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About Resthaven
Established in 1935, Resthaven Incorporated is respected for the delivery of high quality, responsive, accredited services for older South Australians and their carers.
A Public Benevolent Institution, Resthaven is a separately incorporated and financially independent community service associated with the Uniting Church in Australia.
Residential Aged Care
For those who require residential aged care, Resthaven’s fully accredited residential care facilities offer high quality care, residential respite accommodation, secure units for people with memory loss and meaningful leisure and lifestyle programs.
Examples of lifestyle activities offered at Resthaven include:
• Current Affairs e.g. newspaper reading and discussion groups
• Knowledge programs
• Poetry and Brainteaser Quizzes
• Bingo
• Cards and Board Games
• Bus trips
• Armchair travel
• Carpet bowls
• Reminiscence sessions
• Music and concerts
• Men’s group
• Guest speakers
Retirement Living
Resthaven’s retirement living villages and apartments offer privacy, security, and a community atmosphere, providing independence with peace of mind.
Six fabulous unique villages are co-located with an aged care home - Bellevue Heights, Leabrook, Malvern, Marion, Paradise and Port Elliot. Resthaven also has stand-alone retirement villages in a range of locations across South Australia. These are ideal for older people who want centrally located accommodation with the independence to come and go as they please.
In addition, On Statenborough provides luxury retirement living, with a resort-style retirement community located in the prestigious suburb of Leabrook.
Home & Community Care
Resthaven provides a range of in-home services which provide support for older people in their own homes.
Resthaven offers in-home care and support to older people living throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, the Fleurieu and the Limestone Coast. Rehabilitation and wellness centres are located at Elizabeth, Marion, Woodville, Murray Bridge and Paradise.
Services depend on the needs of the individual and a Resthaven Coordinator will work with you, and your family and friends if you wish, to create a home care plan for your needs.
The amount of care provided depends on the extent of a person’s care needs, ranging from one hour a week for lower care to much more for those with more complex support needs.
Respite for carers
Resthaven offers a range of in-home, small group, centre based and overnight respite options. All residential facilities offer short-term residential respite accommodation.
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Resthaven Westbourne Park resident Mrs Helen Doley spends her days thinking of others. Whether it’s sewing clothing items for the charity Samaritan’s Purse or making cards to donate to an organisation caring for families of road accident victims, Helen finds joy and purpose in using her skills to brighten someone else’s day.
If you have visited Resthaven Marion lately, you may have noticed the posters around the place depicting the Auslan signing alphabet, as well as some basic words and phrases (perhaps you’ve even tried to learn them yourself?). These resources are being used by residents and staff alike to allow them to more effectively communicate with resident, Mrs Elaine Foxwell.
Jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane might not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but for Resthaven Riverland Community Services client, Mr Bruce Hoffmann, there’s no better way to celebrate your birthday. Turning 94 on 14 November, Bruce completed his 6th skydive on 23 November, this time taking to the skies with his daughter, Lori.
Madeline Giles-Lindsay (Maddie) recently stepped into her new role as Safety & Wellbeing Advisor at Resthaven, and the transition has been smoother than she anticipated. ‘It’s been a surprisingly easy transition,’ she reflects, crediting the team for being ‘really welcoming and eager to share their knowledge.’
No matter what the activity, Resthaven Marion resident Mrs Alice (Joan) Hasse, always had a natural ability when it comes to pursuing her interests.
Joan, who turned 100 on 15 November, has tried her hand at China painting, dressmaking, gardening, gourmet cooking and painting – excelling at them all, each individually, in turn.
Often the feature artist at different art exhibitions, Joan’s paintings were well regarded by those in the Fleurieu art scene where she made a name for herself while living at Aldinga. Some of these pieces now hang in her room at Resthaven Marion.
But, long before Aldinga and art, Joan was doing well at school, and then at work – proving her abilities across subjects and circumstances.
Resthaven has welcomed international nurses to its workforce, with five nurses recently making the lifechanging move from their home countries to Australia as part of Resthaven’s international sponsorship of skilled overseas workers.
The nurses have recently completed a seven-day intensive onboarding process to learn Resthaven’s practices, as well as find out information about nursing in the Australian context, critical incidents and emergency responses.
Mrs Margaret (Marg) Wagner is a firm believer that you reap what you sow. A former registered nurse at Resthaven Leabrook, Marg is now a resident at Resthaven Mitcham and says that she is enjoying the culture of care and dignity that she helped to nurture as a worker for the aged care provider.
‘Love, care, support – a happy home,’ Marg says. ‘These are the things that people want – and Resthaven has all of that.’
In 2017, Esteban Rodriguez, Resthaven Recruitment Business Partner, moved from Colombia to Australia seeking better opportunities. While it was a challenging time for him, Esteban says the experience gave him a new perspective and encouraged him to find ways to support others at every opportunity.
With Spiritual Care Awareness Week being held from 20-26 October, Dr Louise Townend, Coordinating Chaplain at Resthaven Port Elliot, wants people to know that everyone is spiritual – and that spirituality doesn’t have to be religious, or associated with organised religion.
No matter which city Alan Field OAM has lived in, he’s managed to find a local musical society to join and invigorate – and if there’s not one existing, then he has started one up!
It is only fitting then, that the Resthaven Fleurieu Community Services client, who turned 90 in August, received his Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in this year’s King’s Birthday honours list, for services to the community through music and to education.
Resthaven Murray Bridge residents Maureen Green (89) and Doris Klenke (87) have a childhood friendship that has spanned more than 80 years.
Growing up in Monarto, the pair lived close to each other, meeting up most days as they rode their bikes to and from Monarto South Primary School.
Peter Johnson, 74, has been attending Resthaven’s Riverland Community Services social group for the past few years, and says that it has been a great way for him to get out of the house and meet new people. ‘It’s something I always look forward to,’ Peter says of the group. ‘The staff do a fantastic job.’
After cutting the hair of Resthaven residents and clients for 45 years, Jan Beattie says it’s the relationships that matter most. A former salon owner, Jan clearly remembers the day she walked into the aged care home to enquire about work.
Aged between 73 and 96, members of Resthaven Mitcham’s ‘Knit & Natter’ and ‘Hobbies & Craft’ groups have been working together to support others in need. Combining their knitting and craft skills, the group members have made 12 blankets. The residents each knitted squares, which were then joined together to make the blankets.
Picture this if you can: 131kg of potatoes. 217 dozen eggs. 74 loaves of bread.
It might seem like a lot, but this is just a snapshot of the daily shopping list for Michael Burton (Resthaven’s Corporate Coordinator Hospitality Services – Food and Dining Lead) for meals at Resthaven’s 12 aged care homes across South Australia.
Michael has worked at Resthaven for almost five years, taking on his new role in May this year to lead and support Resthaven’s residential sites to further develop the dining experience for residents. He is also responsible for assisting and training Resthaven’s hospitality staff.
‘Always aim to be the best you can’. It’s a piece of advice that was offered to Resthaven Leabrook resident Miss Barbara Wagner by her father when she was a child, and it is a mantra she has lived her life by.
Turning 100 on 22 August, Barbara has not wasted a moment, learning new skills at every opportunity and taking on new and interesting challenges as they came along. She was influential in the opening up of Australia’s meat export trade with Japan in the 1960s and 70s (visiting the country on several occasions), was president of the local chapter of a global volunteer movement that advocates for human rights and gender equality, and in one year, visited 23 different countries.
Today, Resthaven CEO, Darren Birbeck and Eldercare CE, Jane Pickering, are pleased to announce their successful bid to acquire Aveo’s South Australian Retirement Living Portfolio, consisting of 1,033 units across 13 communities.
With new allied health workers on staff at Resthaven Western Community Services, clients now have an even greater range of services available to them at the Woodville Road site.
‘We offer in-home support services, exercise and social groups for older people in the western suburbs,’ Karen Hammond, Western Community Services Manager says.
As the water glided over her body at the 1958 National Swimming Championships, Resthaven Port Elliot resident, Vicki Murphy knew she had hit her stride, or stroke as it were.
‘It’s a lovely feeling when it all goes right,’ Vicki says. ‘You can feel the water sliding past your body and everything else just fades away.’
Teeing off on the first hole of the Mount Gambier Golf Club has been one of life’s great pleasures for Resthaven Limestone Coast Community Services client Mrs Isobel Phillips (nee Grayson), who turns 100 on 31 July.
Some healthy competition, being amongst nature and a chance to stay fit all come together in Isobel’s love for the game, and her mastery of golf saw her win two gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the 2011 Naracoorte Masters Games.
Mrs Jessie Ratledge (85) of Mount Barker has created almost 80 Victorian-era dresses, undergarments, and bonnets, which take up an entire room in her home – and she shows no signs of stopping.
‘I’ve always loved Victorian clothing,’ Jessie says. ‘Growing up in Scotland, my mum had these massive books, and I used to pore over them, and look at all the pictures of the Royals.’
‘I would never have been interested in Victorian clothing back in Scotland, because people would look at those clothes and say, “Don’t be silly, you can’t make that, that’s just a waste of money,” so, I’ve got Australia to thank for my sewing.’
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