Mid-Winter Family Gathering

Thursday the 24th of July, 2.30-3.30pm

We would love you to join us!

As the winter season settled in, we embraced the colder days by keeping our home warm and cosy to ensure our residents stayed comfortable. We have changed over to our winter menu, offering hearty and nourishing meals, perfect for the season.

Music and joy continue to fill our home each month with regular entertainment. Barrie Neville, our regular live entertainer, delights everyone with songs from the sixties and seventies. Residents often clap, sing and dance along! The Avon Singers, our regular volunteer group, bring not only music but also poetry and storytelling, adding a unique and heartwarming twist to their performances.

Another favourite visitor is Ruby, a sweet 6-year-old border collie from Canine Friends Pet Therapy. Ruby, along with her owner Mike Phillips, visits us every Tuesday. The joy on our residents’ faces when Ruby arrives says it all - petting and spending time with her brings comfort and happiness.

We have been focusing on individualised activities lately. One on one time with our residents enables us to be guided by the uniqueness of each person. During this time, the team member spends time which is tailored to the personality, interests and mood of the resident. Sometimes this can mean just sitting with a resident, chatting. Sometimes the team member and resident may walk together, read a magazine together, play a game, sing, do a puzzle or arrange flowers together. Sometimes the team member might give the resident a hand massage or manicure. We have noticed that many residents really enjoy these personalised one-on-one sessions. Group activities will always be available for residents who wish to take part.

Our talented Diversional Therapist, Karin, has created a wonderful fidget cloth. It sits on the table as a tablecloth would and features multiple textures and safe items to explore, providing sensory stimulation and calmness to our residents. People are really enjoying sitting round the table together whilst exploring this.

Much-loved group activities have recently included flower arranging, where residents enjoy working with beautiful blooms, and board games like Snakes and Ladders - a crowd favourite, especially when family members join in to make it extra fun!

It is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to two valued team members. We farewell our Registered Nurse, Joan Tuban who is one of our long-serving staff. Joan has been a key person at Admatha and is deeply respected by residents, families, and staff alike. Our dedicated Caregiver, Marlyn is also moving on. Marlyn has made meaningful connections with residents over her time here. We thank both Joan and Marlyn and wish them all the very best.

We are excited to invite you to our Winter Family Gathering. It will be held on Thursday July the 24^th from 2.30-3.30pm. This will be a lovely time together. We will share in some winter cheer and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea. We look forward to seeing you there!

Finally, we are so delighted to see our new building coming along so beautifully. There has been significant progress; the roof is now installed, and the framing is up. Everyone is buzzing with anticipation, and we can’t wait for the day we move in!

Greetings everyone

It feels like we are now well into the winter months and we are needing to keep everyone rugged up around our homes. Our winter menu helps to keep everyone warm too with lots of hearty food and warm soups. I always enjoy the smell of these wafting through our homes when I visit.

We had some disappointing news recently, that the pay equity claims were stopped by the Government. Caregiver pay has effectively been paused since 2022 and we had been working as part of an employer group to help progress these claims. This has a large impact on our team. It is hard to see the wonderful work our care team do not rewarded in the way it should be.

I am reminded of the quote “work is love made visible”, and this is never more true than for our care staff. Whether it be sharing a funny story, enjoying some music or just having a cup of tea together in the sun, our team work to ensure our residents enjoy some magic moments each day. These actions flow through to all of our lives.

We have been writing to MPs and Government ministers about this and we would encourage you to as well if you feel strongly about this cause.

On another note, as you will see in this newsletter, we have a lot on the go to improve and extend our aged care services. It is really pleasing to see this happening.

Andrew Sheard, Managing Director

Rhea Abordonado has taken up a new role as the National Operational Support Leader around our homes.

This is a new role which includes travelling to our homes and working with the operations managers and coordinators to assist them in various aspects of their roles. Rhea will be helping them to grow and develop, looking for areas for improvement and facilitating learning from each other within the operations side of our homes.

The operations role is a varied one which is crucial to the running of our homes. It involves:

• Looking after our staff teams
• Overseeing our food service
• Quality requirements
• Overseeing the laundry service
• Managing building maintenance and contractors
• Marketing our home

Rhea knows our organisation inside out and has already been taking a leadership role around our homes in the wider Wellington area. It is great to have her expanding this role and helping our operations team to build on the great work that they do.

Resident Long Term Care Plan

A long-term care plan for residents in aged care is a structured process used to assess, document, and meet a resident’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. It ensures that each person receives personalised and consistent care based on their preferences, health conditions, and overall wellbeing. Developing a care plan is crucial to the care of a person.

Its importance:

• It promotes holistic, person-centred care.  We think of the four dimensions of the Māori health model Te Whare Tapa Whā and consider physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and family/social wellbeing.
• With family involvement we learn more about the person being cared for and we hear family thoughts on care.  Often family/EPOA are sharing the journey with their loved one.
• It helps staff provide safe and appropriate support.
• It guides day-to-day decisions and helps manage changing health needs.
• It ensures continuity of care across shifts and disciplines.

Family Involvement

Families are a valuable part of the care planning process. Your insights into your loved one’s preferences, routines, history, and values help us create a plan that truly reflects who they are.

We encourage you to:

• Participate in initial and regular care plan meetings.
• Share any changes or concerns you notice.
• Ask questions and provide feedback at any time.  This also can give us an opportunity to support you too.

Our Role

The facility’s care team, including registered nurses, caregivers, allied health professionals, and diversional therapists and activity coordinators take responsibility for a care plan.  

To begin with, we bring the person into our mind and our hearts and together we ask questions to help us work out what is required to meet the holistic needs of each resident.  This team is responsible for:

• Assessing your loved one’s needs.
• Developing and reviewing the care plan regularly or when needs change.
• Communicating with families and the resident about changes in care.
• Ensuring all staff follow the care plan to provide consistent support.

A Living Document

The care plan is not a one-time document – it is living and evolving. It changes as your loved one’s needs, preferences, or health status change. Regular reviews ensure it stays relevant and responsive.

By working together, families and the care team can ensure your loved one receives the most respectful, dignified, and compassionate care possible. Your voice matters and you are always welcome on this journey alongside your loved one.  You are part of the team.

Dementia Care NZ Clinical Team

Magic Moment

Every Tuesday, a therapy dog named Ruby visits our residents. Ruby is loved by many residents. One lady has formed a special connection with her — all her worries seem to melt away as she sits with Ruby, gently patting her and talking to her. It's a calming and heartwarming sight.

While playing snakes and ladders, one of my residents turned to her daughter who was assisting her to play and said, ‘I played this with you!” Both had smiles on their faces, clearly sharing a happy memory.

After breakfast, I gave one of the residents our weighted dog to hold. She exclaimed, “Oh, you’re my friend!” while embracing it with a wide smile on her face.