IS S UE
Newsletter
03 March 2010
What’s On?
What’s On?
April
Tues 27th— Pakuranga Ladies Choir Main Lounge—10.30 am
Wed 7th— Devonshire Tea Karaka—1.30 pm Thurs 8th— Warren’s Singalong Karaka—1.00 pm Thurs 15th— Entertainer—”It Takes Two” Main Lounge 10.30 am YPD Luncheon & Meeting Totara—12.00 noon Thurs 22nd— Warren’s Singalong Karaka—1.00 pm
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
Fri 30th— Happy Hour with Entertainer—Michael Main Lounge— 4.00 pm MAY 5th May— Meeting with family and friends of Residents to discuss the Eden Alternative and the Redevelopment project OT Department— 5:30 – 6:30 pm
www.knox.co.nz
IS S UE
Welcome to our third newsletter – we are keen that this evolve to reflect the wishes of the Residents and in this edition it’s wonderful to have articles written by several members of the Knox Resident Community and this of course will continue to grow. This year we are launching our Eden Alternative Quality Awards. These awards provide an opportunity for team members to put forward projects they have established to integrate the Eden Philosophy. We plan to run these twice a year and expect entries will cover the wide variety of Eden and other quality projects currently underway or being planned. The Redevelopment and Refurbishment Project is moving along with the submission of our Resource Consent application in January, further supporting information and reports have been requested by Auckland City Council and we await the outcome of the Council’s review of that information. The first stage of the project will be the construction of a new porte cochere at the main entrance, development of a new reception area, creation of a larger resident lounge and general refurbishment of lounge, dining room, physiotherapy and occupational therapy areas. The current courtyard garden is being incorporated into an atrium / lounge area – this will have a glass roof and will provide a more spacious and open area for Residents. All of this will require temporary relocation on site of reception and staff – plans are being developed for this. The second stage is the construction of the new building in place of Kauri. This stage will of course require temporary re-location of current Kauri residents within Knox facilities and it is my intention to meet with affected residents and their families when we have well defined options for this re-location. I acknowledge this will cause some inconvenience to those people we move however this is essential and the residents moved from Kauri will be re-located in the lovely new facility when completed.
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
The new building will be designed around a “household’ model of 14 rooms with each “household” having its own kitchen/dining/ lounge space. The third stage is the complete refurbishment of Karaka. This will involve the disestablishment of all shared rooms with the creation of single rooms. Existing single rooms will be redecorated and modernized, however, these rooms will continue to have shared bathrooms. During this stage the residents of Karaka will be temporarily located in the new building. Additional lounge / dining areas are also to be incorporated in line with a “household” model. As you will note the completion of the new building will enable temporary relocation of residents to enable refurbishment of other areas. It is for this reason we are not able to accommodate requests from residents or their families wishing to permanently relocate from other areas of Knox to the new building – current Kauri residents of course will be offered a room in the new building. It is intended that planning will commence for the refurbishment and redevelopment of the remainder of the building very soon and the space provided in the new building will be required for this refurbishment to progress as it provides temporary accommodation during ongoing developments.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin
www.knox.co.nz
The Knox Edenizing Journey …… As we all know from our own experience of home renovations, a project such as this offers a few challenges. I know that here at Knox we will have ours to deal with; however the work on the building is essential and we will have a more modern and appropriate home when completed. I cannot say we won’t have dust, noise, some inconvenience and at times a few frustrations – however it will be worth all this.
Our Board Members Mr Warwick Peacock— Chairman Dr Alistair MacCormick Mr Andrew Smith Mrs Christine Hart Mr Geoff Wales Dr Ross McCormick Mr Malcolm Crotty Dr Bruce Foggo Our board meets on a monthly basis.
I plan to hold regular meetings for family and friends and we will keep you updated in newsletters and via the web site. I have also been meeting weekly with residents for approximately a year to discuss the plans and I have received a great deal of feed-back from residents and team members. As described, the new building will incorporate a kitchen for residents wishing to prepare meals if they wish – this may be as simple as a sandwich or a main meal. Our first step in this direction (prior to the new building being built) is to set up the Totara kitchen so that residents wishing to cook are able to. As you can see a lot is going on at Knox and daily I marvel at the spirit, energy and passion both residents and team display for making this a better place for those who chose it as their home. Thanks to all of you for the support you show Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital – please come along to the meetings we have planned it is always valuable to get together with family members. Good health ….
Jill
I am pleased to report that in February a further 28 team members trained as Eden Associates, Knox now has 85 Associates, the highest number of any other organization in NZ. The investment in training our team is critical to ensure meaningful culture change is sustainable and that we, as a team, are dedicated to creating a human habitat where variety and spontaneity flourish. Whilst we are part of the world-wide Eden Alternative community we are locally under the umbrella organization established for our part of the world – that is “Eden in OZ & NZ” www.edeninoznz.com.au - a not-for-profit organisation operating in Australia and New Zealand established to develop the ‘down under’ philosophy and practice of the Eden Alternative™; developed in the United States by Dr William Thomas, and now spreading around the world with over 17,000 trained Eden Associates world-wide. The core concept of the Eden Alternative™ is simple: we must teach ourselves to see existing and new care environments as habitats for human beings that promote health and well being rather than facilities for the frail and elderly. The Eden Alternative™ shows us how companion animals, children and plants help in providing an opportunity for a meaningful contribution and care, and how the Eden Alternative™ works at preventing and eliminating the aged care plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom. In the past we have held several sessions for family and friends of Residents to discuss the Eden Alternative and the Redevelopment project – we wish to do this on a regular basis. We will be running sessions every second month on the first Wednesday of the month with the first to be held on
5 May at 5:30pm – 6:30pm in the OT Department.
EDEN TRAINING GROUP— FEBRUARY 2010 “Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it” Lou Holtz American Football Coach 1937-1980
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
FAMILY SURVEYS You should have received a copy of our resident family survey form for you to complete. We are very keen at Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital to provide an excellent service and to continue to enhance the services provided to all our residents. By inviting you to tell us your views on the care and services that we provide for your family member/friend at Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital we can learn about the care that all residents receive at Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital and from this we can identify what we are doing well and also areas where we need to improve. Answering the questions or not is completely voluntary, and your decision either way will not affect the care that your family member/friend receives from us. All of your answers are completely confidential. Your name won’t be connected to any of your answers as you are not identified on the survey form and collation of information is independent of any of our team.
UPDATE OF CONTACT DETAILS With this newsletter you will have received a copy of the contact details that we hold for you. Could you please review the information and make any changes necessary. Please return these changes to us as soon as possible. It is important that we are able to contact you should an emergency situation arise.
Please note that completed surveys need to be returned to us by 7 April 2010. Thank you to all who have already returned their survey forms. If you did not receive a copy of the survey form and would like to participate, please contact us to request a copy, 09 523 3119.
HEALTH AND SAFETY At Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital we strive to maintain a high level of compliance with the NZ Health and Safety Act. We have a number of safe guards in place to ensure that our residents, their visitors, staff and contractors remain safe whilst they are at our facility. Due to Health and Safety issues the following areas are “no go areas” to Residents and Visitors unless they are accompanied by a staff member:Kitchen; Laundry; Maintenance Room; Cleaning Room. We actively discourage residents from these areas of the building. We would ask that residents’ family members and friends also stay away from the service areas to minimise their risk to accident or injury. If, for example, your family member has missing clothing or there is some concern about your family members diet or a special dietary request, please speak to a nursing or administration staff member. Please do not go to the service area concerned. We thank you for your support with this.
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
EASTER HATS This year to acknowledge Easter our Residents have made themselves Easter Hats. These have been judged and our overall winner was Sharon from Totara Court. Easter Hats, Rabbits Ears and Tails are being seen all over the facility at the moment. A big thank you to the St George’s cubs for their kind donation of Easter Eggs for our Residents to share. Sharon in her winning hat
CARD & BOARD GAMES Every Tuesday afternoon our Residents challenge visitors from Laura Fergusson to Card and Board Games. These sessions are very popular, generating lots of laughter and fun. A great time is had by all who participate even when the competition becomes intense. To date the winner and loser scores are fairly even.
On January 18th we repeated our very popular trip to Auckland Zoo. Another great day was had by all (and the weather was better than last time too!!)
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
Our Residents Committee meets on a 6 weekly basis. This committee was formed in the latter part of last year and its purpose is to provide a forum for residents to ensure that their needs, ideas and initiatives for Residents are discussed, reviewed and actioned as appropriate.
BBQ’s & Cooking Facilities Want to have a family dinner or BBQ which includes your family member living here at Elizabeth Knox Home & Hospital? Why not have it here!! We have BBQ and Cooking Facilities that families can use to include all family members in any occasion you are celebrating or just because families like to get together. You bring the food and drink and we will supply the venue and equipment to support you. Just let us know what you are planning and when so that we can support you.
This is achieved when the committee: submit recommendations, ideas and initiatives to support the living requirements of residents; suggest ways to improve/enhance the living status of residents ensure that the collective voice of residents is presented to management and the board review and comment on relevant policies and procedures act in an advisory capacity as required on all aspects of services provided by EKHH. To date this committee have developed and implemented a process to welcome new residents to their home, organised and run weekly movie showings, arrange for music to be played whilst dining if desired. The Committee are currently working on the development of a welcome letter for all new residents and staff, a brochure to introduce the committee and some staff and considering name badges for residents who may want to wear one. If you have any ideas or initiatives that you would like to be considered, discuss this with one of the committee representatives shown below.
Michael
Ronald
Christine
Ken
Gerald
Edith
Neil
Atira
Trevor
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
FROM OT February & March have slipped by with our usual round of entertainers coming into Elizabeth Knox—we also had a wonderful picnic where a full bus load of residents armed with chairs, sunshades, drinks and a sumptious picnic, prepared by our kitchen staff, descended onto the beach at Maraetai. It was a gloriously hot day, some even paddled!! This was an event worth repeating and was enjoyed by all who went. February also saw the re-commencement of many of the off-site activities that involve our residents e.g. Stroke Club, Christian Fellowship with Disabled, Communicare and the services at St George’s Church to which our residents are assisted. Happy Hours FLU VACCINATION
Our residents and staff have now been vaccinated with the 2010 flu vaccine which contains protection against California A H1N1 (Swine Flu) Perth B and Brisbane B. Residents and staff consent to the vaccination and we have seen an increase in the numbers this year. This is a free service provided to residents and staff of Elizabeth Knox Home & Hospital.
These have been most successful occasions where we all meet for a drink and nibbles, whilst a musician entertains us. We welcome families at this event but would really appreciate a “Gold Coin” donation to help with costs. 27 Feb – 11 residents attended a special concert organized for senior citizens by Greenlane Christian Centre. The church members organized transport to and from and provided the very enjoyable programme of entertainment followed by afternoon tea. This followed a similarly successful invitation to a function before Xmas and we expect to be involved in others in the future. In March we welcomed Miriam Irimi from Germany into OT/Physio as a volunteer for a few weeks. She has been of great assistance to us and we will be sorry to lose her when she heads home again. A group of our residents met and chatted with students from Mt Hobson Middle School who were compiling their history projects. The students cane with their teacher and from all accounts it was a most worthwhile liaison. They have offered to come again and do some voluntary work at EKH. A nice care of appreciation was sent to us.
Kaye, Paula & the OT Team
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
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Since our last news letter we have had quite a lot of activity at the rest home. We’ve had three very enjoyable happy hours (last Friday of each month) where relations and friends are invited. We had a lovely Picnic Day at Maraetai Beach on the 9th February where residents and staff enjoyed a great day. Mary Amoore celebrated her 90th birthday and Pinga McDermott her 41st. On Thursday 25th February a few of the resi- Residents enjoy Happy Hour, held on dents saw the Andre Rieu CD (thanks to Trevor the last Friday of each month, 4.00 Futter), featuring his live concert in Melbourne pm in the Main Lounge. Families it was fantastic. and friends are welcome to join us. Saturday 27th we were entertained by Peyton Jacinto who was well received. One of the caregivers (Pinga McDermott) took up the microphone and thanked him for a very enjoyable morning and we are looking forward to his return to our home. This was followed in the afternoon by a visit to the Greenlane Christian Centre for a wonderful concert relating to various musical shows such as “West Side Story”, “My Fair Lady”, “Phantom of the Opera” etc etc. All the cast were professional singers. This was followed by a lovely afternoon tea. A wonderful day to remember. Joan Hodge has two great granddaughters who are very good at their respective sports- 10 year old Georgia Clode (athletics) holds three Auckland Gold Medals for 1500, 2000 metres and 4 x 4 100 metre relay. A fantastic effort for someone so young.- Rosie Deiath—12 years old—has three gold medals for surf life saving and ocean swimming. A great achievement for her age.
Douglas Hodge Totara Court
Recently about 12 residents and staff went to visit MOTAT war planes division. As you enter the front door the first plane that greets you is a Lancaster Bomber. This was one of the largest bombers in the 2nd World War and could carry ten tons of bombs. To the side were large murals of war scenes painted by ex RAF service men which looked very realistic with all the other planes some on the floor and others hanging NX665 Lancaster Bomber from the ceiling. There was one of the last Solent Flying boats, very impressive with 4 propeller driven engines which used to belong to TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways) until they were taken over by Air NZ. One of our group, Bryan Jones, worked for them for 40 years then transferred to Air NZ. Solent ZK-AMO
As you wander around there are many other planes, even an old Tiger Moth which fired 303 bullets. You could wander round all day looking at the displays, a very worthwhile outing enjoyed by all.
Neil Jack Kauri Court
Elizabeth
Photos courtesy of MOTAT web site
Residents’ Chat Continued ... Tuesday 9th February, a large bus parked in the road because it would not fit in the drive, so we were loading chairs. The driver was courteous and helpful. He had a little ramp for wheelchairs. Then we were away down the Southern Motorway to Maraetai. Two toilet stops. Doug took the dog for a walk. We were given a bottle of cold water each. We put up the tent under a tree, where we were met by Mary’s daughters. I couldn’t miss having a paddle with two helpers. There were big boxes of sandwiches with a choice of white or brown bread. This was followed by bacon and egg pie. The there was a large cake which Mary’s daughters had baked for her 90th birthday. Then it was time to go home. We were sleepy but happy.
Edie Lynch
Edie Paddling
Rimu Court
Happy 90th Mary!!
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
Gemma here, reporting on animal antics since our last newsletter. Life here goes very well and Evie, Coco and I all have plenty of friends to spend time with us and make a fuss. In particular, I have a whole bunch of new friends that are taking me out for a walk twice a day. They come over from St Cuthberts school and walk me out and about the neighbourhood. Jane (the very kind lady who has been walking me) has gone back to Canada as her visit is over. She has been wonderful and we have spent many hours together checking out trees, grass, paper and other unmentionables that I find on our walks. She even threw a ball for me and I gallop around bringing it back so that it could be thrown again. I am now teaching the girls the same game!!
Evie
Gemma on the bus to Maraetai Beach
A great big woofie thank you to Jane and the girls from St Cuthberts for donating their time. I really enjoy all the cuddles, pats and attention that I receive from all the people here
Buster Jill, the CEO, has a new pet, Buster the Miniature Schnauzer. He comes to work with her everyday. He is still a puppy and spends a lot of time either running around in circles, chewing anything that takes his fancy or sleeping under a desk. Brave little fellow though – he took my chew bone but really I was happy to share. We are learning about each other and sharing space which is going very well. Coco still thinks he is the boss and spends sometime each day stalking us dogs!!! We try our very best to ignore him. Speaking of Coco, he managed to get himself into a fight with a visiting cat and unfortunately he came off rather badly. He had to have a visit to the vet and was very sore for a few days but he is now well recovered and back in the thick of things again. On a less cuddly basis, we now have tropical fish located in the Kowhai and Karaka lounges. It is very soothing to watch these and the tanks are large enough and heavy enough to stop any cat from fishing for their supper!! Stop in and have a look. The names of the fish are shown so you can identify them. Over Easter, I am going on a short holiday to Tauranga where I can run on the beach and laze around an Avocado Orchard.
Gemma PS I hear we are going to have a new cat join us next week. Funny name—”Baggins”. Watch this space for all the details next time.
Coco takes part in the recent Eden Training
Elizabeth Knox
523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
OUR LAUNDRY
Our website is constantly being improved, extended and updated. To learn more about us, the services we provide, view up coming events and activities, view photo’s of recent events or check current job vacancies go to: www.knox.co.nz
www.knox.co.nz
Here at Elizabeth Knox Home & Hospital we launder thousands of items of clothing and linen per year. Our in-house commercial laundry is compliant with all Health & Safety and Infection Control standards. The temperatures at which we launder items is extremely hot and we are required to use industrial chemicals to remove any infectious material contained within the fabric of items laundered. Our laundry operates for 14 hours per day, 365 days of the year. We also have several smaller household washing machines located in Rimu and some of our residents choose to wash their personal washing in these. We encourage and support this and staff are available to assist residents with this if required. From time to time we receive complaints about items of residents clothing that has gone missing. We endeavour to relocate any items and return these to the rightful owner. To assist us in ensuring that items are returned please make sure that clothing is labelled. When residents are admitted their clothing is labelled, but other items of clothing that is brought in after admission often gets missed and is not labelled. Please make sure that all new items of clothing are labelled either by you with an indelible marker or ask us to label it We do charge a small amount for this service, fifty cents per item labelled. Any un-named clothing is held in the OT department and regularly items are displayed so they may be reclaimed. If you are looking for something that is missing, the OT department is always a good place to start. Please report missing items to us so that we can look for these. It is advisable for any woollen, delicate or special items to be taken home by family for laundering or use our facilities in Rimu for this. Section 2.1.h of the admission agreement states, the facility does ‘not accept liability for loss, damage to, or theft of property or clothing (including loss or damage caused by laundry services), but the Facility will take all reasonable care of the Resident’s property while the Resident lives at the Facility. The Facility shall have no obligation to remedy such loss. ‘ Should you wish to visit our Laundry at any time, please ask a staff member to take you.
Vending Machines (snack machines) are available for residents, families, visitors and staff. There is one located in the Main Lounge and in the Karaka Dining Room there is a coffee machine.
Our Laundry Team Present - Katy, Mandeep and Tinei. Absent – Aman, Roxane, Neisha.
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz
Supporting Knox into the Future For over 100 years Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital has provided care and support for those in need. This was made possible through the generous bequest of Elizabeth Knox. One way you can help us to continue to provide these services and to secure the future of Knox is to consider making provision for a donation or bequest. If you would like to leave a gift to Elizabeth Knox Home and Hospital in your will we suggest you consult a lawyer, the Public Trust or a Trustee company. Your legacy would be greatly appreciated and would assist in securing the long term future of Knox. If you wish to discuss this further please feel free to contact Jill Woodward, CEO.
VOLUNTEERS
We have a small number of volunteers here led by our Volunteer Co-ordinator Bev de Vink. Their contribution to our services is invaluable to our residents and staff and we thank them all for their generosity. We are keen to expand our great volunteer team and would welcome your support. Can you spare a few hours per week? Do you have a special something you are good at that you could share with our residents. Perhaps you like to cook and could come in a help a few of our residents to make pikelets, muffins or scones or maybe you could assist in cooking a dish from your own culture. Have you traveled any where interesting? A talk about your adventures with or without pictures would be of great interest to our residents. Maybe you belong to a club of some kind that you could talk about or demonstrate what you do at the club. These are just a few ideas of where you could provide volunteer assistance to us. If you have any ideas at all and are interested in sparing a few hours for us please phone: 09 520 8446, we would love to hear from you. We are open to all of your ideas. Please phone: 09 520 8446
Bev de Vink Volunteer Coordinator
Elizabeth Knox 523 3119
www.knox.co.nz