Special Christmas Lunch

Almost the end of a wonderful year, we had our care centre Christmas Lunch on Wednesday, the 19th of December.  The food was lovely, the atmosphere was festive and the smiles were big.

Here are some photos from the event taken by Peter Barker.  

A view of how festive the dining room looked 

Riverlodge 1 residents enjoying their starters

Lakeside residents having fun.  Joy Mowat was Mother Christmas  waiting for Father Christmas to arrive!  He duly arrived with a fanfare of Jingle Bells and handed out a small gift to everybody.  

Shirley Pope and Marjorie Gittings looking around to see who else have finished their plates. 

Emily Barthelme-Schumann with her Christmas cracker 

The staff and committee members also enjoyed themselves.  Thirza Aitchison entertained us on the piano with some beautiful Christmas Carols.  Her son Girshom helped to entertain by singing really beautifully.  

It was a fun afternoon and worth all the hard work :)

2012 was a good year, filled with new adventures and changes and we expect 2013 to be even better.
Have a blessed Christmas.  See you again in the New Year!!

Riverlodge 3 happenings

Here are some updates of what has been happening in Rivlerlodge 3 - our specialized ward for residents living with Alzheimers and Dementia.  Thanks to our wonderful volunteers and helpful staff we never have any dull moments...

The Tuesday volunteers came up with a lovely new idea...  They are using long pieces of ribbon attached to pieces of wood to create a colourful effect on the rhythm of the music.  Not only are these ribbons beautiful to look at, but it is really enjoyed by all the residents as it creates a connection between them and the person holding the ribbon.  We have really seen wonderful results with these ribbons...Thanks so much to Liz Botsis who made them for us! Here are some photos to show all the fun they bring...

As you can see the volunteers are also getting a lot of enjoyment and exercise from this activity :)

The Thursday volunteers are doing a lot more arts and crafts with the residents.  Here Mrs Jo Jones is busy making beautiful bookmarks.  

Shirley Chambers showing off her bookmark.

Erica Behla concentrating hard 

They also had a picnic outside recently...(with party hats and all)

The staff entertained them with singing and dancing

Here Marie Diesel is showing Pieter Malan (who was just visiting us for a few days) how to boogie

The Monday volunteers brought each one of the residents a beautiful flower a few weeks ago.  This gesture really brightened the residents' day...

Thanks so much to all the wonderful staff and volunteers who make these things possible...

The stork visited us...

As you know from previous blogs, we have 4 ducks to care for.  See the previous post over here.  Well, Martha laid eggs and three weeks ago we were blessed with 9  little ducklings.  These beautiful babies have been the topic of discussion and people have been coming daily from the village and the Care Centre to watch them eating , drinking and swimming in their maternity pen near the dam. The photos were all taken on the day of their arrival when staff had to make a makeshift pen as a temporary measure and a more lasting hok was built in great haste.

Here are a few photos of our babies.

Martha and her babies 

The residents love looking at the duckings 

Anna Marks counting the ducklings, which is the first reaction of most people when they see them

Some people had to get a closer look, but Martha chased them right out again :)

Please take your loved ones to go see the little ducklings in their pen at the swimming pool enclosure near the dam...

Christmas is all around us...

We have been very busy with many Christmas activities since the beginning of December.

Firstly, we had the Christmas Tree Competition on all the wards.  The staff and the residents worked together to decorate their trees.  This was a pleasant change to our normal activities and everybody waited in anticipation to hear who is going to be the winners.  In the end, Lakeside took first prize, with Riverlodge 3 in second place. Thanks to all the staff and residents for their efforts which resulted in lovingly decorated Christmas trees in all the lounges.

Joy Mowatt and caregiver Ntombi Maphisa working together on their Christmas tree that won 1st prize.

Maude Davidson, a Cedar Park resident made Christmas tags to go with the gift that each resident receives on Christmas Day.  This year the gifts are going to be extra special because of her hard work. 

Thank you Maude :)

We have been doing Christmas quizzes, word searches and fun facts, we have made Christmas cards for family members, a home made Advent Calender is helping us to count down the days.  We sing carols every day.  

Important dates to remember:

Carols at RSCC:    13 December at 17h30 (we meet in front of the chapel)

Christmas Lunch:    19 December at 12h00 in the Elphin Main Dining Room

It is lovely to see all the family members and friends who visit over this festive season and the joy it brings to the resident's hearts...

Carols at St Mary's

St Mary's School for girls in Waverley, invited us to attend their annual Christmas Concert on the 15th of November.  We had a fun-filled morning with these special girls...

The fun  started when we had to drive on a golf cart to the hall.  Sarah Lombard, Penny Diamond and Dinah holding on tight.  

Margaret Ramsay is an "old girl" of St Mary's and always enjoys the carols.  Madge Ronald and Sister Thirza from Elphin Lodge peeking out from behind the Christmas Tree.  

The tables were beautifully decorated and each guest received a little present and lots and lots of treats. Here is Sara Lombard, Eva Reubenson, her sister Shirley Abrams and volunteer Edna van Rensburg.  

Tarentaal residents enjoying the tea provided while the children sang their heart out.

The choir sang beautifully.

The school orchestra provided a virtuoso performance.

Penny Diamond was the hit of the party with children gathering to chat to her and not wanting to leave her side.  The teachers had to coax them away eventually.  She obviously has that special something children look for in their grannies.  

Christmas is around the corner :)  

Lunch outside

Last week, the sun was shining so brightly that the residents of Lakeside had their lunch outside.This was a pleasant change from their normal lunch time in the dining room and they all enjoyed it a lot.

Outdoor dining might become a regular event, according to Sister Tando...

 Sarah Lombaardt, Penny Diamond and Joy Movat enjoying the special lunch.

Minnie Rosenberg, Frieda Le Seuer and Mary Phillip.

Joy's garden is getting more beautiful every day.

What a wonderful idea :) 

This and That

Just a few photos of the happenings here at Ron Smith Care Centre:

Penny Diamond tackling a 500-piece puzzle in Lakeside.

Sarah Lombaardt loves her puzzle time and is determined to finish each puzzle she starts.

Freda le Sueur with volunteer Hannie Roux building their puzzle together. 

Joy Movat has been working hard to make her own garden in front of her room.  

I think she did a beautiful job.

Sister Tando, showing she still loves her job.

Lorna Smith making a beautiful tissue box in OT.

The Knitting Ladies at work.

John Lee focusing on his woodwork.

Volunteer Grace Lissoni spending time with Selwyn Katz. 

June Lane rediscovering her passion for typing after an old typing machine was donated to us.

Please let me know if you would like to see a photo or a story of your family member on the blog by emailing me at cvanzyl@randaid.co.za

Outing to Elphino's

On Friday, the 19th of October, we visited our new in-house coffee shop for an outing. We normally ferry residents in a minibus to nearby places when outings are arranged but as nice as that is, it limits the amount of people we can take and you can only go to places that are accessible with regard to all the walkers and wheelchairs.

Elphino's made it possible for us to have over 20 people join in on the fun and it's very accessible and accommodates all our needs. The residents had a ball of a time - ordering coffee and cake or toasted sandwiches and you could hear chatting and laughing as you walked by.

We really are so happy about our new coffee shop and will have regular outings there in the future...

The food was yummy :)

The conversation was flowing :) 

Maggie Vickers deciding what to eat. The waiters were very friendly and helpful.

June Lane and Cecily Ryder showing how much they enjoyed the outing

Thank you to all the Elphino's staff for making our outing special and enjoyable.