Over summer and whenever the weather allowed, our residents enjoyed spending time outdoors in our garden and relaxing on the deck. Many like to sit on the benches, do a little gardening, feed the birds, or simply relax with their morning and afternoon tea. Some residents listen to the wind and birds whilst taking a gentle walk around the garden. These quiet outdoor moments bring comfort and happiness to us all.

We have enjoyed some van trips to Lewis Farm and Waitarere Beach. It feels so wonderful to be out and about in the community, seeing the sights and breathing in the fresh air. On a recent outing, we enjoyed sight-seeing at Lake Horowhenua and stopped by the strawberry farm to buy ice creams.

We have had some lovely visits from the dogs and people from Canine Friends. Linda and Janet bring dogs Messy, Jepsy, Briar and Bramble. We love our time with them; the dogs bring joy, comfort and calm and we are always delighted to see them.

We are also lucky to have wonderful entertainers who come to sing popular songs from the 70s and 80s. We have the Jammers, Michelle and Vallerie and the Sing Out Choir Levin. The music brings back lovely memories, and residents enjoy singing along and even having a little dance. The sessions with our entertainers are always full of smiles and laughter.

On those cooler, wetter days we enjoyed indoor pastimes. Ring toss, bowling and painting are favourites in our home. Painting is so soothing and helps our residents feel good. It’s also great for hand-eye coordination.

As the air becomes crisper and the leaves are golden underfoot, we hope that you have been able to embrace the shorter, cooler days that autumn brings.

“And all at once summer collapsed into fall.” Oscar Wilde

It has been a busy start to the year across the aged care sector. You may have heard about the MediMap outage – MediMap is the electronic medication management system which is used in our rest homes and across many aged care and healthcare services in New Zealand.

MediMap identified unauthorised activity within its system that resulted in some resident demographic information (such as name, date of birth, prescriber details or location of care) being incorrectly modified.

Importantly, we have been advised that there is currently no evidence that medication charts or medication administration records have been altered.

All of our rest homes are now back up and running using MediMap. In the meantime our staff have done a great job of implementing our offline systems. The MediMap outage gave us a good opportunity to review these systems and ensure they are fit for purpose if something like this happens again.

I’ve recently travelled around the country visiting many of our rest homes.

One of the things I enjoy most about this is meeting our new staff. I run a Vision and Values training session with each new staff member in group sessions. In these groups we talk about our families, where home is and what home feels like for each of us. We reflect on what makes our home feel like a home.

While the physical spaces we call home are often quite different, we find that the qualities that create a homely feel are quite similar. It is a space where everyone feels comfortable to be their true self, to express themselves and to be understood by loved ones.

We want our rest homes to feel like home for our residents, you our residents’ families, and our staff teams. That means that we want everyone to be comfortable in this space and we need to get to know one another in a meaningful way. This takes time, and it is something our staff teams work extremely hard on.

We very much appreciate your input into this; whether sharing information about your loved one and how they lived, participating in every day life around the home or letting us know when we haven’t quite got it right.

You can read through our Vision and Values here.

Ngā mihi

Andrew Sheard, Managing Director

You may occasionally see members of our clinical leadership team visiting your home. I’m Arah, National Clinical and Quality Lead, and I’m joined by our Regional Clinical Managers, Ranjit and Jenish, who support teams across our homes. Soumy also provides regional clinical support specifically for Aberleigh.

Our role is to work alongside Clinical Managers and Registered Nurses, offering guidance and support, strengthening clinical practice, and helping ensure the care we provide continues to reflect the kindness, respect, and genuine connection that matter so much to us all. Visits help us stay closely connected with residents, whānau, and the everyday life of each home.

I spend time with Ranjit and Jenish most days. We discuss resident issues that arise, sharing ideas and brainstorming solutions together. This means that I am well apprised of the things that are happening in the residents' home, the risks and the more challenging situations, and also the wonderful things that occur.

If you spot Jenish or Ranjit during a visit, please feel welcome to say hello. They always enjoy meeting families.

Arah Cartagena, National Clinical and Quality Lead

Introducing Micka

We are happy to share that Millvale House Levin has started sponsoring Micka through Tearfund and Compassion International. Micka is a one year old girl who lives in the Philippines. She enjoys clapping her hands to a rhythm and walking around.

Our sponsorship will provide Micka with:

• Educational support and vocational training
• Character and confidence building opportunities
• A safe place to learn, play and grow
• Regular medical checkups and immunisations
• Nutritional support to treat and prevent malnutrition
• Emergency support in times of disaster and crisis
• A loving community and healthy relationships

We are excited to hear about Micka’s progress as she grows, and our activities team is looking forward to involving residents in writing supportive and encouraging letters to her as she gets older.  In your loved one's home, you will find a photograph of Micka with a bit of information about her. Take a look if you are interested.

Our sponsorship of Micka through Tearfund sits comfortably alongside our support of New Zealand children through Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou. Pillars is a New Zealand charity that actively supports the tamariki and whānau of people in prison or those serving a community-based sentence.

Tearfund is a non-profit organisation working for a just and compassionate world. If you would like further information, please visit their website: www.tearfund.org.nz

Jim Haines, Director DCNZ

Magic Moments 

A team member was caring for a resident when the resident asked, “How are you?”  The staff member said, “A bit busy today.”  The resident smiled saying, “As long as you’re doing your best, you’ll be okay.” A small moment of encouragement that brightened the staff member’s day.

After two team members finished providing morning care for a resident, the resident smiled and said, “You’re such a blessing and so lovely. Blessed you both.” A heartwarming moment that brought joy to the morning.