The year seems to be moving so quickly, it’s hard to believe we’re already in April! We hope you had a lovely summer and that you are settling into the cooler months. We have been keeping busy here at Avonlea and we’re excited to share some highlights from recent activities and celebrations of special moments since our last newsletter.

Residents made the most of summer by getting outside to sit in the sun or take a stroll around the garden; some even enjoyed taking the newspaper out into the sunshine for a read. We have been picking pears from our own trees and residents have enjoyed some gardening – growing tomatoes and silver beet. We recently enjoyed a lovely barbecue outside. Residents helped with the preparation and cooking, and everyone enjoyed a sausage or two. Nothing beats the aroma of a sizzling summer barbeque!

On Waitangi Day, we took time to acknowledge this important part of Aotearoa’s history in ways that felt simple and meaningful for our residents. On television, we watched the commemoration at the treaty grounds at Waitangi. Our team members made some little Waitangi booklets for any residents who were interested in taking a look.

We have been particularly enjoying our singalongs. The familiar songs spark smiles and toe tapping moments! The addition of some beautiful new puzzles has brought some quiet focus and a sense of achievement to some of our residents, and flower arranging has brought creativity and calm. Residents have especially enjoyed picking fresh flowers and carefully placing them in vases to brighten our spaces.

We have been having fun playing Snakes and Ladders, sharing laughs and a little friendly competition along the way. Beach ball games are always a hit, with bright colours and simple back and forth play. They are a fun and enjoyable way to encourage movement and coordination.

We have continued baking loaves to donate to the Hoon Hay Food Bank on a fortnightly basis. The smell of home-made banana bread fills the air, creating a homely atmosphere.

We’re very excited to be welcoming David from Canine Therapy with his dog back to Avonlea. Their visits always bring so much joy, comfort and calm. The residents are always delighted to see their furry friend.

We are excited that residents have now moved into our refreshed small home, Aroha. The move went really well and it is lovely to see residents in this space again. 

As the air becomes crisper and the leaves start to fall and crunch beneath our feet, we hope that you are able to embrace the shorter, cooler days that the change of season has brought.

“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 space we call home and that of our families 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.

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 Harold and Amarra

We are happy to share that Avonlea has started sponsoring Harold and Amarra through Tearfund and Compassion International.

Amarra is a one year old girl who is learning to talk and loves playing with dolls. Harold is a ten year old boy who enjoys playing ball, biking and games of hide and seek.

Our sponsorship will provide Amarra and Harold 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 updates about Harold's and Amarra's progress as they grow. Our activities team is looking forward to involving residents in writing supportive and encouraging letters to them as they get older.  In your loved one's home, you will find a photographs of both children, with a bit of information about them. Take a look if you are interested.

Our sponsorship of Amarra and Harold 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 Moment

During morning cares, a resident who doesn’t usually talk surprised caregivers by clearly saying, "Good morning." Both the team members who were present were shocked and delighted. It was a beautiful and uplifting way to start the day.

While taking part in an activity, a resident gently took my hand and kissed it. With a beautiful, heartfelt smile, she said, "Thank you for this lovely day". In that quiet moment, her gratitude and warmth were deeply felt, reminding me how meaningful simple acts of kindness and shared time can be. It was a truly touching moment of connection that has stayed with me.