Huge Year Ahead!
This is our first newsletter of the year and what a fantastic year it will be. Duncan Lodge is due to open next month and the married couples rooms will be completed, as well as the new laundry, cafe and reception.

Then we can sit back and enjoy!!

Duncan Lodge is particularly exciting. Our residents have already moved into the Lodge and the feedback is really positive.

Everyone is more relaxed with all the open spaces and there’s lots of scope for activities and therapies for our residents.

Some of the things we’ve introduced which are really important include:

A Barn Door: Fitting a barn door can be useful as a barrier for a person with dementia who may have difficulty recognizing unsafe situations, such as wandering into the kitchen at busy times. The door prevents entry but enables them to see what their carer is doing. A barn door is divided so that the top half of the door can be open while the lower half remains closed.

Painting and Colour: We’ve used matt paint rather than gloss to reduce reflected glare which can be disturbing for people with vision impairment and those with dementia. Reflected light and glare make it harder to see the environmental cues we use to help us to find our way. And we’ve used colour to contrast or highlight key locations in the unit to make it easier for individuals with vision or perception difficulties.

Amazing how time flies past! This year we are celebrating our 112th year. We’ve certainly come a long long way in that time and now have some of the best facilities in New Zealand, if not Australasia.

We’ve got a number of celebrations planned this year, so watch this space….

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to the following Residents for January and February from all the Staff at Sprott House:

New reception and café for all

We are planning to open a small shop on site, where, all going according to plan, we will be able to buy light refreshments to enjoy in the new outdoor patio area behind the new reception.

For a long time we have known the main entrance of Sprott has been a favourite spot for our residents to sit and watch the comings and goings of the outside world.

As part of our renovations we have decided to build a double lobby to act as a wind break and to create a beautiful new reception area.

Keep watching for the new make-over which is surely going to be enjoyed by all!!

Staff news
Congratulations: To Salome Savou and Shayne Strom on the birth of their baby boy Logan.

Farewell : To Vai Leota, Litiana Uluibruotu and Olivia Lameko
who have been so inspired as Care Givers at Sprott House they have gone to do their nurse training. We wish them all the very best and look forward to having them back as our Registered Nurses.

A very sad farewell to our long time hairdresser Leonie Brough. Leonie has been the Sprott Hairdresser for over 35 years!! We are planning a big farewell for Leone who has decided to finally take it easy and become a lady of leisure.

Radio Awards Nomination
Our new radio advertising campaign has been greeted with so much great feedback, we’ve been nominated for the Newstalk ZB radio networks.

The advertisements focus on what it’s like living here at Sprott, the home-like atmosphere and the activities, such as barbecues.

The fact that we aim to be a real home to everyone, whether in independent apartments or hospital care is emphasised.

Sprott House – reassuring, realistic and refreshingly forward thinking!

Regular exercise critical for health

Every issue we talk about the importance of exercise for your health and as autumn begins to draw closer, we all need to make sure we keep up the good work.

Walking is a great exercise but if you are not able to walk around our ground as much as you could, there are many chair exercises which can help keep you fit and healthy.

Here are some leg exercises you can do sitting on a chair.

• Seated with your feet together, bring one knee up toward the chest and hold for several seconds. Repeat with the other leg. Repeat, alternating legs, 10 times.
• Extend one leg and hold it, straight out, for several seconds. Alternate legs for 10 repetitions.
• March in place. With feet together, flat on the floor, lift heels alternately.
• Sit far enough forward in your chair that you can extend your legs straight out. Move them out to the side as far as you can, then bring them together and cross them, extend them to the side again, and then lower them.

Carole Hazelman