Message from the Administrator

Welcome to 2019! I hope that you’ve been able to ring in the New Year in style, comfort and health. We are looking forward to another year of providing high quality care and services to you and your loved ones at Moira Place. We have a fabulous team here and our Mission focuses around the people who live in our Home. Our Mission states: “AON Long-Term Care Homes are dedicated to creating a ‘new tradition of long term care’ by combining a comfortable environment with flexible programs tailored to individual needs. We will provide a supportive, home-like environment that ensures the maximum independence, dignity, safety, and wellness of every one of our residents.” On December 12th we had our 2nd Indoor Santa Claus Parade. Our thanks go out to all of the Moira Place staff who put together floats to entertain our residents, along with Bryan Skillen and his miniature horses who pulled Santa Claus throughout the home. The parade was a great success and was extremely well received by our residents, visitors and staff. A special thanks to Santa Claus for taking time out from his busy schedule to join in on the fun. Continuous quality improvement is a journey that we undertake daily and if you have any suggestions for helping us along this journey, please don’t hesitate to share with us. One forum for assisting here is the Family Council. This is a council that the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care encourages in all long-term care homes across the Province. A few of the duties of the Family Council as laid out in the Long-Term Care Homes Act are: “1. Advise residents respecting their rights and obligations under this Act. 2. Advise residents respecting the rights and obligations of the licensee under this Act and under any agreement relating to the home.” There are a number of other duties / obligations of the Family Council as specified in the Act and we would ask that you consider volunteering to sit on this Council. As we have not had an active Family Council for some time, we will be holding meetings twice per year to see if people would be interested in joining and assisting us. Look for information posted in the Home and in the next newsletter regarding a meeting in February that you are welcome to attend. 2019 will see us celebrating our 10th anniversary, which is really hard to believe. Stay tuned throughout the year as we’ll be celebrating along the way and looking for your input.

All the best of 2019,

Michael O’Keeffe Administrator

The

415 River Street W. Tweed, ON. K0K 3J0, P. O. Box 200 www.moiraplace.com Telephone: 613-478-5524

Messenger

January 2019

Celebrating

January

New Years Day

January 1

Art Entertains

January 3

Pub Night

January 9

Mike Entertains

January 16

Manning Brothers

Entertain

January 23

Birthday Party

January 30

Gentle Giant Robert Homme, children's entertainer (born in Stoughton, Wisconsin 1919; died at Grafton, Ont. 2 May

2000). Bob Homme was known to generations of preschool Canadian children as "The Friendly Giant."

The CBC television program established Homme as one of the country's earliest, most beloved and

memorable entertainers of young people.

The premise of the show was very simple: a drawbridge would be lowered at the beginning of each epi-

sode, inviting young viewers to enter the castle of their mild-mannered host. They

would be shown to their choice of seats ("one little chair for you, a bigger chair for

two to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair"). Once figura-

tively nestled by the fire, they would be instructed to "Look up...way up" and would

proceed to be entertained with conversation, stories and music.

Partaking in the fun were Jerome the Giraffe and Rusty the Rooster, both performed

by puppeteer Ron Coneybeare. Musical sequences featured Homme playing various

wind instruments such as the clarinet, recorder and tin whistle, accompanied by

Jerome singing and Rusty on the harp. Children were introduced to varying styles of

music including a weekly appearance by a duo of bopping feline puppets known as

the Jazz Cats.

After 26 years on the air, Homme had created more than 3000 episodes of The Friendly Giant seen in

Canada as well as in the US on various PBS affiliate stations. In 1984, the program was cancelled as a

result of budgetary cutbacks at the CBC. The show ceased production in March 1985.

In honour of his lifetime achievements, Homme was presented in 1998 with the Order of Canada.

Numerous pieces from The Friendly Giant set, including the castle, miniature chairs and puppets Jerome

and Rusty, are on display at the CBC Radio and Television Museum in Toronto. They are visited each

year by generations of Friendly Giant fans who were delighted and comforted by the gentle giant.

Food Committee Meeting. Marion & her family.

New Year, Lasting Traditions

Another new year begins, and all around the world

people will be popping champagne, singing “Auld

Lang Syne,” and kissing loved ones at the stroke of

midnight. But just why, exactly, do we repeat these

New Year’s traditions year after year?

Bubbly champagne is the drink of choice on New

Year’s. Its invention is often credited to Dom Perignon,

the Benedictine monk who oversaw the wine cellars

of his abbey in the year 1697. While others saw bub-

bles as a problematic sign that wine had spoiled,

Perignon perfected the production of this new fer-

mented drink known as champagne. From its begin-

nings in the abbey cellar, champagne was regularly

used in religious celebrations such as consecrations

and coronations. It then made the natural transition to

secular celebrations, most notably at the soirees of the

French aristocracy. As champagne became cheaper and

more accessible, it became the classiest beverage to

offer during the holidays.

Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns penned the

words to “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788 and sent them to

the Scots Musical Museum, requesting that his lyrics

be set to an old Scottish folk tune. The phrase auld

lang syne roughly translates to “for old times’ sake,”

and, fittingly, the nostalgic song is about preserving

friendships. The tune was often sung at funerals,

farewells, and other group celebrations. It finally

made it to America in 1929, when the Guy Lombardo

Orchestra played it at a New Year’s celebration in

New York’s Roosevelt Hotel.

No New Year’s party is complete without a kiss at

the stroke of midnight. In ancient times, the winter

darkness was the domain of evil spirits. At New

Year’s masquerade balls, scary masks were torn

off at midnight, and a kiss was shared as an act of

purification to chase away malign spirits. For centuries,

New Year’s has been a time of celebration, nostalgia,

and hope.

Diane & Floyd working on a puzzle.

Jane is waiting for lunch.

When you bring in new

clothing for your loved

one, please be sure to

leave it with the staff at

the front desk.

They will ensure that it

gets labeled with the

Resident’s name and

then returned to their

room. This helps to

keep clothing from

going missing.

Attention all Family Members

Notice

The Salon at Moira Place will be

introducing new pricing to the

residents of Moira Place, under the

homes “Unfunded Services”

agreement, effective January 1,

2019.

Shampoo & Set- $23.50

Ladies Cut - $21.00

Shampoo, Cut & Set-

$37.00

Perm, Cut, Set- $65.00

Colour, Cut, Set- $60.00

Men’s Cut- $17.00

Beard Trim- $10.00

Waxing- $10.00

Manicure- $20.00

*Applicable taxes will be added to all services.

Salon Services

Elizabeth poses for a picture with her daughter.

Edie is ready for dinner to be served.

January 19th is Popcorn Day Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a member of the grass family. Popcorn differs from other types of maize/corn in that it has a thicker pericarp/hull. The hull allows pressure from the heated water to build and eventually bursts open. The inside starch becomes gelatinous while being heated; when the hull bursts, the gelatinized starch spills out and-cools, giving it its familiar popcorn shape. There is no such thing as “hull-less” popcorn. All popcorn needs a hull in order to pop. Some varieties of popcorn have been bred so the hull shatters upon popping, making it appear to be hull-less. Most pop-corn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ball-parks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble. The world’s largest popcorn ball, according to Guinness World Records 2015, was created in 2013 at the Indiana State Fair. With the help of Pop Weaver, Snax in Pax, and Indiana's Family of Farm-ers, the popcorn ball weighed in at 6,510-pounds, 8 feet in diameter.

A great work party folding towels. Agnes’ button craft.

The Full Wolf Moon The January full

moon rises on the 21st. In

Native American and

early Colonial times, the

Full Moon for January

was called the Full Wolf

Moon. It appeared when

wolves howled in hunger

outside the villages.

Traditionally, the January Moon is also known

as the Old Moon.

Moon Folklore

A bright first Moon promises rain and a

bountiful harvest; a red-tinted Moon means

a dry year.

A growing Moon and a flowing tide are

lucky times to marry.

A halo around the Moon predicts wet or

stormy weather.

Nothing Trivial

It is a little-known fact that January 4 is Trivia Day.

Ahh, trivia, which for many is considered useless or triv-

ial knowledge. Researchers even argue that trivia

games are good for the brain. People enjoy guessing

answers to questions about little-known facts. Psy-

chology professor John Kouinos explains that your brain

experiences a dopamine rush when getting the answer

right. It just makes the brain feel good. Koinos com-

pares collecting facts to a person who collects stamps.

“The more, and the rarer, the better,” he says. Psycholo-

gist Deborah Stokes also points out that retaining infor-

mation, no matter how useless that information may

be, is like exercise for the frontal cortex of the brain

as it ages. Moreover, trivia games often don’t happen

in isolation. People enjoy playing trivia games in so-

cial settings, which is an added bonus to brain health.

To get you ready for your next trivia challenge, check

out these weird bits of trivia:

In the children’s nursery rhyme “Rub-a-Dub-

Dub,” there are three men in a tub. What are their

occupations?

Answer: One is a butcher, one a baker, and

one a candlestick maker. The original version

dates back to around the 14th century, and the

rhyme implies the men were up to something

that was considered naughty at the time. What

they were doing continues to be up for debate.

What instrument did Lawrence Welk play?

Answer: Accordion. Did you know the accor-

dion is broken down into two main sub-types?

One type uses piano keys to play the melody,

while the other employs button keys.

What do you call the post at the head, landing, or

foot of a flight of stairs?

Answer: The newel post. The newel post an-

chors the rest of the handrail. In certain archi-

tectural designs, such as Elizabethan or Jaco-

bean styles, it was often more ornate than the

rest of the posts.

Dorothy is planting some seeds.

Pat and Margaret are enjoying coffee

& doughnuts.

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative disease

of the brain - a form of Dementia. Dementia is an

“umbrella” term for symptoms caused by Alz-

heimer’s disease and other brain disorders. Alz-

heimer’s is not a disease of the elderly – it can af-

fect people as early as their 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. Loss

of memory is not necessarily the first indicator of

the disease – there can be changes in mood, behav-

iour and judgement before memory loss is evident.

Myth: there is a cure for Alzheimer’s. Reality:

there are medications, support and care that can

manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Myth: My parent has Alzheimer’s, so I’m going to

get it too. Reality: less than 5% of all cases of Alz-

heimer’s disease are familial.

Myth: Memory loss means Alzheimer’s disease.

Reality: you may experience memory loss as you

age. Unless it affects your day-to-day ability to

function, communicate or is accompanied by a de-

crease in judgement or reasoning – it’s likely nor-

mal aging.

Moira Place Family Council

Family Council is an organized, self-led, self

determining, demographic group composed of

family and friends of the residents of Moira

Place. Family Council provides support,

empowerment and advocacy to the family and

friends of the residents.

What does Family Council do?

• Welcomes and supports families

• Serves in an advisory capacity

• Sponsors activities

• Educates & advocates (locally &

provincially)

Join us February 12th at 2:00pm in the

Fireside Lounge

Everyone is welcome!

For more information contact

Tracey McKichan

John and Dolly pose for a picture.

Kelly and Gladys are reading a story.

January in Canadian History A childhood dream to be an astronaut was realized

when Dr. Roberta Bondar launched from Earth on

January 22nd,1992

aboard NASA's space

shuttle Discovery as the

first neurologist in space

and Canada's first woman

astronaut. As a payload

specialist she conducted

over forty advanced

scientific experiments for

fourteen nations.

The flight lasted 8 days 1

hour and 15 minutes

travelling 5,407 million km including 129 times

around the earth. The space

shuttle landed on runway 22,

at Edwards Air Force Base,

California.

Upon returning to Earth,

Bondar wrote Touching the

Earth, a book in which she

speaks of her space

experience and her love of the

planet.

Finn & Nancy are taking their turn.

Jimmy has stopped to have a chat.