Welcome to the 2020 Spring edition of our

newsletter. With this ongoing time of restricted activity we continue to do our best to support our residents’ sense of wellbeing and connection. You can see In the following reports and photos that our residents are enjoying life at Avalon House. We have continued with modified regular activities and celebrated the important events of the past three months, including a very special 103rd birthday celebration. We would like to welcome all our new residents and their families who have joined us since our last newsletter release.

Connecting with Family As this unprecedented time continues it has been even more important for our residents and their family members to maintain their special connections. We put this at the forefront of our residents’ wellbeing. Residents have been able to see their families in our scheduled lounge visits and have regular calls and facetime calls. It is so endearing to see the overwhelming love shown when families are able to reunite, tell stories, share photos and presents while spending time over a coffee together. Time with family always brightens up our residents’ day.

Avalon House Avalon House

“In-house” Entertainment

Our residents were treated to more in-house entertainment recently. They had the good grace to appreciate and applaud our amateur, but heartfelt attempts to bring them a bit of joy. We had fun trying to teach some Macarena dance moves so the residents could be physically involved.

September 2020 [AVALON HOUSE NEWSLETTER]

On Friday 7th August we celebrated Aged Care Employee Day which is a national day to thank, honour and celebrate the more than 365,000 people who care for and support over a million older Australians. At Avalon House, staff were acknowledged and thanked by our DON and DDON and supplied with a lovely selection of cakes which were enjoyed by all.

Big Birthday Celebrations The residents enjoyed our monthly celebrations of birthdays at happy hour with cake and champagne. We were fortunate to have shared an extra special celebration this month with Odessa De Looze turning 103. Odessa entertained us all with her extraordinary ability to recite poetry from memory. She thanked us all for a wonderful day and said she feels very lucky to have reached this special age and be living at Avalon House.

Fun at Bingo We have made a few changes to the set up of Bingo with social distancing so our residents can continue to enjoy this popular activity. They have a fun time with lots of laughs and the excitement of winning games.

September 2020 [AVALON HOUSE NEWSLETTER]

Other happenings in the home As our photos show, there have been many other opportunities for our residents’ enjoyment – reading in the sun, a comforting massage or walks in the fresh air. Balloon tennis, anyone?!!

Happy Hour Dancing Despite restrictions and social distancing our residents continue to enjoy our daily happy hour sessions. Some love to get up to dance, or smile and sing along together to songs they know from the past. It’s great to see the social atmosphere has such an impact on wellbeing in these more challenging times.

Knitting to warm the heart & hands Knitting has been a lovely winter activity for a few of our keen knitters, made especially enjoyable when they sat and knitted together over a coffee. Several lady residents have had the satisfaction of completing projects, and are delighted to share their achievements with each other.

Bus trips are back It has been wonderful to have our bus trips back on offer for our residents. We have 6 to 8 trips per week in the local area. It is so good for the residents to have this opportunity to get out, see the open sky and our beautiful local environment.

September 2020 [AVALON HOUSE NEWSLETTER]

Aromatherapy News During the last few months we have been using some new aromatherapy blends in the diffusers and burners around Avalon House. I have developed a complex blend that has been used over winter called “Flu Busters” and contains oils that have known anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities. It contains the oils of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Rosemary and Lemon plus others and is great to put in the burners on a cold morning. Another blend I have created that is a personal favourite contains Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lemon and Basil. This blend is reminiscent of summer holidays, capturing a European feel of citruses, gentle floral of Bergamot and a hint of Basil. One more combination we have also been using is Orange and Lavender. The simplicity of the brightness of orange blended with the calming lavender is always a winner in the home. We are constantly complimented on how lovely and welcoming the home smells and it’s thanks to having the oil burners and diffusers creating this lovely atmosphere. Helen Mascall, Aromatherapy Coordinator

We wish you all the very best until our next newsletter. Please stay safe, happy and well. from the RAO Team! Maria, Kylie, Chris M and Chris S

Email : rao_avalonhouse@thc.net.au

Message from our DON, Jenny Rose As you can see in our newsletter, activities and engagement are continuing with our residents and staff despite the challenges of COVID. Since our last newsletter, staff are now wearing reusable masks to offer reassurance to our residents and families to keep COVID risks minimised. Our protocols for visiting are also part of that risk minimisation, and I would sincerely wish to thank you all for the understanding that you have shown. Kind regards,

Jenny Rose

Jenny Rose | Director of Nursing| Avalon House Nursing Home 14-16 John St Avalon NSW 2107 | T: (02) 99730900 | F: (02) 99730950 Email: avalonhouse@thc.net.au www.thompsonhealthcare.com.au

SPRING 2020

Upcoming events will be advised when restrictions ease and we get back to our normal programming which we are all looking forward to.