Mid-Winter Family Gathering

Tanika and Kauri homes: Wednesday the 23rd of July at 2pm in Kauri home

Nikau and Toetoe homes: Friday the 25th of July at 2pm in Nikau home

We would love you to join us!

Winter is here!  We gather and be grateful.

As the cold weather arrived, we changed to our new winter menu. Our residents enjoyed the change and are keeping warm with the hearty meals provided.

We continue to feel fortunate that we have volunteers from our community who visit and share their beautiful music with our residents. Our residents gather and enjoy listening and singing along to the familiar songs. The residents are able to participate in some musical sessions as they strike the drums and shake the tambourine to the beat. We also have regular church services, run by volunteers. We are so grateful for the time they give to our residents.

Garden strolls and work in the garden are still popular with our residents, when the weather allows. We continue to enjoy our Vegepod and the raised garden bed. The tomatoes that we harvested were delicious. Some of our residents choose to participate in day-to-day tasks alongside our team members, such as sweeping fallen leaves. We are also enjoying a range of cosy indoor activities. Recently, these have included baking, board games, crafts and reading together. We have been exercising through this chillier season with hand and arm exercises, and our music sessions are sometimes a more active time as well. Sometimes we find that residents prefer having one on one time, rather than getting involved in group activities. Sometimes a team member will enjoy time with a resident and follow their mood and preferences. Together they might read the newspaper, sit and chat, sing or do colouring.

We loved celebrating our dear residents on Mothers’ Day. Their smiles really brightened the home. The day included visits from family, plus a special pet or two. We enjoyed a special afternoon tea together and our Activities Coordinators gave out Mother’s Day cards. It was a lovely day.

We were very pleased to welcome Rowella as our Clinical Manager in April. She says, “It was so lovely to receive a warm welcome from families, residents and staff alike”. We are also delighted to have Hyacinth continue as our Acting Operations Manager. It is wonderful to have them both leading our team.

It was recently International Nurses Day. The dedication, expertise and kindness of our nurses makes a significant impact on our residents and their whānau.

We hope families will continue to support us as we gather for our winter family gathering on July 23^rd for Tanika and Kauri and July 25^th for Nikau and Toetoe. We are looking forward to spending time with everyone.

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 underway.

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

Early Friday morning, I was greeted with a lovely smile from a resident who was excited to share that Mother’s Day was coming up in the weekend, and her son will be coming to visit her. I asked the resident if he usually gave her something on Mother’s Day. She replied, “Oh yes, always a bunch of flowers and a Mother’s Day card!”