Brylyn Residential Care

August 2021

Hello everyone,

Spring is almost upon us, although this doesn’t always bring good weather as we know, but it feels good to have reached this time of the year.

Unfortunately, we have had another Covid lockdown. We should feel very fortunate for the free time we had prior to this, to have been able to move around and have holidays in this beautiful country.

Rest assured, we are all doing our very best to keep everyone safe and happy here at Brylyn. 

The residents are content with their bingo twice a week, floor games and pampering activities. Mahi is also taking them out for fresh air. We have been using the lemons from our lemon tree in the garden and the staff are making nice lemon and honey drinks for the resident’s wellbeing every day.

The staff are looking out for each other too. They have been helpful and are doing well.

Our birthdays in the month of August were for Susan Harvey on the 2nd, Colin Brewer on the 28^th and Annette Coombs on the 30^th. A cake was made from our kitchen to share and to celebrate. Happy Birthday to you all!

The resident surprise lunch this month on the 16^th was from Jesters Pies - which seemed to be a winner with everyone. The pies were served with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy. This was followed by a pavlova made by Lin our chef.

The Bus trips went out on the Raglan Road and another trip to Cambridge and Lake Karapiro.

On Friday 27^th we had a sing-along Happy Hour as we were unable to have an entertainer come in. The occasion was a happy one and a good time was had by all.

The weekend entertainers that came in at the beginning of the month were Louise, George, Charlie and Marlene.

Lisa had not been able to come in with Boomer on Wednesday afternoons before Covid lockdown, as she has been helping with calving at the farm. We look forward to seeing them both again. Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions and also brings Mitzi in. This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

Normally religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks by Reg, Jan, Len and David. We also thank David for doing our quizzes. We have daily exercises before morning tea. Bingo is held twice a week with games mornings, crafts and walks outside to take in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine when possible.

Feedback is always welcomed.

Keep well and be safe, until next month,

Regards

Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

July 2021

Hello everyone,

The end of July already with spring just around the corner, an uplifting thought. Roll on those warmer days!

Our birthdays in the month of July were for two ladies, Margaret Job on 22^nd and Floss Dunkin on 31^st. They each had a cake made from our kitchen to celebrate. Happy Birthday to both women!

We held the Resident meeting on the 15^th and the ‘flu vaccinations were done on Monday 19^th.

Tuesday 20^th was our surprise lunch here for the residents. This month they had Pizzas from Dominoes followed by a Baked Custard Pudding with Doris Plums made by Lin, our Chef.

The Bus trips went out on the Raglan Road to see the Windfarms, to Temple View and Collins Road and then around the Hamilton Lake and also for some coffee trips.

Happy Hour was on Friday 30^th. This month we were entertained by a new entertainer, Colin McClure, who did a sing-a-long which residents enjoyed.

The July weekend entertainers were George, Peter, Louise and Charlie and Marlene.

On Wednesday afternoons, Lisa comes in with her dog, Boomer, and Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions. This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks. We thank David for doing our quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings, crafts and walks outside to take in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine.

Feedback is always welcomed.

Keep well and warm, stay safe, until next month,

Regards

Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.  

June 2021

Hello everyone,

We hope you enjoyed the long weekend, Queen’s Birthday and managed to get away for a break. We have had some wonderful winter days in between those bad weather ones, but that is winter!

Birthdays in June were all for the ladies - Clarice Best on the 12^th, Janet Walker on the 24^th and Zena Carr on the 25^th and a Happy Birthday to the three of you.

Our surprise lunch was on Friday 18^th when residents had a KFC Snack Lunch followed by a chocolate pudding made by Chef, Anna. The take-away is enjoyed and appreciated by our residents.

The Bus trip on 4^th went to Chartwell for coffee and a muffin and on 11^th went to St Andrews Golf Course to enjoy the view while having a cup of coffee and something to eat. The bus trip on the 24^th also went to St Andrews Golf course for a snack and then to feed the birds.

On Friday 25^th we celebrated Matariki with star biscuits for morning tea. The special lunch was cooked by Anna and enjoyed by all. Happy Hour followed with Charlie and Marlene.

We are up to date with both Covid vaccinations - it is good to have completed this.

The weekend entertainers this month were Gail, George, Charlie & Marlene, Peter and Louise.

On Wednesday afternoons, Lisa comes in with her dog, Boomer, and Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions. This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks. We thank David for doing our quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings, crafts and walks outside to take in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine.

Feedback is always welcomed.

Keep well and keep warm, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.  

May 2021

Hello everyone,

We hope this newsletter finds you all well and keeping warm.

Our birthdays this month were for Reginald Reihana on 1st, Raymond Park on 20^th and Thomas Wilkins on 28th. Happy Birthday to all.

We celebrated Mother’s Day on Friday 7^th wearing something red or pink and starting in the morning with a lady from the Orchid Society, Diane Wilson, who came in to talk about orchid growing. Diane also let the residents touch and feel the plants which they enjoyed while she answered any questions they had. The dining room and tables were decorated with lots of pink, there were pink cupcakes for tea and pink pudding. After lunch the residents were entertained by Charlie and Marlene after which there was a special Mother’s Day cake for afternoon tea and each lady received a gift of a beautiful sun hat. It was a lovely day for all.

Our surprise lunch was on Wednesday 19^th when the residents had Nando’s Chicken Tender Pieces with Chips and a pudding made by Lin, our chef, which was a Cranberry Pudding with a Sauce.

The Bus trip on 7th went to the Classic Car Museum, the Arboretum and to Temple View and on the 14^th and 21^st to the Classic Car Museum. Residents loved seeing the old products and cars bringing back old memories and a start of many discussions. The bus trip on the 28^th went out for coffee at Chartwell.

Kent, was our new entertainer this month for Happy Hour on Friday 28^th when residents enjoyed having their nibbles and drinks.

The weekend entertainers this month were Christophe, George, Charlie & Marlene, Peter and Louise.

On Wednesday afternoons, Lisa comes in with her dog, Boomer. Boomer has become popular with our residents and staff and one can see his excitement when he comes in waiting to be made a fuss of.  He celebrated his birthday this month with small cupcakes iced and with a ‘paw print’ on them, made by Lisa which she brought in for staff and residents to enjoy!

Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions and Cookie is welcomed too.

This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks. We thank David for doing our quizzes and thank David too as he very kindly donated a new whiteboard. We have daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings, crafts and walks outside to take in the fresh air and sunshine days.

Keep well everyone, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.  

April 2021

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the lovely autumn weather we are having and that some of you have managed to get a break away before winter sets in.

Our birthdays this month and were for Christine West on the 11^th, Mark Matthews on the 16^th and Nina Taua on the 24^th.

Our surprise lunch on the 15^th was a McDonalds burger with chips and a drink and chocolate brownies for dessert from the kitchen made by Lin, our chef.

We have now organised a bus trip every week to enable each resident to get a turn to go on an outing. We will try to make the weekly trips to the same place for the month, weather allowing of course and if it is wheelchair friendly. This month’s trips went out to Hamilton Gardens, to Morrinsville and to the Taitua Farm then a countryside drive along Mason and Howden Roads, the Whatawhata Road and through Perrin Park in Te Kowhai.

We had Charlie and Marlene to entertain residents on 16^th while some of the residents went on their bus trip.

Roy Sledger and Ian came in on the 23^rd to talk about model trains. He brought in a model train display of a scene in Italy which was beautifully done to scale by himself and this and his talk was enjoyed by the residents.

A craft was done for Anzac Day where residents cut out and made poppies from felt, some poppies were painted and one of our residents sewed buttons on for some of the poppy centres. We then placed them on a board which was displayed on the dining room notice board which looked wonderful!

Reg came in on Sunday 25^th and held an Anzac Service for our residents which followed with Anzac biscuits for afternoon tea.

Happy Hour was on the 30^th with a new entertainer, Christophe, who played the guitar and sang and got the residents to join in on occasions.

The weekend entertainers this month were Louise, Gail, Charlie, Peter and George.

On Wednesday afternoons Lisa comes in with her dog, Boomer, who is very popular with our residents and staff, and Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions. This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks. We thank David for doing our quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings and walks outside to take in the fresh air and sunshine.

Thank you to Mahi, Vidhi and staff for the wonderful photos that they take of all the events in our facility. Well done to you all - we love the photos.

Keep well everyone, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.  

March 2021

Autumn is here and we are out of daylight saving; enjoy the months we have left of good weather before winter sets in.

The birthdays this month were for three of our gentlemen; Brian Dunkin on 12^th, David Shrimpton on 27^th and Snow Brown on 29^th with cakes from the kitchen to be shared with everyone. Happy Birthday to you.

We had a cake for Floss and Brian to celebrate their 68^th wedding anniversary. Mahi arranged a special romantic lunch set out under the gazebo for them. Well done to the staff and Mahi.

On the 3^rd we had another summer BBQ lunch but unfortunately the weather let us down in the morning so our residents had to eat in the dining room but still enjoyed the occasion.

Our surprise lunch on the 16^th was a good occasion too; with fish and chips in individual boxes from the Seafood Bazaar (the fresh fish shop) and this was followed by homemade Banoffee Pie for dessert.

On St Patricks Day, staff and residents wore something green and we celebrated with Charlie and Marlene entertaining us. Staff got some of the residents up and dancing - it was a lovely happy event. Drinks were served at lunchtime with the meal followed with a green pudding.

The bus trip was out to Ngaroto Lake, Te Awamutu, on the 12^th where the residents enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine by the water.

On the 26^th we had Charlie from the Waikato Astrological Society who came in to do a talk on Rocket Engineering with visuals on the TV. This was followed by Happy Hour at 2pm with Gail, a country and western singer, who got the residents singing along with her.

There was an Easter craft morning with Mahi, where some of the residents painted and decorated eggs and the results were wonderful.

Lisa comes in with her dog, Boomer, on Wednesday afternoons and Christine brings her dog, Cookie, in on other occasions - both for dog therapy with our residents. This service from the Canine Friends Pet Therapy is much appreciated.

The weekend entertainers this month were Louise, Gail, Charlie, and George.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks. Thanks go to

David for doing the quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings and walks outside to take in the fresh air and sunshine.

Keep well everyone, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.  

February 2021

It is the end of another month and we are well into the new year. We have had wonderful long, hot summer  days which we must make the most of with Autumn not far away.

The Birthdays that we celebrated this month with a cake from our kitchen were for Bruce Scott on the 14^th and Pat Smith on the 18^th where we all sang Happy Birthday to them. Our staff do a wonderful job of decorating the cakes too.

Valentine’s day was also a happy occasion in the facility and there was more cake!

We have resumed the foot spa treat for our residents as requested and which is appreciated and enjoyed by them.

Our three bus trips this month went to Hamilton Lake on 12th, 19th and on the 26th. Residents enjoyed getting out and about and were also treated to a McDonald’s ice cream.

Our surprise meal on the 17^th was from KFC. Residents had a snack box each of chicken tenders and chips and a pudding made from our kitchen which was all enjoyed by all.

Peter Whalley entertained residents playing his guitar and singing at the Happy hour on Friday afternoon on the 26^th. It is wonderful to hear everyone singing along and enjoying themselves.

Lisa comes in with her dog Boomer and Christine brings Cookie in, both for dog therapy with our residents -this service is much appreciated.

We always say a big thank you to our weekend entertainers who were Louise, Gail, Charlie, George and Peter.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks.

David voluntarily comes in weekly to do quizzes for which we are most grateful.

There are daily exercises and Bingo twice a week with games mornings and walks outside to take in the fresh air and sunshine.

Keep well everyone, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

January 2021

We are well into the new year and hopefully all enjoying the summer weather. We can be grateful for being able to move around New Zealand, to have holidays within and to be able to be with our families.

Welcome to our new resident Marie Johansen, who we hope will be happy here with us at Brylyn.

We had three birthdays this month, Raymond Matson on 6^th, Adrian Ngamotu on the 21^st and Ian Birse on the 26^th, Happy Birthday to our three gentlemen. Our chef provided a cake from the kitchen for morning tea to share with all the residents.

Raymond and Joyce celebrated their 69^th wedding anniversary on the 12^th where they shared a cake from our kitchen with everyone. Happy Anniversary to them!

Peter Whalley was in on the 9^th to entertain in the morning getting everyone to sing along with him and Happy Hour with snacks and drinks on the 29^th with Charlie and Marlene entertaining and again there was good participation from our residents. A good time had by all.

Thank you to our weekend entertainers, Louise, George and Peter.

The bus trip this month was to Lake Karapiro – this was enjoyed by those who went there.

Religious services are held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks.

David voluntarily comes in weekly to do quizzes for which we are most grateful.

There are daily exercises and Bingo sessions twice a week, always popular with Ian Birse calling. Thanks again to Ian who is one of our residents.

We have games mornings and walks outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

Keep well everyone, stay safe, until next month,

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

December 2020

We hope you have had a wonderful festive season and here’s wishing you all the very best for 2021.

Birthdays for the month of December were for Robert Brough on the 12^th, Lindsey Jordan on the 20^th and Glenys Alexander on the 21^st. A cake was provided from our kitchen for morning tea with all the residents.

Sadly, two of our residents passed away, our condolences go out to the families of Bruce Ogilvie and Lindsey Jordan.

We welcome Lena ‘Billy’ Phillips for a short stay with us.

Christmas decorations went up and on the 4^th we took photos of our residents by our new Christmas tree with a copy given out to both residents and family. They are beautiful photos and well done to our caregiver, Vidhi, who did a splendid job!

Peter Whalley was in on the 9^th to entertain in the morning getting everyone to sing along with him.

A morning tea was held on the 10^th where we thanked our Volunteers and handed out gifts, not forgetting the two doggies that visit our residents, Boomer and Cookie. Some of our residents stood up to say their thanks including one of our Registered Nurses, Thelma. There as a delicious spread afterwards which turned out to be a good social event.

Entertainment with Charlie and Marlene went well on the 11^th where they also got residents to join in and sing along. Charlie sang the favourites with some wonderful news songs, ending with a medley of well-known Christmas carols.

The bus trip on the 11^th residents went to Palmers Garden Centre Café for coffee and cake and then a walk in the plants garden.

Our new vinyl was installed in the lounge and dining areas on the weekend of the 12^th and 13^th. This went well. We thank our residents and staff for their patience and understanding with this major disruption. The staff were amazing with serving meals in the rooms and taking extra care of our residents.

Residents went out in the evening on the 17^th in two buses to see the Christmas lights. It is wonderful to see the effort that people make to decorate their houses and gardens.

We invited family to come in and join our residents for a shared family lunch. Staff put on a show, dancing to ‘Jingle Bells’ and then showed a video they had made of all the residents doing dance movements to the same song; an occasion enjoyed by all. Well done staff!

On the 24^th we had our Christmas Happy Hour with Glen Carley entertaining. Residents were given their Christmas presents and photos from Brylyn by Santa with staff dressing up in ‘mufti.’

We had a special Christmas menu for lunch on Christmas day:

Starter: Italian Antipasto Platter: Prosciutto, Salami, Ham, Blue Cheese, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Brie Cheese, Grapes, Olives and Crackers. Prawn Twisters & Lemon Pepper Squid.

Mains: Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce & Gravy. Roast Turkey with Cranberry Jam. Roasted Vegetables -Baby Potatoes, Golden Kumara and Carrots. Fresh Mini Bread Rolls.

Green Salad – Mesclun, Rocket, Tomato, Capsicum, Alfalfa served with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.

Dessert: Christmas Pudding and Custard. Mini Lemon Curd Tart. Mini Peach & Passion Fruit Tart.

L & P came in on the 31^st to entertain our residents for the last day of the year with some wonderful music and singing.

Our religious service is held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks.

David comes in weekly to do quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo sessions twice a week which draws a big crowd. There are games mornings and walks in the fresh air and sunshine. Thank you to our weekend entertainer, Louise.

Keep well everyone, until next month

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

November 2020

We are well into spring with summer just around the corner and on the countdown to Christmas!

Our Christmas decorations are up making the facility look very festive.

 We welcome our new resident from Christchurch, Ashley Connor, and hope he will be happy here with us. Ashley celebrated his birthday on the 10^th with a cake from our kitchen to share with all our residents. Happy Birthday Ashley!

On Friday 13^th we had Peter Mudie and his wife in to talk about Bonsai growing where they also displayed some bonsai trees and in the evening the staff celebrated Diwali. We provided Indian food and some staff brought in Indian desserts. There was dancing and the occasion was enjoyed by both residents and staff.

Our surprise lunch on 25^th was Kentucky Fried Chicken (Chicken and Chips in individual boxes) and served with rolls, followed by Brandy Snap and Toffee Sauce pudding.

Happy Hour on the 27^th was a joyous ‘singalong’ occasion with Tipene while he sang and played his guitar with a good variety of songs.

Some of the residents went for a van drive on 30^th to the Jukebox Diner Cafe for coffee and a scone.

Our religious service is held twice a month and a religious discussion in the alternate weeks.

David comes in weekly to do quizzes. We have daily exercises and Bingo sessions twice a week which draws a big crowd now. There are games mornings and walks in the fresh air and sunshine. Our weekend entertainers were Charlie, George, Wendy, Peter and Roy.

Just a friendly note that if you are visiting on the weekend of the 12^th and 13^th of December, we are having new floor vinyl fitted in the lounge and dining room. There will be major disruptions and noise and no entry around that area. Thank you for understanding while this is being done.

Every year we cook a special Christmas lunch here for our Residents and just a friendly reminder that we will be unable to accommodate any family to join us as the facility is full. Good news though that we are full!

Please can you let us know, once you have made your arrangements, if Mum or Dad will be in or out for lunch on the 25^th and what time you will pick them up. Thank you.

Keep well everyone, until next month

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

October 2020

We are having such lovely warm spring days, it is certainly good to be out of winter and almost into summer!

This month we celebrated birthdays with a cake from our kitchen for morning tea for Ross Roulston on the 4^th and Wayne Rolton on the 23^rd – Happy Birthday to both gentlemen.

We say thanks to Len who plays the piano for the hymns in the religious services with Reg and Jan and thanks to David who takes religious service and does a quiz with the residents on alternative weeks.

To make it easier for our residents to vote, the ‘special voting box’ was organised here at the facility during the month which proved to be a success.

Residents loved the bus drive on the 9th out to Woodlands and then to Jasen Park. Our second drive of the month on Friday 30^th was out to the Punnet café in Tamahere for coffee.

On the 14^th was our surprise meal and this time it was ‘take out’ pizza followed by a delicious fresh fruit salad and cream. This monthly event proves to be popular with our residents and keeps them guessing as to what the meal could be!

Neil Curgenven came in on the 16^th and gave an interesting talk about the styles of housing in Hamilton going right back in time to the present day. We will certainly get Neil back at a later stage as he has much more to share on various subjects.

Happy hour was on Friday 30^th when we were entertained by Charlie and Marlene – a fun time was had by all.

Bingo remains popular as does the games mornings. Residents are taken outside to enjoy the warm weather days as much as possible. They did a little bit of gardening using the New World miniature potting of the vegetable seeds, had an exercise session outside and went for walks too.

Keep well everyone, until next month

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

September 2020

It is just wonderful to be back at level 1.

We are well into the second half of the year and spring is in the air with some wonderful warm days.

This month we celebrated birthdays for Olive Begley on the 14^th, Joyce Park on the 18^th and Ian Stewart on the 21^st with a cake baked in our kitchen - a happy birthday to you all.

On the 1^st we had our spring day celebration with everything yellow. For morning tea we had yellow cupcakes, afternoon tea a yellow cake, at lunch there was a yellow dessert, cold drinks, serviettes and placemats! It turned out to be a lovely sunny day too which was a bonus.

We had a Father’s Day event a little earlier on the 3^rd where we purchased a special morning tea cake, gave out gift bags with a shower and a shaving gel in each and then for all the residents, a small chocolate. The men all sat together at one table. “Parkie” (Raymond Park) cut the cake. After lunch we had the ‘Father’s Day’ Happy Hour. In all it was a special day.

We have had the religious services resumed with Reg and Jan and with David too, who also does a quiz with the residents.

Tipene entertained at our Happy Hour with his wonderful array of songs. Residents are very happy too to have our weekend entertainers back. On the weekend after lockdown we had George and Roy in to entertain.

The monthly surprise lunch meal was held on the 17^th with a meal of pies, chips, peas and gravy. The pies were from Jesters, followed by a new dessert, Banoffee pie. This occasion always goes down well with our ‘family.’

We have introduced a small ‘shopping’ cabinet in the reception area for residents to view and purchase any toiletry items they may need or cold drinks and snacks.

We are getting a good turnout for the Bingo and games mornings, and with some of the lovely winter days we have had the staff  have taken residents outside to enjoy the sunshine - there is nothing like fresh air and feeling the sun on our bodies.

Keep well everyone, until next month

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.

August 2020

It was so wonderful to have life back to normal even if it was for a short time and to be out of the Covid-19 lockdown. Unfortunately, we are experiencing another lockdown and being a rest home, we have your family and loved ones in our best interest and have therefore stopped all visitors coming in for the present.

We are well into the second half of the year and spring is in the air with some wonderful warm days.

Birthdays this month were for Susan Harvey on the 2nd, Colin Brewer on the 28^th and Annette Coombs on the 30^th. Happy Birthday to you.

Before the lockdown we had:

Jan and her dog, Macey, from the SPCA, come in for a visit. Residents always love the interaction with the dogs.

We had our religious services and the quizzes with David.

There was entertainment on the weekends by George, Peter and Wendy.

Some of our residents went on the bus outing to Morrinsville on the 7th to spot all the ‘cow’ icons in the streets and to take photos.

The trainee Occupational Therapists were doing well and enjoyed being with our residents, hopefully we can get them back soon.

The surprise lunch meal was on Friday 21^st when we had a movie morning to watch “Young at Heart”  followed by Fish, Chips and Salad packed as a ‘take out’ meal in take-away containers followed by an ice cream sundae. Residents were pleasantly surprised and extremely happy not to miss their Friday ‘fish and chips.’

We are getting a good turnout for the Bingo and games mornings, and with some of the lovely winter days we have managed to take some of our residents outside to enjoy the sunshine - well done Mahi.

Keep well and stay safe, until next month

Regards from Jennifer Slement and all at Brylyn.