Warmer days have arrived at Millvale House Levin, bringing sunshine, colour, and cheerful energy to our home. Our residents have been enjoying time outdoors — gardening, bird feeding, and taking gentle walks in the fresh air. We’re planning to get out the barbeque to make the most of the warmer days ahead.

As we look forward to Christmas, memories of family traditions bring a smile. One of my fondest memories is of Christmas Eve, when the children would watch movies while the adults cooked for our midnight celebration. We’d stay up together, sharing food and laughter at midnight, then open gifts and go caroling in the morning. It was always such a joyful time filled with love and togetherness.

Here at Millvale House Levin, that same festive spirit is already in the air. Residents and staff will soon decorate the home and put up our Christmas trees, ready to welcome Father Christmas on Christmas Day for a special visit.

We invite family and friends to our Family Christmas Gathering on Tuesday the 9^th of December at 2:00 PM. It will be a wonderful afternoon of delicious food, music, laughter, and shared joy.

Our residents have been keeping busy and creative with arts and crafts, baking delicious peanut butter cookies, and joining in lively ball games. The Ukulele Group’s monthly performances always brighten our days, and our Canine Friends pet visits always bring plenty of smiles. Alan and Emily continue to delight everyone with their graceful dancing and sing-alongs. We are blessed to have Brian from the church visiting every Sunday, offering comfort, prayer, and companionship that means so much to our residents. In October, we held a volunteers afternoon tea to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the amazing volunteers who visit and support our home.

We were recently sad to farewell our Clinical Manager, Aimee. We thank her for her dedication and all that she contributed to our home during her time here.

We are thrilled to welcome Anns (Anna) Joshi as our new Clinical Manager. Anna was previously working as a Registered Nurse at Aberleigh, one of the other homes within our organisation. Anna has shone out with her energetic and proactive approach and we look forward to her leading our team.

We also welcome our new team members — Sherin, our Registered Nurse, and Jena, who joins us as a care staff member and activities coordinator.

Exciting things are happening around the home too. Renovations on the Aroha Nui wing began in August, and we’re all looking forward to the refreshed layout and improvements.

Education and growth remain a strong focus for our team. Recent training sessions included one on end-of-life care, which is such an important and meaningful part of what we do. We celebrated a successful food verification audit in October.

As the year draws to a close, we want to thank our residents, families, staff, and volunteers for making Millvale House Levin such a warm and happy place. May the coming season be filled with sunshine, love, and beautiful moments shared with those who mean the most.

Thank you for participating in our EPOA Survey

A big thank you to the families who participated in the EPOA Survey. We received some lovely feedback on the care we provide to our residents, and the way in which our team listens to and respects residents and their families. This feedback is very special to us.

Areas that we are looking to focus on are:-

• Our communication with families about the outcome of their loved one’s doctor’s visits
• Giving families enough information and time to make decisions, while acknowledging that some issues need to be dealt with more urgently.

We have received some feedback about maintenance. We are excited to be improving the environment at Millvale House Levin through the building work we are currently undertaking. After a delay in being able to start, we are pleased to be able to report that the builders are progressing very well. We will put a floor plan up in our entrance foyer for you to check out.

We value your time and appreciate your feedback on your loved one’s care within our home. We are always happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions; we are open to your feedback at any time.

The feedback from the surveys has now been collated and if you are interested in taking a look, you will find it posted to the bulletin board in our home.

As the year draws to a close it is a time to reflect on how we are going, what we have accomplished and look forward to the year ahead.

As I travel around the homes I love hearing from residents and their families about how things are going for them and how we can improve. Please do come and have a chat if you see me around our homes.

Often over the Christmas period we learn more about our residents and their families through meeting family that aren’t able to visit as often, and sharing fond memories about summer holidays.

These memories and stories can help our staff teams to develop a deeper understanding of a resident, their families and the things that bring them joy. Sharing the journey of our residents and their whānau through the often challenging path of aging is something our staff love doing.

This involves spending time with residents:

• Listening carefully
• Helping the person fill in the blanks
• Reading facial expressions and body language and try to respond appropriately
• Giving compliments
• Asking for opinions and open ended questions
• Enjoying the person in every way possible

These techniques assist our teams to put together the stories that make us all who we are. Please use these techniques while visiting if you would like to.

I wish you all a happy holiday season. I hope you all get to spend some time connecting with the people that matter most to you.

Ngā mihi

Andrew Sheard, Managing Director

My name is Arah Cartagena, and I’m really pleased to be rejoining the team here at Dementia Care NZ. Some of you may remember me from my previous time with the organisation. After spending time working in home and community care, I’m grateful to return and reconnect with the people and values that have always meant so much to me.

Throughout my career in nursing, I’ve had the privilege of supporting people in a variety of settings. These experiences have shaped my belief that meaningful care is about more than just meeting needs. It’s about understanding what matters most to each person, honouring their story, and supporting them to live each day with dignity, purpose, and connection.

I also recognise the vital role families play in the lives of their loved ones. Your insights and experiences are an important part of the care we provide, and I’m committed to ensuring that our approach reflects the trust you place in us.

I am passionate about leading our clinical team. I look forward to developing, energising and supporting our team members, and ensuring that our team embodies our vision and values through all that we do.

Outside of work, I have a strong interest in learning and self-development. I’m always curious and enjoy discovering new perspectives and ideas.

Ngā mihi nui,
Arah Cartagena

Gift ideas for a person who has dementia

It can sometimes be tricky to think of gift ideas for someone with dementia. Here are a few ideas from our team.

Comfort and sensory items:

• Favourite food
• Soft blanket/throw
• Weighted soft pet
• Tactile or fidget items to keep hands busy
• Fidget blanket

Personalised gifts:

• Mixtape/CD/MP3 of your loved one’s favourite music
• Home movies
• Photo album, photo book- filled with photos of people they love
• Framed or laminated photos of the person’s life
• Picture for their room of a beautiful place they might remember
• Memory book or memory box – filled with items from their past, photos and trinkets
• Personalised memory cushion, made from a familiar fabric, or embroidered with special people’s names on it.

Please avoid bringing original photographs and precious items.

Things to wear:

• Dressing gown
• Sunhat
• Socks
• Summer nightie or pyjamas
• A beautiful summer scarf
• A piece of costume jewellery
• Seasonal clothing

You could check your loved one’s drawers or ask a team member for clothing your loved one might need.

Other:

• Hand cream
• Colouring pencils
• Magazine subscription
• Simple board game
• Beautiful bunch of flowers
• Speaker or music player for their room

Christmas reminders from Dementia Care NZ

Season’s greetings

The following information will help the holiday season go as smoothly as possible.

 Outings

If you intend to take your loved one home for the day or afternoon over the Christmas period, or on Christmas Day, please discuss this with a Registered Nurse so that medication and comfort requirements can be arranged. Prior warning will allow us to have your loved one appropriately dressed and ready for you.

For safety reasons, outings of this nature first need to be discussed and approved by the EPOA.

 Naming clothes

Please remember that all new items need to be clearly marked with the owner’s first and last name before they arrive. This is especially important at Christmas time, when many lovingly chosen new items are given as gifts by family members. We discourage expensive woolen items, which are easily damaged in the wash. Please select easy care clothing wherever possible.

We hope that you are enjoying the warmer weather and that your Christmas preparations are going really well.

Meri Kirihimete / Merry Christmas

From all of us at Dementia Care NZ

Magic Moment 

As I arrived for my shift, the wind was blowing strongly outside, tugging at my jacket as I approached the door. One of the residents was standing there waiting for me. Before I could reach for the handle, she eagerly opened the door and said, “Come in! Come in!” with a big, welcoming smile. I thanked her, and she beamed proudly, as if she were greeting an old friend. We walked together toward the nurses’ station, sharing a quiet moment of warmth amidst the gusty afternoon.