We are hosting a community event on Thursday 15 October at the Founder Café, from 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm, which is open to the public.  Tea and coffee will be provided.

 

Join David Barnes from the Australia NZ Falls Prevention Alliance and his team from the Otago Medical School as they share practical advice on fall prevention at home and in the workplace. Attendees will also have the opportunity to:

This event is a community service, hosted by the Rotary Club of Papanui in conjunction with the Tū Ora – Otago Falls Network.

 

 

8 October: Ricki Anderson.
Our speaker last week was Ricki Anderson. An accomplished woman who has run many Nursing Homes over the last 30 years.  The most memorable event, still clearly etched in her memory, was the 6.3 earthquake which shook Christchurch in 2011. Ricki was in charge of 70 elderly residents at Woodchester Eventide Home which catered for people with dementia and end of life care.

 

The nursing home was severely damaged and the shift was coming to an end one hour after the earthquake.  Staff had to quickly move all the residents, many bedridden and with oxygen tanks, out to the carpark. Many staff helped for long as possible, but by 4pm four staff remained. A group of Shirley Boys High School boys arrived and assisted moving people around as it was cold with light rain. 

Two of the staff went back into the building which had not suffered too much damage, to find a safe and dry alternative for the residents.  They found two rooms which were quickly set up as a dormitory. There was no hot water for residents to have a hot drink, they were unable to access their belongings or medications which was worrying.

 

Ricki had already contacted the Auckland head office updating them on the situation and was assured help would be on its way.
They continued to wait and wait. During the early morning, help arrived by way of the army.  Ricki was given a list of where each resident was to be rehoused at other Aged Care facilities across
Christchurch, Wellington and other parts of NZ. Ricki was unable to inform the families of where their loved one was housed,as teh phone lines were jammed across Christchurch.

Amazingly none of the residents were hurt or died as a
result of the earthquake. However, everyone learnt many valuable lessons on how to respond in an emergency situation and Aged Care facilities have been able to review and have a ready response to situations like this for the future.

Thank you Ricki we found your story very interesting and gave us a better understanding of what happened to many elderly during that time.

 

CHRISTMAS FUNCTION