Pioneer House Pearls
AUGUST 2010
An update on our Secret Garden, the beautiful project undertaken by Thiess Wilpinjong, and officially opened in October last year – we were delighted to learn that Thiess Wilpinjong were nominated for the NSW Minerals Council Environment and Community Excellence Awards, which recognises innovation and commitment to leading practice environmental management and community engagement in the NSW minerals industry.
And we were even more delighted when we were notified that Thiess were finalists! As part of their presentation at the 2010 Environment and Community Conference they will show a short film of the Secret Garden. This resulted in a fun morning for residents, who spent the morning in the garden with the film crew, on the only fine day for a long time. Morning tea was served and the residents were interviewed by the crew. Movie stars in the making! We were fascinated to learn that a whole day of filming would yield a presentation which went for only a few minutes. The film crew were lovely and very accommodating.
We wish Thiess Wilpinjong the very best of luck and look forward to hearing the outcome. We are also looking forward to seeing ourselves on the screen – well, some of us are!
Most parts of our Secret Garden our flourishing and we are looking forward to spring, when the leaves and blossom appear on our deciduous trees, and the grass loses its ‘winter brown colour. Some sunny days will herald renewed activity in our garden.
We encourage families to make use of the garden when visiting their relative at Pioneer House and make use of the barbecue facilities.
The mining industry has been very supportive of Pioneer House, and again this year we will be joint beneficiaries of the Black Nugget Race Day sponsored by Peabody, on the 5th September. We encourage everyone to support this day, and in turn support Pioneer House in providing a high quality service to the older members of the Mudgee Community.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
JULY 2010
Pioneer House is a ‘Not-For-Profit’ organisation providing care and services for the aged citizens of Mudgee. All our income directly benefits the residents of Pioneer House.
Our income is determined by the Department of Health and Ageing and there is limited flexibility or opportunities to increase our income, or diversify.
We are incredibly fortunate to live in such a wonderfully generous community, as fund raising plays a large role in our ability to increase our income and improve the lives of our residents.
In the next twelve months we have two big fundraising events, that follow on from our huge success last year with our Fete, run wholly and solely by our wonderful and committed staff, who worked tirelessly to raise over $13,000.
The first big event is our DINNER DANCE. This is another staff initiative and will be held on
SATURDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2010, AT the AREC site. Tickets are $95 each and include a three course meal, a live band and an auction, as well as raffles and door prizes. This will be a fun packed night and we urge you to invite friends to make up a table of 8 or 10.
Tickets are available at Pioneer House or phone 6378 1144.
Our second big event will be a combined event, which we are sharing with Kanandah. This event is called ‘REGION ON THE RIVER – 100 Mile Picnic” to be held on SATURDAY 26TH MARCH 2011 at Lawson Park.
There will be a huge array of food and drink stalls, lots of other stalls and loads of entertainment in the lovely surroundings of Lawson Park. We will be attracting food and wine producers from throughout the region, including Bathurst and Orange. This is a family day and there will be something there for everyone.
We urge you to put these dates in your diary and support the aged residents of Mudgee.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing.
JUNE 2010
Volunteers form a vital role at Pioneer House, and I take this opportunity to recognize the amazing work that they do for our residents.
Without their assistance we would not be able to provide some of the services that are available to the residents.
Firstly, our incredible auxiliary ladies or PALs ladies, as we call them. They have turned fundraising into an art form and seem to be able to create an opportunity for raising money, at every turn. They have been responsible for Pioneer House being able to purchase equipment and other items to improve our residents’ lives – items such as wheelchairs, lifters, pressure relieving cushions, furniture, games for activities, to name just a few. Our PALs ladies meet on the first Monday of every month at Pioneer House, and newcomers are welcome to join this wonderful group. Following the meeting, there is always a delicious afternoon tea, too!
We also, of course have our volunteer Board members who, with their individual skills make an extremely effective Board. They ensure that Pioneer House remains viable and provides a high standard of service to the Mudgee community. This is a huge responsibility and they are committed and dedicated to provision of services now and into the future.
We also have a significant group of volunteers who assist with day to day activities with residents. They run Bingo, help with craft and knitting groups, play cards, assist our staff on our many outings, help with cooking and gardening, and Happy Hour, to name just a few. Many of these people come several times a week and allow our staff to provide additional activities for residents, because of their help. They are a vital cog in our business.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer we would love to hear from you. We provide you with orientation and support for you to become a valued member of Pioneer House. You will need to have a criminal record check, which is paid for by Pioneer House, and have an interest in adding to the lives of our residents in a positive and happy way.
For further information contact Regina Larkin on 6378 1144
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
May 2010
We were thrilled to nominate two of our staff, Leonie Pilley and Margaret Kidd for Aged and Community Services NSW &ACT Employee Awards for Excellence. Both of these staff members have worked tirelessly for Pioneer House, often in their own time, and each has contributed substantially to improvements in practice.
We were even more thrilled when we were notified that Leonie had been chosen as a finalist, and proceeded to win third place at the Awards Ceremony in Sydney. This achievement makes Leonie eligible for the National Final of the Employee Awards for Excellence, later in the year. Go Leonie!
It is a great recognition of achievement for both staff members, which we believe is so important to motivate and encourage staff to aim for the sky. Residents have also expressed their pleasure at Leonie’s win, she is a special favourite of theirs, in C wing, our low care general area.
Winning our category in the Clock Awards for the third year in a row is another fabulous recognition of the work of our staff and the Board of Pioneer House. It is also encouraging for the community who support us so tirelessly, to know that their support contributes to our ability to achieve these goals. And the residents know that they are living in the best Aged Care Facility in Mudgee.
Chloe, our little dog, is back visiting Pioneer House, after an extended break. It is such a delight to watch her interact with everyone and she brings us all a lot of pleasure. Her Mum, Rhonda ensures she obeys the rules very well, whilst she is here and is very gentle and affectionate.
Our walking groups are rugging up against the cold, these days. There were woolly hats and gloves this morning for all those brave enough to venture out. It is great exercise for our residents and we now have a concrete path all around the block, making it a much safer option.
We currently have respite available so if you are interested please contact us to book or just enquire. Phone 63781144 and ask to speak to Sandy Duffy or Diana Newman.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
April 2010
Once again the Mudgee community has shown what wonderful support they can provide to Pioneer House. $3820 was raised on Friday night at a Winter Olympics event hosted by Ro and Grosvenor Francis at High Valley Wine and Cheese.
Pioneer House Patron, Ken Sutcliffe suggested to Ro and Grosvenor that the event they had planned be used as a vehicle for raising funds for Pioneer House, and they enthusiastically took up the challenge.
The result was a wonderful evening of fun and beautiful food and wine, for all the guests, followed by an auction of donated goods, ably run by Hugh Bateman, whose auctioneering skills ensured that the maximum dollars were raised.
As with all monies raised, these funds will directly benefit the residents and improve their quality of life.
Anzac Day is approaching, and this is a very important day for many of our residents. Some of our residents will attend services outside Pioneer House, and participate or watch the Anzac Day March. Others will have the opportunity to attend a service at Pioneer House. It is a day of quiet reflection for many of our returned servicemen. At the request of residents, we recently erected a flagpole, and two of our Veterans are in charge of raising and lowering the flag each day, as a mark of silent respect and pride.
This is the time of year for Flu Vaccinations, and all residents who wished, have had one of these injections that reduce the risk of illness for our residents and those for whom they come in contact. We also provide free injections for our staff, to keep them well over the flu season. We urge people who are ill to stay away from Pioneer House. What is a minor illness to a healthy person, can cause severe illness in the elderly and also spread amongst staff, creating staffing issues and a domino effect that becomes difficult to manage.
So when you visit Pioneer House, make sure you are well. Use the alcohol hand rub when you enter and when you leave. Wash your hands at the handwashing stations if you move between residents. It is simple things like this that protect us all.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
March 2010
We are very proud of our residents. We have been notified that four of them will receive awards for their craft work during Seniors’ Week. Our craft activities’ sessions are well attended and our Diversional Therapist, Regina Larkin and her band of volunteers give lots of encouragement to residents to achieve. One of the successful residents said that she couldn’t have done it without Regina pushing her along, and she is so grateful that she did.
It is lovely to see the pride shown at these achievements, and the abovementioned resident said with great feeling that it was an excellent way of showing the community how active and involved people are, at Pioneer House.
This week is a busy week for our residents, with outings to Mudgee Nursing Home, Mudgee Museum, Club Mudgee and Kanandah, for Seniors’ Week celebrations. We are also hosting an event on Thursday, a trivia competition with teams from each Mudgee Aged Care Facility. The competition is always fierce, but good natured and topped off with a yummy afternoon tea.
Seniors’ Week is a wonderful way to celebrate the contributions of our older citizens. We see evidence of their amazing work everywhere in our community, and it gives us a chance to celebrate their efforts. At Pioneer House, we encourage and facilitate the ongoing contribution by our residents, in whatever way they are able. We provide a varied program which allows each individual to realize their potential, from the simplest to the complex. Activities which allow for successful outcomes improve self-esteem and mood and we encourage everyone to participate, if they wish.
Sometimes activities are accompanied by ‘shenanigans and hi-jinks’ which make these sessions loud and laughter-filled, another great way to improve well-being, as we all know.
So congratulations to all our residents and thank you.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
February 2010
RESPITE FOR CARERS
Pioneer House offers respite to carers and their elderly family members, to enable people to have a break from their caring role. Respite allows carers to have some “me” time. Some people go away on holidays, safe in the knowledge that their family member is being well cared for, others make use of the time by catching up on things around the house. There may be a special family event, such as a wedding that takes the carer away from the normal caring role for a short period. Some carers need to attend to their own health care needs, such as surgery or other treatment. Or maybe they just want some time out!
All of these, and many more, are excellent reasons to have some respite from the caring role. An Aged Care Assessment by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) will determine if your elderly relative is eligible for respite care. ACAT accept referrals from any member of the community and can be reached on 6841 8529. An ACAT member will come to the home to undertake the assessment.
Once assessed as eligible the client is allocated 63 days (9weeks!) per financial year of funded respite. This means that the government subsidises the respite care, with the client paying the basic daily fee only.
For carers we recommend that you book a fortnight every three months, which leaves a week for emergencies if needed. It is a great way to have a break, for both the client and the carer. It allows you to plan your break ahead, and recharge your “caring batteries”.
We can talk to you about respite. We provide both high and low care respite because we believe that supporting the carer means that the caring experience is less stressful and more productive.
Call in and see us, for a chat about respite care for your elderly relative. We can assist you with the ACAT assessment, booking regular respite and anything else related to respite that you might like to know.
Call 6378 1144 today for your appointment with Diana or Sandy to discuss respite and tour the facility.
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
January 2010
Many people have brought us much joy during the month of December, providing wonderful opportunities to enjoy the celebration of Christmas. Our residents have participated in a Christmas Party at Pioneer House, Christmas shopping at Big W (out of hours to avoid the rush), a trip to see the Christmas lights in Mudgee. We had several visits from community groups, including our schools and Rotary who sang Christmas Carols and many other events.
This takes a lot of effort from a lot of people and I take this opportunity to thank you all on behalf of the residents of Pioneer House.
Our thanks this month go to the Mudgee Trades Day for providing Pioneer House and Kanandah with the finances to purchase a Nintendo Wii Fit for our Residents. Two committee men Rob Catruppi and Greg Toole had read reports about the benefits to the elderly and decided it would be a great opportunity for residents to have fun tool to use with our exercise program. Residents grandchildren may also have fun using it.
We still have some beautifully presented Pioneer House Calendars depicting some of our residents with photos of then and now. The Calendars can be purchased for $10 at the following selected outlets ( Mudgee Newsagency, Rozanna’s Pharmacy, Burnbrae Winery, High Valley Cheese, Melon Tree, Butcher Shop Café and the Mudgee Visitors’ Centre. for $10
Diana Newman
CEO/Director of Nursing
