THE HAMLETHERALd - The Hamlets Penticton

The
Hamlet Herald
June and July Edition
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2014 Edition Two
Renovations are coming to The Hamlets! We are all very excited that
the front lobby, Assisted Living Dining Area and front stairs are going
to be renovated. This huge project is going to take place starting July
14th and should last about one week in total. The work will be done
after 7pm and throughout the late hours of the evening. The old carpet is going to be taken out and new flooring put in. This improvement
is so important to improve the living space for our residents, improve
the ‘first impression’ people have when they enter the home, and just
to give The Hamlets a tidier and homier feeling.
While these renovations are taking place, there will be a few anticipated interruptions or
concerns. Firstly, Assisted Living snacks and coffee will be located outside the elevators in Assisted Living while the renovations are underway. Secondly, staff will still be able to access the Clock
Room and everyone will be able to access the front doors. Thirdly, the Reception desk may temporarily move into the Board Room next to the Reception area. We are really looking forward to
the new facelift coming this month! We apologize in advance for any inconvenience while the renovations are taking place.
We also have a new ‘memo’ system called “In The Loop” which will be sent out weekly with
information for all staff, families, visitors and residents. Residents will be able to find ’In The Loop’
in the Resource Room and on the front display.
Submitted By ~ Lorraine Brownlee
What’s Inside…
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Community Manager News
Education Corner
Education Corner—Walkers
Recreation News—June
Recreation News—Continued
Family Fund Day
Kitchen/Assisted Living News
New Residents/Notices
Birthdays and Notes
Seen Around The Hamlets
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Leslie Douglas is our Accreditation Coordinator as well as a nurse who works on Hamlet
C. She provides monthly education to staff and keeps all of us on track for education offered
throughout the facility. June education was focused on Pressure Ulcer Prevention and VTP.
There was an in-service offered to staff and families regarding the use of restraints in our facility. All staff were given their annual re-training on the use of fire extinguishers and had a
chance to put out some fires. June was also the month for our quarterly General Staff Meeting
where all staff were invited to take part in an information sharing session.
Annual Fire Extinguisher Training. From left to right: Lisa, Heather and Donna look at labels and identify type of extinguisher. Diane and Mandeep both take turns putting out fires!
During the month of July, education will be provided regarding Code White and Purple Dot. Code White is a system staff
have for handing violent and/or aggressive situations with either a
resident, a family member, or a visitor on site, etc. When a staff
calls Code White on his/her phone, a number of other staff respond to the emergency in less than a minute. We will be and
have been practicing Code White drills for the last few months.
Workplace Violence is another area of education this month
and there are a few in-services planned for this as well.
All information and education is available to staff, residents, and families in our Resource Room, in our Education
Binders (all managers/departments have one), and simply by
asking a staff member/manager near you.
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How do you know it’s time for a walker?
If you have difficulty balancing or you're
at risk of falling, a walker can make it easier for
you to get around. If stability is a significant
concern, you might choose a standard walker
without wheels — which you must pick up to
move. Many people, however, choose between
two-wheel and four-wheel walkers. A two-wheel
walker allows you to place weight on the walker
as you move. The legs with wheels allow you to
easily push the walker forward, and the leg without wheels prevent the walker from rolling while
you're stepping forward. If you don't need to
lean on the walker for balance, you might be
able to walk faster with a four-wheel walker.
Four-Wheeled and
Adjust your walker so that it fits your
Two-Wheeled Walkers
arms comfortably. This will reduce stress on
your shoulders and back as you use the walker. To tell if your walker is the correct height, step inside your walker and: Check your elbow bend. Keeping your shoulders relaxed, place your hands on the grips. Your elbows
should bend at a comfortable angle of about 15 degrees. Check your
wrist height. Stand inside the walker and relax your arms at your sides.
The top of your walker should line up with the crease on the inside of
your wrist.
When you use the walker, it's important to stay upright as you move.
This will help protect your back. Always step into the walker, rather than
walking behind it. Be careful not to push the walker too far in front of you
or set the handles too high. Also, avoid hurrying and taking large steps
when you turn. Change directions slowly. Never try to climb stairs with a walker!
Submitted by Sheri Watt
Repairs/Service every Tuesday
in AL Fireplace Lounge!
Store Thursdays from 8:30-9:30
Repairs/Service 1st Thursday of each month!
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June
June was a fun-filled month with all kinds of great recreation opportunities for all our residents.
Our Under 60’s group continues to grow and we now have over thirty people living at The Hamlets who don’t fall under the ‘senior’ category. With this new population comes all kinds of different recreation opportunities and community outings. For example, this month we had the Under
60’s Casino Night, Karaoke, Brain Injury City Outing, and our Under 60’s birthday party.
Justin, Ryan and Kyle sport
some fun Casino Night gear!
Kathy tries out an
adaptive bike and
Trish holds down
the fort at our
booth at the KBI
Awareness Day.
The Assisted Living Residents were treated to a special Red Neck Theme Dinner, complete with BBQ ribs,
baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. James
worked the grill while Assisted Living staff, kitchen
staff, and rec staff helped make the event a huge
success. Some of the residents looked ‘all-too-comfortable’ in their Red Neck clothing!
There were many great costumes from the night (see more photos on ‘Scene Around The Hamlets’ page). But the winning Best Resident Costume went to Melvin Miller and the Best Staff Costume went to Shelly Randall who is a Care Aide on B2. Thanks to everyone who got involved,
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had some fun, and put on a great costume for the night! What a night!
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June Continued
The Complex Care men were treated to a delicious Father’s Day
Breakfast of freshly fried hashbrowns, bacon, eggs-as-you-like-em, and
toast. Though it took awhile to get everyone their food, and one fire
alarm was set off with the smoky bacon, the breakfast was a huge success. Some of the comments included “boy, it’s sure nice to have crispy
bacon once in awhile” and “do you have some more of that bacon”?
We took a bus trip to Paul Lake Provincial Park for a picnic and
some badminton. Though we might have lost a birdie or two in the tree
and involved countless other picnickers trying to get it out for us, the day
was a ton of fun and everyone enjoyed being outdoors.
Lorraine and Wally
enjoy the sunshine.
Ken, Doreen, Grace and
Winnifred catch some rays!
The lovely couples...Gerry &
Corrie on the left and Archie &
Carol on the right.
Jim Chalmers, a local collector of old engines and relics, volunteered his time to come to The
Hamlets and put on a display of some of his amazing collection. He had old engines, washing
machines, irons, and even some things he didn’t know about. “If anyone can tell me what this is
used for, I’d greatly appreciate it”, he said at one point while holding up some strangely shaped
tool. It’s volunteers like this who make life interesting around The Hamlets and keep everyone
intrigued.
Corrie takes a turn at
washing clothes.
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The Family Council is a group of dedicated family members with residents living in Complex Care. The Council meets four times per year, discusses concerns, raises issues, brainstorms
fundraising opportunities, plans fun events, and acts as a support and network for other family
members.
The Council organized the annual Family Fun Day for Complex Care residents on June 21
for a 12:00 BBQ lunch. This year, they chose the theme ‘Safari Adventures’ and residents and
staff dressed in their best Safari outfits and prizes were given to the winning safari adventurer.
This year the BBQ hosted over 95 family members and residents. The weather was hot and sunny, and families took shelter under our slowly-growing courtyard trees. The entire day was a huge
success, however, the Council was supposed to meet for their summer meeting that day but everyone was too pooped. The next Council Meeting is scheduled for JULY 16th at 7:00pm in the
Grand Hall. All family members are encouraged to attend and share thoughts and ideas!
Congratulations to the Council for putting together another great event! We’re already looking forward to next year’s party!
Best Safari Outfits:
Family member Gail
Ayres and Resident
Shirley McLean!
Freda Bebek and
daughter Christine enjoy lunch.
Mother and daughter
all decked out in Safari
Madness!
Ellsworth and family sit
with Judy and Fernand
Sampson for lunch
while Grant strums on
the guitar!
We really
missed you
Linda!!!
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The kitchen has been busy with new summer menus and ensuring that
residents are satisfied and happy with the meals they receive. James and the
rest of the kitchen staff would like to welcome long-time staff member, Nanette, back to the team after an extended leave. Nanette hurt her wrist and has
been nurturing it back to health this last while. We are all excited to have her
back! (Nanette, I must have a better picture of you, but I thought this summed
up your little bit of spirit and energy you bring to The Hamlets)!
If you see two young faces around the Hamlets this
summer, be sure to introduce yourselves. There are two
young men who will be doing a work experience program for
the remainder of the summer. One will be working in the
kitchen and one will be working in laundry. Both students will
be starting their first shifts this week! We welcome Jake and
A.J. to The Hamlets for their taste of the ‘working world’.
The Assisted Living workers are busy putting together some new activities for Assisted Living residents. They have created a calendar to keep residents in the loop about some of the fun
activities planned. These activities are hobbies that AL staff enjoy and would like to take time to
share with residents. They include rock painting, baking and decorating cupcakes, a puzzle exchange, and card-making. Please see the calendar for more events.
There is a new Assisted Living smoking area under the gazebo in the AL Courtyard. This
saves residents from making the long trip to the other gazebo, allows for AL residents to get off
their balconies for smoking, and keeps the AL community a little closer together.
We have started an “Assisted Living Only” bus trip once a month. There must be a minimum
of 5 people signed up to ensure that the trip goes as planned. If people would like to make appointments, they should be booked between 10-11. Anyone else signed up will go to a local stop
for a treat or coffee, shopping or other outing. All AL outings will be back for lunch unless posted
otherwise. Everyone from AL should write down ideas on where they’d like to go and sign up on
the large poster outside the medication room.
Gordon Gore continues to sell his amazing photos. He has prices listed and is so very talented. We enjoy having the photos decorating our dining area—thank you
Gordon.
Robyn, an Assisted Living Care Aide, is
changing positions at The Hamlets. She will be
taking a position as a Care Aide in the Complex
Care side. One Hamlet will be very lucky to have
her!
Judy and Harry at The
Harriet just back from
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Wildlife Park.
a hunting trip.
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There are always new faces around the Hamlets at Westsyde.
Lets welcome our most recent residents as of May!
Complex Care
Assisted Living
Morse Lister
Violet Isnardy
Winnifred Pigeon
Peggy Godsy
Howard Wynnyk
Joe Desjardine
David Yasuda
Mary McNeil
JOKE CORNER...
Three elderly sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, shared a house together. One evening, the 96
year old sister went upstairs to take a bath. As she put her foot into the tub, she paused.
Then she yelled down to the other two sisters and asked, "Was I getting in the tub or out?"
"You dern fool," said the 94 year old. "I'll come up and see." When she got half way up the
stairs she paused. "Was I going up the stairs or down?"
The 92 year old sister was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea
and thought, "I hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood." She
shook her head and called out, "I'll be up to help you both as soon as I
see who's at the door."
It is with our deepest sorrow that we say goodbye to our dear family, friends and neighbours.
Elmer Fedderson
Bonnie Ellis
Marie Zach
Lowrie Campbell
Muriel Cooper
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Antonio Rogliano
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June Birthdays
1st
2nd
6th
7th
8th
8th
9th
14th
14th
19th
20th
21st
25th
29th
Grace Larson
Archie Harris
Delcy Hartman
Betty Stroesser
Shane Lulua
Rosemarie Noer
Elsie Struthers
Ethel Screpnek
Vernon McIntyre
Kevin Dyck
Justin McNab
Vimy Witton
Steve Screpnek
Ruth Townsend
July Birthdays
1st
7th
8th
9th
12th
15th
17th
21st
31st
Mickey Anderson
Howard Wynnyk
Flora Nishida
Betty Misner
Maxine White
Lawrence Washington
Ryan Borthwick
Jay Pyett
Trisha Worthington
Now that it’s summer, the heat can be very overwhelming. Be sure to use
common sense when doing any activities out of doors. Here are a few
things to remember throughout the summer:
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Keep all windows closed. Open windows create confusion for our GeoThermal system which can cause it to break down and not work efficiently. Windows must be kept closed all summer!
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Drink extra water and juice throughout the day. Your body uses up hydration stores and quickly
becomes dehydrated. Choose water and juice over coffee to feel more balanced, less fatigued,
and stronger.
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The Hamlet bus policy states that we do not operate the bus on days when weather is expected to
be 30 degrees or over. Expect bus trips to be cancelled at the last minute on hot days.
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In extreme heat like we will be facing this week, the GeoThermal system works extra hard to keep
us cool. Close your blinds and expect it to be warmer than usual. Drink water and wear light
clothing to feel better throughout the day.
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Kevin ‘s Red
Neck mobiles.
Kathy and Rose hope to win BIG at
Casino Night!
Oh, those ribs were
just delicious!
Not sure if that’s
Food Safe, Chef!
Ryan can’t believe Tanis is
moving back to Thunder
Bay, Ontario!
Lexina and
Claire ...nice duds!
Ann says she’s been
sick, but I think she’s
been hunting!
Elide and grand-daughter
enjoy a game of Bocci!
Melvin
and
wife
love to
dance
at pub
night!
Nice Shot, Shirley. I’ll buy
you a whiskey if you can do
it again!
Staff
and
Volunteers
pose
for Red
Neck
Night!
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Lorn
(left)
and
John
(right)
ready to
party!