Nurses – a truly special bunch

With the new day comes new
strength and new thoughts.
– Eleanor Roosevelt
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Resident Newsletter May 2016
DID YOU KNOW?
l You are born with 300 bones but by the
time you reach adulthood, you have 206.
l The average person spends two weeks
of their life, waiting for the lights to
change from red to green.
l ‘Almost’ is the longest word in the
English language with all the letters in
alphabetical order.
l It is impossible to sneeze with your
eyes open. Try it!
l A 10-gallon hat only holds ¾ of a
gallon.
l Earth is the only planet not named
after a god.
l 11 per cent of people in the world are
left handed.
l A ‘jiffy’ is the scientific name for
1/100th of a second.
WHAT’S ON IN MAY
3rd: Avon sale, 10am, front foyer
10th: Entertainment – Ron Ashton
12th: International Nurses Day
16th: Entertainment – two members of the Welsh Choir
25th: Entertainment – Gary Corrigan
26th: Australia’s biggest morning tea, 9.30am
26th: May birthday stars party
28th: Entertainment – Ray Perone
A BUNCH OF
BEACHCOMBERS
Oh we do love to be beside
the seaside, we do love to
be beside the sea … and we
were, at La Perouse.
Brunswick and Lodge
residents had a great day at
the beach in April, with fish
and chips for the Lodge team,
while a picnic lunch was
the order of the day for the
Brunswick travellers.
And a good time was had by all!
At your service
Chaplain: Kathy Mitchell, available Monday –
Wednesday, 8.30am – 4.30pm, Chapel Lodge, first floor.
Hairdresser: Josie, available Monday and
Tuesday at nursing home, first floor.
Reception hours: 9am – 4pm, week days.
Café: Meals and snacks available,
Monday to Friday, 8am – 4pm;
Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am – 4pm.
A PREMIER EVENT
Seniors Week was a very gala
occasion for some of our residents,
with a trip to the Premier’s Gala
Concert.
Six residents headed off to
Allphones Arena on April 5 for the concert, titled ‘Putting
On The Ritz’.
Songs from composers such as Irving Berlin, Fats Waller,
Cole Porter and George Gershwin were on the program.
The event was hosted by Gretel Killeen, with entertainers
including comedian Gerry Connolly (perhaps best known
for his impersonations of the Queen), singer John Bowles,
and musical theatre star, Chloe Dallimore.
Nurses – a truly special bunch
T
his month is a month of change. We have
started with a new laundry contractor,
Medclean, and we also have a new Chef
Manager, Wendy. These changes have been
implemented so we can continue to improve the
service we offer you.
We have also secured the services of a beautician
who will visit ABH and will be located in the room
next to the hairdresser. This service is by appointment
only – you will need to see or email Rachel at
reception to make a booking. I have included a price
list in this newsletter for your reference (see page 2).
As with the hairdresser, ABH will pay for the
service on your behalf, and we will add the cost of the
treatment to your monthly account. That way, there
will be no need for cash.
Next month we are holding our first-ever evening
residents’ meeting. We have done this to encourage
families and other loved ones to take part. The
meeting will be held on June 22 at 6pm – everyone is
welcome to attend. There will be notices on display
closer to the time.
On May 12 I invite you to recognise our nurses – it
is International Nurses day – for all of their hard work
and care. They are a truly special bunch.
We are now on Facebook. To access the group,
please type in the following: facebook.com/groups/
AshfieldBaptistHomes
This is a private group, so you will need to ask to
join. Please share this with your family and friends so
they will be able to see what is happening at Ashfield
Baptist Homes.
Lastly, I would like to wish you all a Happy Mother’s
Day for May 8 – it’s a celebration honouring not only
the mother of the family, but motherhood, maternal
bonds, spiritual mothers and the influence of mothers
in society. Enjoy the day.
Leigh
Chief Executive
FOR EVERY BEAR THAT
EVER THERE WAS…
If you go down in the woods today…
except we didn’t have to go that far
for the teddy bears’ picnic, because it
came to us.
A group of 24 children from a nearby
centre, along with their bears, joined
residents and their bears for a few
hours of fun, laughter and song …
and a picnic, of course.
There were lots of wonderful things
to eat and wonderful games to play
… and when it came to an end, it
was not just the teddy bears who
were tired!
ALTERNATIVE AN EGGS-ALENT
THERAPISTS
EXPERIENCE
If you wish to try an alternative therapist
to help manage your health and
wellbeing, there are several available in
the Ashfield area.
Please note, aside from the practitioners
who regularly visit ABH (masseuse and
physiotherapist), this list does not imply
endorsement by ABH.
1. Massage and aromatherapy
Jacinta Harris
Phone: 0419 973 750
2. Physiotherapists
Natalie Meaney, 26 Manildra Street,
Earlwood
Phone: 0409 313 081
GET TO KNOW...
Kathy Mitchell
How long have you worked at
ABH?
Four years.
Three words to describe you?
Faithful, fit, kind.
Your ideal holiday destination?
New Zealand. Most of my family is
there. They’re spread out, but mostly
in Nelson.
Where did you grow up?
In Nelson, NZ. I moved to Australia
41 years ago.
Have you lived and/or travelled
elsewhere?
I lived and worked in the UK
for a while, and I’ve been to the
Philippines a couple of times. My
sister has an orphanage there, and I
did some aid work over there.
Tell us about your family.
I have seven children, and seven
grandchildren, with the eighth due
this month. One son lives in
New Zealand and the rest are here
in Australia.
What is your greatest achievement?
Surviving all my children – and
them surviving me! I also studied
for my diploma when I had small
children. It took me seven years
of part-time study to do what is
a three-year fulltime course but
thanks to lots of patience and
endurance I got my Diploma in
Bible and Christian Ministry.
What would we find you doing in
your spare time?
I like to run. I compete in the City
to Surf every year, and other charity
fun runs. I like to have time with
my family and catch up with friends
over a coffee or a meal. I also read
and do cryptic crosswords and I like
to have some times of solitude.
What is one thing about you that
people might be surprised to learn?
I’ve done a solo parachute jump! I
did a full day’s training and then the
next day we jumped. I started out
with an instructor either side of me
and then they let me go and I was
free-falling on my own. I had been
reading about eagles soaring which
sounded wonderful and thought
this might be a way to capture
that feeling. It certainly met all my
expectations but I have never done
it again. The amazing thing with the
free-falling is that it didn’t feel like I
was dropping. It felt like floating. It
was beautiful.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever
been given?
Lead a quiet life; mind your own
business; take care of other people.
What was the last movie you saw –
was it any good?
A Tale of Two Cities – I
thoroughly enjoyed it after having
read the book.
If you could meet anyone in the
world, who would it be, and why?
Anyone who is alone. Then they
would no longer be alone.
Tony Kvesic
Can come to site
Phone: 0412 840 973
3. Homeopathy
Sydney Homeopathic Care, 22/118
Elizabeth Street, Ashfield
Phone: 0430 714 487
4. Kinesiology
Liesl Frank Holistic Kinesiology, 66
Ramsay Street, Haberfield
Phone: 9797 0422
Mobile Beauty Sydney Price
List for Ashfield Baptist Home
Lashes and Brows (Can be done monthly –
fortnightly if excess hair growth)
Eyebrow Tint $15 -15 min
Eyelash Tint $25 - 20 min
Lash and Brow Tint $40 - 20 min
Eyebrow Shape $25 - 30 min
Eyebrow Wax and Tint $30- 30 min
Lash and Brow Tint + Brow Shape $50 - 45
min
Facial Waxing (Can be done monthly fortnightly if excess hair growth)
Upper Lip $10 - 15min
Sides or Chin $15 - 20 mim
Full Face (incl lip, sides & chin) $45 - 15 min
Other waxing such as legs, arms and bikini
available upon request
Manicure & Pedicure (Can be done weekly)
Deluxe: includes gentle exfoliation $60 - 45 min
Mini: incl gentle massage $40 - 30 min
Buff, file and polish $20 - 20 min
40 min facial (Can be done weekly at most)
A quick facial for giving a lovely lift of dullness,
leaving you with bright and hydrated skin.
Includes double cleanse, exfoliation, mask with
gorgeous moisturizer to finish $60 - 45 min
60 min facial (Can be done weekly at most)
Similar to the 40 minute facial however includes
a delightful facial massage. $80 - 60 min
90 min facial (Can be done weekly at most)
Kick back and relax into 90 minutes of pure
bliss! Includes double cleanse, exfoliation,
extra-long massage and mask with a gorgeous
moisturizer to finish. $110 - 90 min
All facials can have waxing and tinting added on.
Extra time will be needed.
5. Naturopathy
Haberfield Health (formerly Haberfield
Naturopathic Centre), 66 Ramsay Street,
Haberfield
Phone: 9797 0422
6. Beauty treatments
Debra Kaplan, Mobile Beauty Sydney
Bookings through reception.
reat excitement at
G
ABH in April, as the
café became a short-term
maternity ward.
For something a little
different, we adopted 10
eggs from Living Eggs,
a specialist chicken
hatching company based
in Cherrybrook.
Labour was very short.
The eggs were delivered on
the Monday and hatched
by Wednesday. Five started
their egg-xodus on the
Tuesday, and four arrived
early Wednesday. Sadly,
one didn’t make it.
Residents and visitors
alike loved the experience.
The incubator had a
regular parade of eggscited observers, sitting by
the breeding box to have
their coffee.
Several visitors were very
enthusiastic about the
concept, telling staff what a
great thing it was to do.
Resident Gwen Randall
appointed herself chief
chicken caretaker, and
visited them each night to check
on their progress. She also visited
regularly during the day to ensure
they were not being handled too
MAY BIRTHDAY STARS
May 11: Meryl Newell; Blanca Olivera
May 14: Anna Torrice
May 15: Daniel Azevedo
May 22: Margaret Shaw
May 25: Laurel Brand
May 28: Marie-Louise Charleton;
Catherine Handley
May 22:
Cecily
Howell, 80
much and were getting their rest.
As this newsletter went to ‘press’,
attempts were being made to ‘chick’ if
it was possible to keep the birds
on site.
STAFF
COMINGS AND
GOINGS
We’ve had several new staff
members join us recently, and
a few familiar faces leave.
Say hello to:
Megan Jennings who joins the team in the
café, Rubie Unt-Wan in maintenance, and
registered nurses, Ruby Zhang and
Juliet Kei.
We said goodbye to:
Care staff Amrita Kandel and Cindy Fifta.
We wish them well.
We also said goodbye to another very
special member of the care team. Tene Sali
has left us after 22 years. Tene is having
a career change. We wish her luck and
thank her for all her wonderful service.