Village Times Issue 24 Issue 24 Autumn 2011 Amaroo Care Services Inc A: 2 Wreford Court, Gosnells WA 6110 T: 08 9490 3899 F: 08 9398 4923 W: www.amaroovillage.com.au E: [email protected]Contents Welcome - Pg 2 The Way Forward - Pg 2-3 Fire Wardens & Emergency Evacuation Procedure - Pg 3 ABC Tokyo Ballet - Pg 3 Amaroo Community Care Services - Pg 4 Carols by Sunset - Pg 4 Introduction to McMahon- Pg 5 Gutter Cleaning - Pg 5 Fun for the Retired - Pg 6 Staff Profile - Pg 6 Quotes about Ageing - Pg 7 Service Fee Increase - Pg 7 Would you like to be a volunteer? - Pg 8 Communicare to use Hospital - Pg 8 New Developments Currently there are 6 x 2 Bedroom Villas being constructed on Stalker Road in Gosnells of which 3 have been sold; 10 x 2 Bedroom Villas at Denmark of which 9 have been sold. Within the next 2-3 months, the construction of 8 villas at Astley Street in Gosnells and 9 villas at our new Albany development shall commence. While these villas are being constructed at Astley Street and Albany, improvements shall be undertaken to complete the clubhouses at each site. Work is also underway with concept floor plans for a new Administration Centre and Clubhouse on the site currently occupied by the Winnie Jones Centre & Dot‟s Cafe with view to starting this project within the next 2-3 years Amaroo Village Approaches 40 Years ! The construction of the first 18 one bedroom units located at Carson Ave was completed and were occupied during August 1971, therefore 2011 heralds the organisation to our 40 th anniversary and it means celebration. The Board and management team invite ideas from residents and staff on what you think we could do to celebrate this special occasion during August. From these 18 units, Amaroo Village at Gosnells has grown to 332 Independent Living Units, plus the AV Buckley and McMahon Caring Centres providing 173 residential care places. Furthermore, Amaroo has expanded its operation to Denmark where we have 36 ILUs and Albany, where we are about to commence construction of the first 9 ILUs. Before end of 2011, it is planned to establish the Amaroo Community Care centre and associated services, starting with 20 funded packages.
Currently there are 6 x 2 Bedroom Villas being constructed on Stalker Road in Gosnells of which 3 have been sold; 10 x 2 Bedroom Villas at Denmark of which 9 have been sold. Within the next 2-3 months, the construction of 8 villas at Astley Street in Gosnells and 9 villas at our new Albany development shall commence. While these villas are being constructed at Astley Street and Albany, improvements shall be undertaken to complete the clubhouses at each site. Work is also underway with concept floor plans for a new
Administration Centre and Clubhouse on the site currently
occupied by the Winnie Jones Centre & Dot‟s Cafe with view to
starting this project within the next 2-3 years
Amaroo Village Approaches
40 Years !
The construction of the first 18 one bedroom units located at Carson Ave was completed and were occupied during August 1971, therefore 2011 heralds the organisation to our 40
th anniversary and it means celebration. The Board and
management team invite ideas from residents and staff on what you think we could do to celebrate this special occasion during August. From these 18 units, Amaroo Village at Gosnells has grown to 332 Independent Living Units, plus the AV Buckley and McMahon Caring Centres providing 173
residential care places. Furthermore, Amaroo has expanded its operation to Denmark where we have 36 ILUs and Albany, where we are about to commence construction of the first 9 ILUs. Before end of 2011, it is planned to establish the Amaroo Community Care centre and associated services, starting with 20 funded packages.
Page 2 V i l lage Times Issue 24
Welcome
Welcome to our Village Times, Autumn 2011 Edition.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new residents, staff and volunteers.
If you have any suggestions, comments or complaints about our Village Times newsletter, please
contact Monique at Administration on 9490 3899 or email [email protected].
The Way Forward
There are three ways to be an
older person. Most are just
folks who are pretty much the
same as they were when they
were young. Then there are the
elderly. And others tap the
archetypal elder energy within
and express "eldership". It is
important to reconsider the word elderly by
contrasting it to the more ancient word, elder.
The older person who is elder-like knows he or
she owes advocacy to the family, the community
and the environment. This person, living in the
autumn and winter of their life, hungers to
harvest through a celebration of their long life.
Harvesting the seeds they have sown leads to
leaving a legacy, sharing wisdom and supporting
the young to make their dreams come true.
The role of the elder in early history differed
considerably from what we call the elderly in
contemporary times. The elderly today are a
relative small number of people who fail to
celebrate their life accomplishments, and remain
angry and hurt over harm done to them long ago
by people they refuse to forgive.
The elderly live in fear of life and death, or they
long for life to end. The elderly older person of
today scares the young and reinforces the bias
we grow up with about ageing.
The elderly complain about ageing and spend
their retirement separating themselves from the
young. The elder continues to deepen his
experience of living even as he grows older.
They are just trying to get through it. The way we
think about elders is lost in the way we think
about the elderly.
Our fear of death and our consequent desire to
stay young gets in the way of expressing elder
energy. Out language overflows with words and
phrases we use to separate ourselves from old
people: relic of the-Past, old relic, out-of-date,
not-with-it, old fossil, obsolete, over-the-hill old
fogey, old codger, old crock, crotchety and
decrepit.
When the United States was formed in the 18th
century the founding fathers turned to the young
for their energy and their hunger for individual
expression. The "New Americans" wanted to
avoid the mistakes and excesses that had
reduced their European mother countries into an
old, wrinkled, withered, worn-out and patriarchal
gerontocracy. Since the Industrial Revolution,
the warm and nourishing grandparent had been
disappearing. Now on the new frontier the old
could not keep up and the new nation became a
community of young survivors who lost respect
for the old. In response to the bias toward the
old, when the young became elder citizens, they
assumed they were to get out of the way and
enter a state of retirement.
Although for many retiring is joyful, to retire
means to withdraw from business and public life.
In fact, "retiring" means, retreating, to go
backward. The elder retreats in a different way.
He retreats into contemplative activities that
assist in rediscovering one's spiritual center. The
message one gets is that the he or she must
move from self to other; from self to community.
Sharing one's long life experience is life
enhancing. The elder's retreat into contemplative
activity usually leads to an increased need to be
with and for other people.
If we buy into the western aging model of
Vi l lage Times Issue 24 Page 3
The Way Forward
depletion, recreation and retirement, our long life
experience is lost to the, generations that follow.
The elder seeks balance intellectually,
spiritually, emotionally and physically. And many
retirees find that much of the self-fulfilling
aspects of traditional retirement, such as play
and travel, don't, in and of themselves, enhance
a persons sense of balance. I don't mean to
suggest that elders are monks. They do enjoy
play and travel.
They probably won't be a shaman or a lama but
if they feel like a guru to those who benefit from
their wisdom, all the better. An elder is just an
older person who has called upon elder energy
from within their soul and psyche. They may
dress conservatively or old fashioned. They may
drive too slow, golf a lot, garden and enjoy
classes taught at the local senior center. What
makes them different is the need those around
them feel to be in their presence.
The young believe that old age means being
elderly. The elder role is an alternative to elderly
that is life enhancing, energizes others and calls
upon older people to be a resource rather than a
social burden. What we desperately need is
more elders and less elderly so how can one
make the transition? Perhaps we can try drilling
down for the precious memories, knowledge and
experience that has been deposited deep within
our souls and draw from this personal well.
Amaroo is fortunate in having many wonderful
elders.
David Fenwick Chief Executive Officer
The Way Forward (Continued from page 2)
Fire Wardens & Emergency Evacuation Procedures
Thank you for the good response to our Fire Warden & Section Warden survey.
We still need some areas to be covered. As residents in some areas become less mobile it is difficult
to fill the positions. However we will work on protecting all Residents in case of an emergency.
I am working on filling the positions from the survey and making sure all units receive an “Emergency
Evacuation Procedures” map and instructions. Please remember to read or have a family member or
friend read it to you, so you are aware of what to do and where to go in case of an Emergency.
It is the responsibility of all residents to become familiar with their evacuation assembly point.
Especially on weekends and after normal working hours, as staff are not available to assist.
Further development is taking place in this area to review and develop an ongoing Emergency
Evacuation Procedure to ensure the safety of all Amaroo‟s Residents and Staff.
Ian Palmer Property & Assets Co-ordinator
ABC Tokyo Ballet Performance
A group of extraordinary
performers from Japan gave
residents a opportunity to watch
a live ballet at the Nancye Jones
Centre on Monday 13th
December 2010. Residents were
amazed at the performance
„Mary & Joseph‟. It was great
show.
Page 4 V i l lage Times Issue 24
Carols by Sunset 2010
On Friday 3rd December 2010, Gosnells
Village residents enjoyed the entertainment by
the Canning Brass Band at the Winnie Jones
Centre Greens with the help of staff and
volunteers of Amaroo Village and the Gosnells
Lions Club. We would like to thank everyone
for their help and for such an enjoyable
evening.
Amaroo Community Care Services
Amaroo has been allocated twenty (20) Community Aged Care Packages to assist Village residents and others in the community to remain living in their own homes. These services will include assistance with laundry; shopping; transport; medication, showering and meal preparation Services will be subsidized by the Commonwealth Government with Clients contributing towards the costs of the service. As a lead up to this service, Amaroo Village has employed Jane Warman to visit Village Residents to ascertain their current and future needs in relation to services in their Units.
Should Jane Visit you, please provide her with the necessary information, this will be a great help not only to us but also you the resident in obtaining services should they be required. Allan Reed Manager Residential Care
Vi l lage Times Issue 24 Page 5
Gutter Cleaning
Gutter cleaning will take place in March, April and May this year and every year around this time.
We endeavour to maintain clean gutter throughout the village, however at $30 - $40 per unit it
works out very expensive.
The budget only allows one gutter cleaning per year. In some cases we have to clean out the
gutters two or three times.
As you would have noticed we try to remove the problem by trimming the trees or in some cases
removing the trees altogether.
The choose is to remove all trees or increase the service fee to cover the additional gutter
cleaning.
On behave of the Maintenance Team, I would like to thank The Resident for their patience and
cooperation.
Ian Palmer Property & Assets Co-ordinator
Our aim is to create a homely friendly
atmosphere at McMahon Caring Centre.
Your right to privacy and independence and
your right to make choices and decisions will
be highly respected.
Staff are here to assist you with care needs,
please speak to staff if you have any
concerns. If you feel there is something we
can do better we are happy to listen to all
feedback. Please make use of the
„Comments & Complaints‟ forms that are
readily available through out the facility.
There are many activities daily at McMahon
and all residents are encouraged to join in,
our therapy staff will speak to
you within a couple of days
of entry to give you more
information.
McMahon Caring Centre has
beautiful grounds & is a
lovely place for a walk to
enjoy the garden, we have a
children‟s playground at the back of the
building for our younger visitors.
We also have bus trips weekly, the bus has a
lift so our non ambulant residents can go,
and there is a rotary system as we have
limited space.
The Gosnells Market are a short walk and
are open Thursday, Friday, Saturday &
Sunday, also Gosnells train station is a 10
minute walk away & a frequent bus service
runs along the Albany Highway.
We would also strongly recommend
completing and returning all paperwork
provided by Administration and the
admissions co-ordinator so
that the settling in period
will be less stressful.
Dennis Tahalele
Manager Residential Care,
McMahon Caring Centre
Introduction to McMahon Caring Centre
for new Residents
Page 6 V i l lage Times Issue 24
Fun for the Retired
Working people frequently ask retired people
what they do to make their days interesting.
Well, for example, the other day, Mary my wife
and I went into town and visited a shop. We
were only in there for about 5 minutes. When
we came out, there was a cop writing out a
parking ticket.
We went up to him and I said, 'Come on, man,
how about giving a senior citizen a break?'
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket.
I called him a dumb ass. He glared at me and
started writing another ticket for having
worn-out tires.
So Mary called him a thickhead. He finished
the second ticket and put it on the windshield
with the first.
Then he started writing a third ticket.
This went on for about 20 minutes.
The more we abused him, the more tickets he
wrote.
Just then our bus
arrived, and we got on
it and went home. We
try to have a little fun
each day now that
we're retired. It's
important at our age.
Staff Profile
My name is Jane Warman and as many of you
are aware, was previously the Resident
Accommodation Co-ordinator at Amaroo, I
completed a Diploma in Community Services
Management and went on to work for Mercy
care and City of Canning. My life then took a
change in a somewhat different direction! For
the past 3 years I have had a very challenging
role as a School Chaplain at Southern River
College, I loved the kids and working
alongside great teachers and Principal.
One of my programs was to bring students
along to both of our caring facilities where they
interacted by helping with activities or just
listening to some very interesting tales,
students used this experience in their
assignments at school. I loved the Pastoral
care side to Chaplaincy so much that I am now
doing a degree in Ministry.
I am now employed as the Resident Liaison
Officer at Amaroo Village undertaking a role in
assessing the current and future needs of the
residents, in particular their requirements for
services.
Jane Warman
Resident Liaison Officer
Vi l lage Times Issue 24 Page 7
Service Fee Increase for next year’s Budget Increases to service fees in current year‟s budget were held down to assist residents cope with
steeply rising utility charges, however it can be seen that we cannot afford to do this again next
year. Additional grounds and maintenance staff are required to keep up with the growing
workload within the village. To attract and retain these people, we will need to offer improved
wages. Then, our ability to absorb further utility increases such as electricity and water is no
longer possible, so it will be necessary to cover future increases with the service fees. Another
area to address is the cost of upgrading the emergency call system and outsourcing this as we
can no longer provide this service from Buckley Caring Centre for our Gosnells residents.
Regrettable but necessary, but be assured any increase in service fees will be kept absolutely
minimal.
Below, is a graph indicating where Amaroo Village has been with our service fees in comparison
with other villages within the southern metro region.
$60.00
$80.00
$100.00
$120.00
$140.00
$160.00
$180.00
Amaroo Village Gosnells
$149.80
$160.00 $165.00
$151.50
$169.65
Fort
nig
htl
y Fe
e
Various West Australian Villages
2 Bed RFU Fee Comparison
As at 31st Jan 2011
“Old age is no place for sissies” - Bette Davis
“Men become old, but they never become good”
- Oscar Wilde
“I‟m going to be eighty soon, and I guess the
one thing that puzzles me most is how quick it
got here” - Roy Acuff
“ Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you
don‟t mind it doesn‟t matter” - Mark Twain
“We don‟t grow older, we grow riper” - Pablo
Picasso
“Age is something that doesn‟t matter, unless
you are a cheese” - Billie Barker
Quotes about Ageing
Page 8 V i l lage Times Issue 24
Communicare Inc to use the Hospital
Gosnells Village residents are advised that with widespread indicative support of 6:1 for the former Gosnells Family Hospital to be leased to Communicare Inc to use for their Humanitarian Settlement Services Program which is about assisting approved migrants settle into Australian society, the Amaroo Care Services Inc Board of Directors have supported the proposal.
Communicare Inc have been awarded the contract and plan to take over the building during March with view to commencing contractual operations during April.
In order to allay some of the concerns raised by residents at the meeting held on 28th January,
Communicare have undertaken to:
Ensure there will be support staff on the premises 24/7;
Arrange structured activities (including offsite) will also be provided on the weekend;
For children specifically there will be a childrens area and crèche facilities within the premises; and they will also have access to children‟s services programs at other Communicare sites;
Ensure there will be a no visitor policy within the Former Gosnells Family Hospital premises;
Ensure participants of this communal living situation will be expected to respectful of others within program and those in the surrounding environment;
A fence would be erected on the north east side of the building for the purpose of creating a distinct separation between Amaroo and Communicare‟s proposed program and to also limit any potential noise; and
Encourage the residents of Amaroo to establish a Reference Group to provide ongoing feedback.
Communicare would also welcome the participation of any interested Amaroo residents in the program as volunteers.
Would you like to be a Volunteer?
Our Volunteer program at Amaroo is a vital link between our residents and the community.
It aims to promote self-esteem, encourage independence and
enhance the quality of life of all who live at Amaroo.
We can offer you a variety of roles at all sites:
Including, Buckley Caring Centre, McMahon Caring Centre and
Independent Units
So come along and join our team of wonderful volunteers.
