1

Q. What happened when Guy ate the Christmas

decorations?

A. He went down with tinsel-itis.

This is always a fun month when we celebrate all things

Christmas, catching up with friends, family and indulging in

yummy food. One of the greatest joys of Christmas is having

your whole family by your side to celebrate it with you. I wish

you and your entire family a Merry Christmas and a very Happy

New Year.

The Palms Aged Care is truly turning into a big family, we have

husbands and wives, mothers and daughters and brothers and

sisters working not only in the clinical setting but also in the

kitchen as well. I believe it is what sets us apart. On behalf

of the residents I would like to take this opportunity to thank all

the Staff at The Palms for their continued hard work and wish

you all a safe and Merry Christmas with your families and with

The Palms Aged Care family.

“The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and

find in it our pleasure”, Francoise Bertaut de Motteville.

Regards

Emma Alexander

Care Manager

Page Article

1 A message from Emma

2

Star sign, horoscope and birthday celebrations

3 This and that

4 Activities to watch out for

5 Resident Happy Snaps

6 Humour

7 Staying Healthy in the Heat

DECEMBER 2018

NEWSLETTER

THIS ISSUE

A MESSAGE FROM EMMA ALEXANDER

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Alkira Desmond Wood 6th

Foot Thoo 7th Maria Del Vecchio 7th

Rothwell Harrison 22nd Joyce McKerral 30th

Allambie

Mary Orchard 26th

BIRTHDAYS FOR DECEMBER

Birth Flower: Poinsetta Good cheer, success. The Poinsetta comes in three colours ~ Red, White and Pink

“You are the special one” is the message this flower sends to you !

BIRTH STONE FOR DECEMBER ARE Turquoise, Tanzanite, Topaz, and Zircon.

Turquoise is an opaque mineral that has beautiful hues of green to blue.

Tanzanite is a rare blue gem and a popular alternative to blue sapphire. It is mined commercially.

Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine. The

clarity and size have a significant effect on the value of

topaz. Zircon is an important gemstone of many colours and is

an historical gemstone. Sometimes it is looked upon as a

cheap diamond simulant, but in actuality it can be very

valuable.

December Horoscope

Sagitarius (Nov. 23 – Dec 21)

Strengths: Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor.

Weaknesses: Promises more than they can deliver, very

impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic.

Likes: Freedom, travel, philosophy & being outdoors Dislikes: Clingy people, being constrained, off the wall theories, & details.

Curious and energetic, Sagitarius is one of the biggest travelers among all zodiac signs. Their open mind and philosophical view motivates them to wander around the world in search of the meaning of life.

Capricorn: (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Strengths: Responsible, disciplined, self-control good

manners. Weaknesses: Know it all, unforgiving,

condescending, expecting the worst.

Likes: Freedom, travel, philosophy & being outdoors Dislikes: Clingy people, being constrained, off the wall

STAR SIGN

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

WILL BE HELD ON THE 19th

OF DECEMBER

2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE

FOLLOWING RESDENTS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

FROM ALL OF US HERE

AT

Likes: Family, tradition, music, understated

status, quality craftsmanship.

Dislikes: Almost everything at some point

Capricorn is a sign that represents time and

responsibility and they are traditional and often

very serious by nature. They are masters of self

control and have the ability to lead the way, make

solid realistic plans and manage people who

work for them. They will learn from their

mistakes and get to the top based solely on their

experience and expertise.

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THIS & THAT

VISITING HOURS

It would be greatly appreciated if visiting hours

can be kept from 10am. Prior to 10am can

impact on the ability to deliver care to our

residents.

IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME!

Thank you for all the lovely donations we have

received so far for our Christmas Raffle. It is

certainly one not to miss. Tickets are still

available to purchase.

Resident and Family Christmas Party

Thursday 6th December

Please RSVP by 3pm on Tuesday 4th December.

Cost is $20.00 per guest (limit of 2 guests per

resident).

ENTERTAINMENT FOR

DECEMBER.

3rd Kirrawee Public School Visit (10am)

7th Art Express at Hazelhurst (10am)

19th Precious Pats (Alambie)

19th Birthday Celebrations

24th Hairdresser visiting for Sets only

(No Cuts)

31st Happy Hour for NEW YEARS EVE

BUS TRIPS

Tuesdays for Allambie Wing

Fridays for Alkira Wing

THANK YOU

The Palms Management, staff and residents send a

big thank you to all our Volunteer groups who give up

their time for us.

Special thanks goes to

St John’s Anglican Church

Sutherland Uniting Church

Narelle (our wonderful hairdresser)

Olsen’s funerals for their sponsorship of all our

entertainment.

CHURCH SERVICE

St John’s Anglican Church Service:

Tuesday 11th December 2018

At 10:30am

Uniting Church Service:

Thursday 20th December 2018

At 10.30am

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ACTIVITIES TO WATCH OUT FOR

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

3 4 5 6 7

The Week Of

10 11 12 13 14

Mamma Mia- Here

we go again

17 18

Annie

19 20 21

A Christmas Star

24

White Christmas

25 26 27 28

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THE PALMS MOVIE MATINEE

INFORMATION AND REMINDERS

Residents and Relatives Meeting

Alkira Lounge Room

11th December 2018 2.00pm

Education Topic: Hydration

5

Happy Snaps

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HUMOUR Q: What do you call a crate of Ducks?

A: A box of ‘Quackers’!

Q: What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

A: It’s Christmas, Eve!

Q: Why did the turkey join the band?

A: Because he had the ‘Drumsticks’!

Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Clause?

A: Claustrophobic!

Q: What do you call an elf wearing earmuffs?

A: Anything you like, he cannot hear you

Quote for the month!

The magic of Christmas never ends and its greatest of gifts are family and

friends!

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How to stay healthy in the Heat

Remember the 4 key messages to keep you and others healthy in the

heat

Drink plenty of water

Drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty – check the colour of your wee – if it’s pale you’re drinking enough

(check out the urine colour chart).

If your doctor normally limits your fluids, check how much to drink during hot weather.

Avoid alcoholic, hot or sugary drinks including tea and coffee (they can make dehydration worse).

If you go outside, carry a bottle of water with you.

Stock your fridge with cold water and freezer with ice.

Keep cool

Keep your body cool

Drink cold drinks and eat smaller cold meals such as salads and fruit.

Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothes made from natural fibres like cotton.

Stay out of the sun.

If you must go outside, apply sunscreen, wear a hat.

Plan your day around the heat – avoid being outdoors between 11am and 5pm.

Put wet towels or cool packs on your arms or neck or put your feet in cool water.

Take cool showers or baths.

Minimise physical activity, do all household chores early in the morning when it is coolest.

Keep your house cool

Cool your house by closing windows, shutting curtains and blinds, opening windows at night if you can to let in cool air.

Use air-conditioning if you have it (make sure it’s set to cool).

If you don’t have air-conditioning, spend time in a cool place like a library, shopping centre or cinema.

Know which room in your house is the coolest (this will often be on the ground floor on the south side).

If there is no power or you can’t get to an air-conditioned space, spend time in the coolest part of your house.

Use your stove and oven as little as possible.

Take care of others

Visit or telephone elderly friends, neighbours and relatives, at least once a day.

Check that they have water in the fridge.

Encourage them to drink.

Help them to find the coolest room in the house.

Consider taking them to a cool place (e.g. shopping centre, library or cinema).

Take particular care to keep children cool and get them to drink lots as they won’t often do this by themselves.

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Never leave babies, children or animals alone in a car even if the air-conditioner is on.

Have a plan

Know who to call if you need help.

Follow your doctor’s advice if you have any medical conditions.

If you feel unwell, seek medical advice from your doctor or nearest hospital.

Know where to find your emergency kit in case of a power failure.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Know what to do in case of a bushfire. Information on bushfire preparedness is available from the NSW Rural Fire

Service.

Keep your food safe

Make sure food that needs refrigeration is properly stored (the temperature in the fridge should be between 0°C and

5°C). Defrost foods in the fridge, not on the kitchen bench. For more information about keeping food safe please refer to

the NSW Food Authority.

If your fridge and freezer is affected by a power failure, please refer to the NSW Food Authority.

After the heat has passed

Continue to drink plenty of fluids so your body can get back in balance.

Take time to rest and recover as coping with extremely hot weather can be very tiring.

Go to your doctor if you feel unwell after the heat has passed.

Open windows and doors to let your house cool down but make sure you don’t compromise the security of your home.

Contact family and friends to see if they have coped during the heat and if they now need help with anything.

Think about how well you coped during this time of extreme heat and what, if anything, you would do differently next

time.

Make any changes in your home so it will be more comfortable for you during another time of extreme heat (see How to

prepare for a heat wave).

Page Updated: Friday 2 December 2016

Contact page owner: Environmental Health

We are putting together a cookbook and would love input from our

Residents and their Families.

If you have a favourite recipe, write it down or print it out and place it in

the folder near the coffee machine.