again.

Welcome to new Board Member Vanessa Stoddart

Vanessa is currently a Director for Te Whatu Ora, Channel Infrastructure and OneFortyOnean international forestry company, a member of the Financial Markets Authority, and Deputy Chair of King’s College. She has held director positions with other listed, private, and public sector companies and NFPs. Prior to her governance career Vanessa was head of engineering and human resources at Air New Zealand and Chief Executive Packaging Australia for Carter Holt Harvey – having started her career in the legal profession.

Knox Home Trust Board Members

Dr Alastair MacCormick (CHAIR)

Ms Marika Eastwick-Field

Dr bruce Foggo

Mr bal Matheson (DEPUTY CHAIR)

Mr Warwick Peacock

Mr Andrew Smith

Ms Vanessa Stoddart

Ms Kim Wright

The Eden Alternative 10 principles

1. The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom account for the bulk of suffering among our Elders.

2. An Elder-centred community commits to creating a human habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with people of all ages and abilities, as well as plants and animals. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike, with a pathway to a life worth living.

3. Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.

4. An Elder-centred community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.

5. An Elder-centred community imbues daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom.

6. Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.

7. Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.

8. An Elder-centred community honours its Elders by de-emphasising top-down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.

9. Creating an Elder-centred community is a never-ending process. Human growth must never be separated from human life.

10. Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues. For it, there can be no substitute.

The core concept of the Eden Alternative™ is simple: Care environments are habitats for human beings that should promote health, wellbeing and growth rather than facilities where the frail and elderly stagnate and decline.

The Eden Alternative™ shows us how companion animals, children and plants help in providing an opportunity for meaningful contribution and care, and how the Eden Alternative works at preventing and eliminating the aged care plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom.

For more information on the Eden Alternative, please visit edenalt.org

days out

CAR IN G COM MUNI TY