Dear Residents, Families, and Friends

As the warmth of summer fades away, we welcome the crisper temperatures of autumn. In this edition of our newsletter, we will share staff and village residents’ updates, activities, and reminders.

Satisfaction Survey

We will be putting out a Residents’ Satisfaction Survey in early May and would appreciate it all residents could complete this. It would be appreciated if family/friends could assist if the resident is unable to complete it themselves.

Rose Garden Revamp

Planning is underway to revamp the Rose Garden area in time for summer, the area is located outside the resident’s lounge. Due to safety concerns the removal of the large silk tree at the far end will be happening very shortly.

STAFF UPDATES

We welcome Desi Marie Batrina and Neha Devi as Healthcare Assistants. Desi is from the Philippines and has proved herself invaluable in a short timeframe. Neha is a Senior Healthcare Assistant, originally from India but has been working in New Zealand since 2018.

We also welcome Darshana Joshi and Merina Duwal as full-time employees. They are both from Nepal and have been working at Fergusson on a part-time basis while completing their higher-level certificates in health and well-being.

Les Mutlow began as a temporary maintenance person in early March following the resignation of Ian Juggins in late February. Les has settled in well and is making great progress. He is going overseas for two months at the end of May, so we have employed Roy Peden to cover the role during that time. Roy has recently retired as a qualified builder and will be a great asset to the maintenance team during this time.

Anne Stapleton has resigned from her cleaning role, but will be focusing solely on tendering to our lovely gardens. Amanda Edwards has joined us as a cleaner to cover the hours Anne worked.

COVID PRECAUTIONS

Vigilant infection prevention and control strategies are crucial in the aged-care industry, where residents may be particularly vulnerable to viruses. We had a COVID outbreak in early March. Thankfully, this only impacted a small number of residents and was well contained, due to the strict infection prevention and control strategies implemented by the conscientious staff at Fergusson Home.

Moving forward, it's important for Fergusson Home to stay updated on guidelines and recommendations from health authorities; adapt the strategies as needed; and maintain open communication with residents, families, and staff to address any concerns and ensure everyone's safety and well-being. From time to time, we may need to reinstate mandatory mask wearing by staff and visitors. We appreciate your willingness to adhere by our protocols at the time.

ACTIVITIES

Did we have summer? It seems like we only had a few scorching days, and now we’re into Autumn with all the

beautiful colours of that season, and of course the end of daylight saving, which brings shorter days!
February saw the return of our weekly Church services. Monday morning is a Catholic Communion and then our Wednesday services, while provided by different denominations, are inclusive of all religions.

On the 24th April we had an ANZAC Church service to remember our lost veterans. Our resident Lawrence Beaufill attended and marched in Rotorua’s Dawn Parade.
Activities to celebrate Waitangi Day and Valentines Day were well received, but unfortunately St. Patrick’s Day was during our

lockdown, so those wacky green outfits will have to be put away until next year. Easter activities and craft have been well attended and the hot cross buns and Easter eggs were consumed in record time.

We continue to have entertainment most Friday’s as well as the last Monday of each month. We also have sing-along and music request activities during the month, which most of our residents thoroughly enjoy.

We have a good number of residents who determinedly do their exercises each morning (and a few that begrudgingly attend once I door knock and bribe them with morning tea afterwards).

While the activities in the lounge are very visible to all, there are also residents that for a multitude of reasons do not attend group activities. These residents are visited in their rooms and given alternative activities to do.

Birthdays

We have had several birthday celebrations, including those of our centenarians. The residents and staff enjoy celebrating and making their birthdays special. Our cooks, Sandy and Rowena, make them all a birthday cake for sharing.

If you have any suggestions for group or individual activities, please let me know. Our next residents’ meeting is on 21 May, and this provides another opportunity to share your ideas.

Keep being awesome - Nicky B.

VILLAGE RESIDENTS

The unit holders have recently enjoyed morning teas at the Junction Café and Aroma Cafes. Planning is underway for the May venue and Amber is investigating their suitability.

The Village Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 24 April. This was the first AGM since the change in owners due to COVID restrictions, it was chaired by the Statutory Manager and well attended by the unit holders.

REMINDERS

Don’t forget to update your emergency contact information with our front desk.

CONTACT INFO

Should you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact our administration office: reception@fergussonhome.co.nz or myself: Lou@fergussonhome.co.nz and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

Thank you for being a part of the Fergusson Home community.

Regards Lou

Autumn Newsletter 2024