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St John’s Court Monthly News Letter

July 2016

1 We would like to welcome some new staff members to the team at St John’s Court & we hope that they enjoy their new jobs: Sam Patterson & Bernie Kelleher – Care Assistants

We say goodbye to the following staff & wish them happiness in whatever they choose to do: Anne Daniel has sadly left us to go onto new challenges, Lindsey Hollick will also be leaving us to work at the hospital & we wish them both lots of luck & happiness in their new roles.

Forth coming Residents Birthdays: Joyce Goldsmith – 3rd July, Derek Woollaston – 4th July, Joan Muddiman – 18th July, Ron Gower – 21st July, Marie Sloane & Evelyn Warren – 25th July, Tony Twigger – 31st July.

All residents Birthdays are celebrated with a Card from all at St John’s Court & a Birthday Cake. If families wish to stay for lunch or have a room made available for family to hold a get together then please let us know.

Forth coming staff Birthdays: Danni Stiles – 6th July, Michelle Thomas – 14th July, Jane Bright – 14th July, Jessica Bennett – 21st July & Doreen Goldsby – 25th July

Good News:

Sue Mooney celebrated her 60th Birthday & after returning from her holiday & was presented with a card & gifts – Enjoy!

Sue receiving her gifts

St John’s Fundraising: This months fund raiser for the residents Welfare Fund is guess the amount of sweets in the jar. Please support us & have a guess, it is £1.00 ago.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us & Good Luck!

Employee of the Month 2 I would like to thank all of the team at St John’s Court as you all work really hard to make it a lovely home for the residents & a happy place to work.

I would like to thank everyone for their nominations which were absolutely lovely. The winner of Employee of the Month for June is: Tracey Cooper & Jayne Harris

Tracey & Jayne were presented with a certificate & a small gift. Well Done to you both & thank you for making a difference. Please support us & let us know who has made a difference to your daily life.

The nominations reasons were: Tracey – She goes above & beyond for everyone – residents & staff. Always helping members of staff when required without complaining. Supportive of staff & very kind hearted towards the residents. The past few months Tracey has tried hard & is lovely to work with. She is a brilliant team player always helping everyone out. She always has a smile no matter how busy we are & makes the residents smile with her laughter.

Jayne –Excellent carer & supportive of staff & residents. Does a lot of overtime, always bubbly & hard working. Great to work with & you can always have a laugh, a great team player. Very helpful easy to approach & a pleasure to have on the team. All in one – like a mother to night staff & residents, warm, empathetic & loving. Always helps everyone.

Other members of the team nominated for Employee of the Month were:

3 Emily Price – for her care & compassion & how she interacts, listens & chats with ladies & gentlemen. I wish we had more Emily’s working here. Trish Spence – she is so good with residents in their rooms. Heather Mitchell – she puts so much effort into everything she does for residents & is always thinking ahead & planning events & activities for residents. Tori Randle – what a lovely carer we have at St John’s, such a pleasure to work with nothing is too much trouble for the residents or the team, always happy & gives 100%. Lesley Lewis – She is a wonderful lady & a fantastic carer. She is very attentive with the ladies & gentlemen & does all she can for anyone. Kelly Dews – She works so hard on the rota’s & allocations to make them fair & to help staff swap shifts & is very hardworking. Jane Walker – She works extremely hard in the laundry & always does the best she possibly can. An incredible person, friendly, trustworthy, honest & I can always go to her. Also for her amazing dance moves & singing when she is ironing. She isn’t just a colleague she is an amazing friend.

Events which took place in June: We had a very busy June with lots of events taking place.  Tuesdays – Pet Therapy – Maisie the Black Labrador visits & as always her visit is very popular & brightens everyone’s day  Tuesdays & Thursdays – Bromsgrove School visit for Games Afternoon & Crafts  Thursday 2nd June – Residents & Relatives meeting to be held in the Dining Room at 3.00pm & in the conservatory at 6.00pm  Monday 6th June – National Carers week Awards Ceremony – After the success of last years Awards afternoon we will held the same event this year in recognition of the hard work all team members at St John’s put into making a difference to the ladies & gentlemen’s lives here. There were two Trustees who visited to give out the awards & a photographer from the local paper came along & this was followed by Afternoon Tea, we had a lovely turnout. Thank you to residents, relatives & team members who nominated for the different categories which we based on woodland animals. All the winning nominees received a certificate & gift voucher which they were present by Trustees Jill Barter & Lesley Dart – thank you to your both for your support.

Chris Warman(Housekeeper) won Basement Badger & Cristina Sincu (Nurse) won The Nightingale

4 James Mogg (Care Assistant) & Lesley Lewis (HCA) were both nominated Doting Deers

Heather Mitchell (Activity Organiser) voted Busy Bee & Ivan Longauer (care assistant) voted Night Owl

Jayne Raybould (care assistant) voted Fluttering Butterfly & Pat Slater (Head Cook) voted Munching Mole

Waiting in anticipation of the awards Jill Lesley reading out the nominations  At the back of the newsletter is a summary of all of the nominations made with the reasons why.

 Tuesday 7th June – We had an afternoon tea with Age UK. Two members of the Age UK team visited as they want to build community links with us, this was a successful afternoon with a talk from the team. What they would like to work with us on is to try to set up a ‘Befriending Service’ & they will support residents to go to the community centre at Amphlett Hall to social events which will be fantastic.  Thursday 9th June – We were entertained by the Duo Me & My Girl followed by a Cuppa & Cake Meeting with Pat the Head Cook to discuss meals & suggestions. They had a variety of musical instruments & we were all encouraged to participate in the singing & we had a very enjoyable afternoon.

 Thursday 9th June – we also had the cuppa & cake meeting with the cook  Tuesday 14th June – Minibus trip hopefully to Cannon Hill Park & we will be taking a picnic with us to hopefully enjoy whilst sat in the park – weather permitting. Unfortunately this was cancelled due to not having a driver for the minibus.

6  Thursday 16th June – Tai- Chi class & movement to music held by Alan, as always this was a well attended class which everyone enjoyed.  Friday 17th June – National Care Home Open Day – we were due to be visited by Sajid Javid – MP for Afternoon Tea & a chat but sadly this was cancelled due to the death of MP Jo Cox. However the day was enjoyable with a visit from William Waddington & Trustee Pat Walker followed by a very popular Cheese & Wine Afternoon with lots of samples of cheeses.  Friday 24th June – We held a pub lunch with fish & chips or ploughmans lunch & as always this was very popular, the only problem is we need a bigger pub to fit everyone in as it is so popular! We also enjoyed a pub quiz in the afternoon.  Thursday 30th June – Monthly Information Coffee Morning in the Dining Room at 11.00am. This months topic was Medication & the information morning was be led by Faye Upton – Deputy Manager & Medication champion. She was offering advice on medications & the importance of ensuring they are taken correctly & any side effects which you may experience & what to do.

All the hard work in the garden deserves a cup of tea

Dot & Ruth keeping a watchful eye on Michael preparing the table for painting Planned Events:

Information Morning coffee/Afternoon Teas:

7 We have arranged monthly morning coffee or afternoon tea information days which will be held on the last Thursday of the Month. All residents, relatives, team members & people in the community (they are in the local paper) are invited to attend these events which are being hosted by our Champions who go above & beyond to ensure that changes to benefit the residents take place & changes are cascaded to the rest of the team. Listed below are the dates of the events together with the time.

Everyone is Welcome & we look forward to seeing you - Please join us for a cup of coffee & a chat, your knowledge & experiences are welcomed & we would be happy to support with information, where possible.

 July – Cristina Sincu, Sue Mooney & Michelle Du-Roe – Diabetes & Nutrition & Hydration – 28.07.16 – 2.30pm-3.30pm Afternoon TeaTimes  August – James Mogg & Kath Upton – Dignity & Personal Appearance – 25.08.16 - 11.00am- 12.00noon Coffee Morning  September – Wendy Dalby – Oral Health – 29.09.16 – 2.30pm-3.30pm Afternoon Tea  October – Ffion Birch – Parkinsons - 27.10.16 - 11.00am-12.00noon Coffee Morning  November –- 24.11.16 – Elliott Edwards – Mental Capacity & Mental Health (MCA) - 2.30pm- 3.30pm Afternoon Tea  December – Lisa Dews & Jayne Raybould – EOL & Remembrance Afternoon – 29.12.16 2.30pm Afternoon Tea together with a balloon release with personal messages attached

Cuppa & Cake Meetings with the Cook:

The very popular Cuppa & Cake meetings continue with Pat our Cook alternate months & these are listed below:  Thursday 11th August  Thursday 13th October  Thursday 1st December Residents, relatives & members of the team are all invited to these informal meetings to discuss meal options & to make suggestions & requests to help with future mean planning & to keep everyone informed.

Residents & Family Meeting: The minute from the last meeting are on the notice board if you would like to have a look. The next residents & family meeting will be on Thursday 3rd March at 11.00am & 6.00pm, everyone is welcome to attend. The planned residents & relatives meetings during the year are as below but may be subject to change:  Saturday 2nd July – 11.00am  Thursday 8th September – 11.00am & 6.00pm  Saturday 12th November – 11.00am  Tuesday 6th December – 3.00pm & 6.00pm 8 Planned events for July 2016:  Tuesdays – Pet Therapy – Maisie the Black Labrador visits  Tuesdays & Thursdays – Bromsgrove School visit for Games Afternoon & Crafts  Saturday 2nd July – Relatives meeting 11.00am in the dining room – all are welcome.  Monday 11th July – Minibus Trip to Evesham Country Park – minibus permitting following our recent cancellation.  Wednesday 13th July – Primrose Hospice Choir in the dining Room at 2.00pm. This is always very popular with lots of audience participation.  Thursday 14th July – Lunch time BBQ & Pimms – our theme this year is ‘Neon or Bright Colours’ so please join us in brightening up what may be a dull Summers Day! Everyone is welcome.  Thursday 21st July – We will be entertained by Beth Berry Variety Show at 2.30pm in the Dining Room.  Thursday 28th July – Afternoon Tea & Champion Information afternoon lead by Cristina sincu – Nurse with information about Diabetes & Michelle Du-Roe – Kitchen Assistant who will have information about Nutrition at 2.30pm in the Dining Room.

Please see the activity board for the events Calendar for all other activities.

Facts for July

Basic Facts - In ancient Rome, July was the fifth month of the year. It was originally called Quintilis which means fifth in Latin. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted, it became the seventh month of the year. It still kept the name of Quintilis until the death of Julius Caesar. The seventh month of the year was Julius Caesar's birth month so it was renamed in his honor. July is one of the seven months with thirty one days.

Birthstone - The birthstone for July is the ruby. Rubies are very durable. The only natural gemstone that is harder than a ruby is a diamond. The color of rubies can vary, with the dark vivid red or purplish red being the most valuable. Since red is the color associated with love and passion, it is no surprise that rubies symbolize success in love. They also symbolize health, wealth, and wisdom.

Flower - One of the flowers for the month of July is the larkspur which is also known as delphinium. It is a tall flower that can grow to a height of one to two feet. It comes in a variety of colors and symbolizes an open heart. Larkspur may be a symbol of an open heart, but the plant itself is not kind hearted. It is poisonous to livestock, especially cattle.

9 Another flower for the month of July is the water lily. There are several dozen species of water lilies and they also come in a variety of colors. Water lilies symbolize eloquence and persuasion.

Astrological Signs - Cancer and Leo are the astrological signs for July. Birthdays from July 1st through the 22nd fall under the sign of Cancer. July 23rd through the 31st birthdays fall under the sign of Leo.

Famous People Born in July

Many famous people were born in July. Here are just a few of them.

Four presidents: John Quincy Adams, George W. Bush, Calvin Coolidge and Gerald Ford Several actors and actresses: Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Lisa Kudrow, Helen Mirren, and Robin Williams Authors: Ernest Hemingway, Beatrix Potter, J.K. Rowling, and E.B. White

Historic Events in July

Many major events happened during the seventh month of the year. Here are three historical events that took place in July.

The Declaration of Independence was signed by John Hancock on July 4, 1776.

The District of Columbia was established on July 16, 1790.

Neil Armstrong had the honor of being the first man on the moon. This memorable historic event took place on July 20, 1969.

St. Swithin's Day is 15 July, a day on which people watch the weather for tradition says that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days.

There is a weather-rhyme is well known throughout the British Isles since Elizabethan times. copied from projectbritain.com

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain For forty days it will remain St. Swithin's day if thou be fair For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

10 dost = does thou = you nae mair = no more.

Who was St. Swithin?

St. Swithin (or more properly, Swithun) was a Saxon Bishop of Winchester. He was born in the kingdom of Wessex and educated in its capital, Winchester. He was famous for charitable gifts and building churches.

Why do people watch the weather on St. Swithin's day?

A legend says that as the Bishop lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried out of doors, where he would be trodden on and rained on. For nine years, his wishes were followed, but then, the monks of Winchester attempted to remove his remains to a splendid shrine inside the cathedral on 15 July 971. According to legend there was a heavy rain storm either during the ceremony or on its anniversary.

This led to the old wives' tale (folklore) that if it rains on St Swithin's Day (July 15th), it will rain for the next 40 days in succession, and a fine 15th July will be followed by 40 days of fine weather.

However, according to the Met Office, this old wives' tale is nothing other than a myth. It has been put to the test on 55 occasions*, when it has been wet on St Swithin's Day and 40 days of rain did not follow.

We hope that you have enjoyed our Monthly Newsletter.

If you have any news, facts or poems to go into our August News Letter then please let Laura, Faye, Mel, Heather , Ffion or Doreen know so that it will feature in the next News Letter.