Page 1

This N’ That 2

Up Coming Events 3

Birthdays 4

Dates to

Remember 5

Dealing with

Dysphasia Article 6-7

Fun Riddle 8

Calendar 9

Inside this issue:

NEWSLETTER—OCTOBER 2016

ACCREDITATION SPOT CHECK VISIT:

On Monday we had an unannounced visit from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency. This is a normal procedure where they are able to make unannounced visits to check the facility is providing best practice care and management. All Aged Care facilities have 44 National Standards that they must comply with when they are accredited; this process normally takes place every 3 years and over a three day period. When they make unannounced visits they only focus on two random standards. The two topics that they chose to audit were 2.7 Medication Management and 1.6 Human Resource Management. Whilst they were here they chatted to residents, families and staff observing and auditing our procedures. I am pleased to announce that after the visit the Agency recommended that we had met the standards required and commented on what a lovely aged care facility it was. They made no suggestions but only offered such positive feedback about our residents, staff and facility. Well done everyone.

Further information about the agency can be found at https://www.aacqa.gov.au/for-the-public/for-providers

Drop off point:

The ambulance bay in the car park is now also a drop off and pick up ONLY point. This allows family and friends to collect residents in a safe location.

QUOTE OF THE

MONTH:

Let us always meet each other with

smile, for the smile is the

beginning of love.

Mother Teresa

Daylight Savings:

Don’t forget Daylight saving will begin in on Sunday, 2 October 2016, when clocks move forward one hour at 2:00am.

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THIS n’ THAT

We warmly welcome our new residents to The Palms Aged Care

Monica Simpson,

Lorraine Staines, Paul Fassen, Jon Roberts,

Daphne Lawes

We do hope you are settling into the regime of the

facility.

100 CLUB FUNDRAISER:

Its fundraising time and we

thought we would do something a

little different. We are holding a

100 Club.

HOW IT WORKS: You buy one or

more numbered squares from a

grid of 1-100 for $20 each. Once

all the squares have been

purchased, we then over a 10

week period, draw 1 ticket per

week. If your number has been

drawn you will win $100. The

winning number is then

eliminated for the remaining

weeks.

For more information contact the

RAOS. This competition is open

for Residents, Relatives and Staff.

YOU HAVE TO BE IN IT TO WIN

IT!!!

WE HAVE 6 NUMBERS REMAINING!!

SUMMER MENU A new menu for Summer will be soon reviled by catering industries, we look forward to seeing the new dishes we have in store. On an added note we welcome family and friends to join residents for lunch and dinner, for $10.00 per person. bookings essential.

If you have any suggestions please see RAOs.

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RESIDENT AND RELATIVE MEETING: Come to our R & R meeting on the 11

th of October. It is your time to let

us know if you have any compliments or complaints, It is time for you to have an input.

All your suggestions help us improve and make the Palms a better place for all.

GRANDPARENTS DAY Its time to celebrate our grandparents, and on the 24

th

October we will be doing so. We will be holding a special afternoon and mini celebrations; this will involve listening to music and reminiscence about family.

If you would like to attend, please see the RAOs.

KRIS’s FEATHERED FRIENDS We will be getting a visit from some of our feathered friends and possibly a giant rabbit on the 25

th October.

She will visit each room and you can get the opportunity to have a cuddle with a parrot, pigeon, or some chickens and have a photo to keep forever.

BUSTERS GIRLS Busters girls will be coming to perform for us on the 27

th October in

the high care lounge. They have a great act with 3 costume changes, and do a variety of songs, that we can all sing along to. We cant wait to see them perform and have fun with the great energy they bring.

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Birthday Wishes

for OCTOBER

High Care:

Joan Hill 10th Derek Butler 16th Valerie Quirk 24th

Low Care:

Judith Pettiford 27th

October Birth Flower The October Birth Flower is the

Calendula (Marigold),

Meaning of the October Birth Flower:

The meaning of the October Birth Flower, the Calendula (Marigold) is

sorrow or sympathy

Sign of the Zodiac and Dates: Libra - September 24 - October 23

October Birthstone: The Opal

Characteristics of Libra : Charming, Perceptive, Diplomatic,

Pleasant & Refined

The Libra Star Sign Personality

Libras are emotionally impulsive and just love being in love. In fact they can get quite depressed if they feel unwanted. They’re also known as ‘Lazy Libran’ because they don’t like to make decisions. They’re just happy to go with the flow. They’re fantastically beautiful. People will do anything for them. They’re affectionate and sympathetic and intensely interested in people. They love entertaining and lots of good food, which means they’re forever dieting. They’re also the world’s biggest spenders.

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10th

Ladies Pamper Day

14th

Happy Hour

20th

Mens Shed

18th

High Tea in the

Garden

24th

Grandparents Day

25th

Kris’s Feathered

Friends

27th

Busters Girls

28th

Happy Hour

Attention residents

Catholic service every Friday Combined Church Every Second Tuesday

Hairdresser every Wednesday. Please see RAOs to make appointment Bus trips Low Care: Tuesdays High Care: Fridays Weather permitting

Dates to Remember OCTOBER 2016

MOVIE MATINEE

MOVIES All movies start at 1:30 pm multipurpose room

Date Movie

5th The Dish

12th Crescendo, the power of music

26th My Brilliant Career

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Dealing With Dysphagia By Maura Keller

Aging Well

Working with older adults recognize, swallowing function can deteriorate with age. Older adults’ teeth are often weak or absent. The mucosal surfaces in the mouth and throat are less moist. There is a loss of muscle strength in the mouth and throat that slows swallowing and makes it difficult to swallow hard or dry solid foods. But it’s dysphagia, problems with neural control or structures in any part of the swallowing process, that often makes the eating process extremely challenging for older adults.

KEY CONCERNS Older patients’ proper nutritional intake is a key concern under normal circumstances. So when normal changes in swallowing are exacerbated by dysphagia, other concerns arise, including poor nutritional status and dehydration, loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss, less enjoyment in eating, and the possibility of food entering the airway and leading to aspiration pneumonia.

Dysphagia in older patients is often mild for long periods of time. “This is due to age-related changes in laryngeal and pharyngeal sensation as well as very mild discoordination between oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing that allows the food to safely pass the vocal cords on the way to the stomach,” Ivey says. “Because these are often mild, they go undiagnosed until a larger medical problem arises and then the swallowing problems may be exacerbated due to weakness or deconditioning.”

The most life-threatening complication of dysphagia is aspiration (food, liquid, or secretions “leaking” into the lungs).

“Because of the high incidence of lung disease and general weakness in the elderly, it is especially dangerous,” Spiegel says. “Aspiration after stroke has a 15% mortality rate. Aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization and death in nursing home residents.

IDENTIFYING CONTRIBUTING FACTORS So what are the key indications that an older patient is suffering from dysphagia? According to Claire Kennedy, MS, RD, LDN, a registered/licensed dietitian working at the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice in Norwell, Mass., and an outpatient dietitian at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, some observable signs indicating potential problems include the following:

coughing while eating or drinking; choking on food, fluid, or medication; a gurgly sounding voice, especially after eating or drinking; difficulty swallowing food or fluid; and the pocketing of food on one side of the mouth.

Questions physicians can ask that offer clues related to potential dysphagia problems among elder patients include the following:

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Do you often cough or choke after eating or drinking? Does it sometimes feel as though food is going down the “wrong way”? Do you often feel that food is stuck in your throat? How long does it take you to eat a meal? Is eating sometimes less enjoyable than it had been previously? Have you recently experienced weight loss without trying to lose weight?

Esophageal reflux has been found to change sensation at the level of the pharynx and can affect swallowing. “Individuals may feel that they have a lump in the throat that causes difficulty with food passing,” Ivey says. “Reflux may also cause thick mucus that interferes with comfortable swallowing.”

Changes in the structure of the esophagus may also cause difficulty when swallowing. “For example, Zenker’s diverticulum causes a ‘pocket’ in the esophagus where food gets stuck and can often be regurgitated. Strictures of the esophagus may also impede passage of food,” Ivey says. “Structural disorders such as these may be amenable to surgical intervention once they are identified.”

More significant swallowing problems may indicate a neurologic problem or, in some cases, a mass that must be properly diagnosed and treated. While these are less common, they may be serious and require proper diagnostic work-up.

TREATMENT OPTIONS Health professionals, particularly speech therapists, work with patients to improve the safety of their swallow with compensatory techniques. A speech therapist typically identifies the specific problem and makes recommendations that may include changes in positioning or posture when eating or drinking, exercises to strengthen or improve swallowing muscles, techniques to aid in swallowing more safely, or changes in consistency of foods (such as puréeing or mashing them) and the possibility of adding thickeners to fluids to improve ease of swallowing.

A dietician can outline the appropriate consistency of foods that minimizes the difficulties of swallowing and eating.

“The goal of the practitioner should be to offer the most permissive yet safe diet for a patient,” Ivey says. “This often involves thickening liquids to ensure the patient does not aspirate. If oral intake is not sufficient to meet caloric needs, alternative methods for feeding may be considered. Nutrition support can be helpful in constructing a healthy diet for those with restrictive eating needs due to swallowing problems.”

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