We’re excited to share the latest happenings and heartwarming stories from our home. Over the warmer months, we had plenty of activities to keep our residents engaged, entertained and connected.

Our Christmas gathering was a heartwarming success! Our residents and staff came together to enjoy delicious kai, lively conversations and festive music.

The residents have enjoyed many different activities; from outdoors to creative workshops, there’s something for everyone! Some residents really enjoyed planting both vegetables and flowers. We also had van outings to Kimberley Reserve and Foxton Beach where the residents enjoyed sightseeing outside the Levin area. Playing bingo has been a hit for our residents, and we welcome families who are visiting to join in the fun too! Arts and crafts and flower arranging have brought out the creative side of our residents. We have arranged pet therapy visits from Canine Friends as this has been a highly requested activity and proven to brighten our resident’s day.

We have had some maintenance done in our home during the summer, our hallways have been repainted, hedges have been trimmed. 

We are still awaiting a start on the repair work from the fire last year and we share your frustration that we are not underway on this yet. Adam our Construction Project Manager will talk about this further in this newsletter.

We welcome an addition to our Registered Nurse team; Jasnoor Kaur. Jasnoor joined us in December and is passionate and eager to contribute to our mission of providing compassionate care to our residents. Congratulations to our Registered Nurse Mary for completing her Health and Safety course.

Our activities team have been working hard connecting with the community and looking for new activities our residents will enjoy. We are excited to let you know that we have booked new and varied performances for the rest of year. We recently had a sound healing session where we saw great interaction and relaxation from our residents. Volunteers from a local ukulele group visit every month and we are always thankful for the love and care they provide to our residents through their music.

It was a busy start to the year with many things on the go around our rest homes.

While we didn’t have the best summer weather wise, our residents still enjoyed the summer months with Christmas festivities, barbeques outside and van trips out to the beach among other destinations. It always makes everyone feel a bit brighter when we can open the doors and enjoy our outdoor areas a little more.

We have been getting underway with projects to improve our clinical care and building projects to improve the environment at our homes. You will read more about these projects through the newsletter.

I wish you and your whānau a great year ahead!

Andrew Sheard, Managing Director

Building Projects

My name is Adam Crow. I am Dementia Care NZ’s Construction Project Manager. My role is to plan and organise our construction projects. I work with architects and engineers to agree on designs, and organise tradespeople and materials. I monitor each project through to completion and gaining compliance. The wellbeing, comfort and safety of our residents and team members is a priority throughout this process.

Dementia Care NZ is currently undertaking large refurbishments of several homes. We are looking forward to bright, fresh homes which are warm and comfortable for our residents.

At Millvale House Levin, we have been involved in a complex process working with our insurers. When we sent our last newsletter we thought we would be underway with building work very soon, and unfortunately further documentation has been needed for the insurance company.

We do expect to start work soon and once we do we are working with the aim of creating lovely new spaces for our residents. We are looking forward to building kitchenettes into our redesigned lounge spaces. Residents will be able to have use of these spaces and may be involved in everyday homely activities if they wish, like washing dishes or wiping down the bench. These kitchenettes really become the hub of our homes. We are planning to get underway with this shortly.

Adam Crow, Construction Project Manager

Projects to help our residents feel comfortable and cared for

At all of our homes, we are always striving to improve the care and well-being of our residents. One of the ways we do this is through our clinical projects - important initiatives that help us provide the best possible care. These projects focus on a range of areas, from improving comfort and managing health conditions to enhancing the overall quality of life for our residents. Two areas we have been focusing on recently are tissue viability and pain management - both of which are important in helping our residents lead more comfortable and healthier lives.

Tissue Viability

Tissue viability simply refers to the health of the skin and underlying tissues. As we age, our skin becomes more fragile, making it more prone to wounds, ulcers, and pressure sores. These can be painful and difficult to heal. Our team is dedicated to preventing and managing these issues by using the latest treatments and strategies to keep the skin and tissues in the best condition possible. This helps to avoid complications and promotes quicker, healthier healing when issues arise.

Pain Management

Pain can be a common challenge for older adults especially in people with dementia, whether from chronic conditions, injuries, or daily discomfort. Managing pain effectively is a key part of our approach to care. We know how important it is for our residents to feel comfortable, so we’re working hard to provide personalised pain management plans. This includes everything from medication to physical therapy and alternative non-pharmacological treatments to ensure our residents are as pain-free as possible.

Ongoing Projects and Care Plans

Our clinical team is working together to create comprehensive care guides that focus on both tissue viability and pain management. We’ve been developing new strategies for:

• Early detection of tissue damage to prevent further complications.
• Pain management plans that are personalised to each patient’s needs, aiming for minimal discomfort during treatment.
• Education for staff on the evidenced based techniques in wound care and pain relief, ensuring that everyone involved in resident care is equipped with the best resources.
• Innovative dressings and treatments for wounds to promote faster healing.

At the end of the day, our goal is simple: we want every resident to feel comfortable, cared for, and valued. By improving tissue health and managing pain, we are helping our residents live more fulfilling lives. We are committed to making their time here as comfortable and joyful as possible.

Urmee Dean, National Clinical and Quality Lead

Enhancing our food service

We are doing some work to enhance our approach to mealtimes with our residents. Mealtimes are such an important part of every day life from appreciating the smell of fresh food wafting through our home as it is cooked, to offering an opportunity to socialise, and of course enjoying a favourite meal.

As part of the food project that we have been working on, we have surveyed residents and family members who visit at mealtimes to see what their experiences are. As you would expect, feedback has been varied.

One of our goals is to make mealtimes a more sociable experience. We are working to come up with some ideas on how we can improve the atmosphere at the dining tables.

We are also looking at extending the time that breakfast will be available to allow residents to wake in their own time and eat at their leisure. Everyone has a different circadian rhythm, so we want to make sure our meals fit with early birds and night owls alike!

If you have any thoughts about our meal service, please get in touch with the Operations Manager at your home.

Chris Booth, Quality and Systems Manager

Televisions in our homes

At most of our homes for people with dementia, we do not have a TV in the communal lounge. There are good reasons for this. Some people with dementia experience problems with a TV in the communal lounge.

Some struggle to differentiate between what is real and what is not. This can sometimes trigger distress or behaviour of concern if programmes depicting violence or destruction are shown.

People with dementia often cannot cope with a number of stimuli at one time. For this reason, we encourage focused social interaction and participation in familiar homely activities. It is important for people with dementia to have times of quiet. Like many of us, they need peaceful times of reflection each day. Every person is so different. Past experience has shown us that in a home for people with dementia invariably there is someone who wants the TV on all the time and repetitively turns the TV on each time he or she passes it.

We have regular movie afternoons for our residents, arranged by our diversional therapists. Families are also welcome to install a TV in their loved one’s bedroom if they feel they would enjoy having access to a television set.

Pillars – Supporting positive futures for whānau of people serving a sentence

Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou is a charity that actively supports the tamariki and whānau of people in prison or those serving a community-based sentence.

Every year we donate to Pillars and ask the businesses we work with if they are able to contribute.

These contributions make such a difference to the families of people in prison. Children of people in prison are 10 times more likely to go to prison without intervention. The Pillars programme helps to reverse this trend.

Pillars social workers provide advocacy, education, resources, and support. Some examples include housing, work and income and linking whānau into other supports such as counselling and rehabilitative programmes.

Once a family has received social work support, Mentoring Coordinators match the tamariki with a trusted adult from a community of volunteers. These volunteers are trained and supported by Mentoring Coordinators and are well prepared to provide the tamariki with experiences and opportunities outside of their horizons. 

Pillars is also looking for mentors in Auckland and Christchurch. This is a hugely rewarding way to contribute to a young persons life and give back to the community.

If you would like further information on the Pillars programme, please visit their website.

Jim Haines, Director DCNZ

The importance of feeling part of a bigger team

With all of our staff located in different parts of the country, we are always trying to make them feel part of a larger team. To this end we arrange training days for specific staff either virtually or in person. 

In March all of our Clinical Managers came to Christchurch to meet for our development days. This was an opportunity to get to know each other a little better, to share experiences and update their knowledge and skills in specific clinical areas. We had sessions from invited external speakers, and also the Clinical Managers themselves. This group are the leaders in each of our facilities and the knowledge and experiences they both bring and take away from these development days are extremely valuable. 

Another group of staff that we bring together, albeit virtually, are the Diversional Therapists and activities staff from each facility. Every month we hold a meeting for these staff, which is a time to share what activities have occurred at each facility and discuss their plans for the coming month. It is a great forum for sharing ideas, particularly activities that have worked well. Throughout the year we have special occasions; resident birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Anzac Day, Waitangi Day for example. At our meetings, we are able to share and plan for these occasions. 

Simon Hamley, National Mental Health Nurse/ Training Coordinator

Magic moments from our homes

We had musicians playing in our home. One of our residents who usually stays in his room, was invited to come out and listen to the Irish music. This was a rare moment for him, and he eagerly stepped into the vibrant atmosphere. His smile said it all - he was truly enjoying the music and the energy brought by the entertainers. With heartfelt gratitude, he turned to us and said, "Thank you so much. I’m so happy you arranged this. It’s such a lovely experience." His words reflected the joy of the moment, and we were delighted to see him so engaged and uplifted by the sounds of Ireland.

As my shift was coming to an end, I was sitting near one of our residents, completing my progress notes. Suddenly, I noticed him staring at me intently. Concerned, I asked him if he was alright. With a thoughtful look, he replied, “I think you’re in trouble.” I was surprised and responded, “I’m not in trouble, why do you think that?” He gave me a small, knowing smile and said, “You looked worried, and you didn’t give me your usual smile. I thought you had got yourself into trouble.” He giggled softly. It was such a simple yet touching moment, reminding me how in tune our residents are with us. A small smile can go a long way, and the connection we share, even in those quiet moments, makes all the difference.