Meet our volunteers

At Ron Smith Care Centre, we have the privilege to work with a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers who makes our care centre an even greater place...  It really is special to see them at work and to experience the love they put into everything they do with the residents.

We want to introduce our volunteers to you and also use this opportunity to thank our volunteers for their hard work through 2012 and for sticking with us for another year :)  We appreciate you guys so much!

First off we have all the volunteers who help in our Alzheimer's and Dementia Ward - Riverlodge 3.  They do stimulation groups with the residents ranging from arts and crafts and sensory stimulation to music and movement.

The Monday group.  Front, from left to right: Celina De Hmeida,  Rolf  Neuhaus.  Back:  Lorna Turner, Judy Lurie (art therapist), Loraine Ajax, Evelyn Neuhaus and Joseph Capell. 

The Tuesday group. Front: Salina Mtshali (OT technician). Back, from left to right: Anne Joannides, Lindy Gundersen, Cathy Potgieter and Liz Botsis.

The Thursday group.  From left to right:  Susan McWilliam, Wendy Gold, Jen Cruickshank and Sharon Morrison.

The Thursday group with Moira Dowds who also helps out regularly

The Friday group.  From left to right:  Hannie Roux, Salina Mtshali, Liz Botsis and Veronique Wilson.


Some photos of the happenings in Riverlodge 3 with these volunteers:

Jen Cruickshank sharing a joke with Freda Parrott.

The Tuesday group using ribbon for music and movement (see more photos of this lovely activity here).

Hannie dancing with Anna Lospoto.

Jo Jones working hard on the craft activities brought by the volunteers.

A party outside with the volunteers.


Then we also have other volunteers helping out in the craft and recreation room as well as in the wards.  Activities range from exercise, taking residents for walks, reading groups and personal visits etc.

Betty Dell (left) is our exercise instructor.  She is a retired physio and the residents love coming to her groups for their weekly stretches.  With her is Betty Haughton, a friend and a regular attendee of the exercise group.

Betty in action on a Tuesday morning.

Dorothea Bekker (middle) also volunteers on Tuesdays.  She helps Dinah the OT technician with providing the residents with activities and she loves to take residents for walks in our beautiful grounds.  Here are her two favourite residents -  from left to right: Marjorie Gittings and Tony King.

Dorothea and Tony taking a walk next to the pond.

Tuesday afternoons are Bingo Time in OT.  George McTaggart helps us out by being the caller.

While George is busy with Bingo, his wife Shirley goes to Woodlands for a game of Scrabble with Alan Clark.

On Wednesday mornings it is arts and crafts in OT and we have Grace Lissoni helping Judy to come up with wonderful new ideas for this group.

Wednesday afternoons Lorna van Heerden (middle) does a reading/discussion group in OT.  She reads wonderful stories and also brings quizzes and puzzles to keep the residents interested. John Lee (left) and Cecily Ryder (right) always enjoy her company.

Wendy Raichman used to visit Penny Diamond for individual time up until last week.  We are very sad to have lost Penny on Monday night.  Even though she was 94 years old, she still brought joy to people's lives everyday.  We will miss her dearly. Wendy says that she enjoyed her time with Penny so much and feels blessed to have had the privilege to know her.

Denise McGee (right) helps out on Thursday mornings.  She is so cheerful and lifts everyone's spirits in OT.  She is also great to have around to give a bit of assistance to the knitting ladies.  With her in the photo is Dinah Mnguni (OT technician).

Barbara Wapnick helps us by knitting beautiful toys that can be sold for OT funds. Her toys can be bought in OT or from reception at Elphin Lodge.  Dinah helps her with the finishing off touches.

John Cruickshank comes in once a month on a Thursday to do Armchair Travel.  This is a favourite with the residents as they get to go all over the world without moving from their chairs :)

Debbie Swanepoel comes to do Music Therapy once a month on a Monday.  The residents respond so well to these groups, doing the movements and following the beat.  It just shows once again the wonderful effect that music has on each and every person.

Margie Howitt (left) and Judy Dost (right) are two friends who have decided to do volunteer work together. They have been seeing two residents each for personal visits and love to take them for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake at Elphino's.

Maureen Vermeulen (ex-matron Elphin Lodge) also volunteers on a regular basis. Although though her health doesn't allow her to participate in the groups, she helps us by making a lot of our sensory stimulation materials as well as stitching together toys made in OT.

Edna van Rensburg (right) comes to OT every day to knit toys to be sold for OT funds.  Maureen Vermeulen helps to stitch a lot of these toys together.  Here they are posing with some of their toys.

Viv Michler comes to do Bible Study session every second Friday afternoon.  The residents love these sessions and start asking about her a week before she is due.


Thank you so much to each and every volunteer who has made such a difference in our residents' lives in 2012 and will continue to do so in 2013!

It's logical...

Therapist:  "Wow, what a beautiful picture, but why is the lady so purple?"

Resident, looking at me, rather annoyed by my stupid question:

 "It was a very cold day."

*Colouring done by a man who used to be an artist, but who sometimes forgets that now...

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 :)