News

We’re overwhelmed by the kindness shown by high school student Annabelle Liang. With the help of her friends, she has written more than 90 letters for Epsom Village residents to ease the loneliness of the lockdown. Thank you Annabelle, Jojo, Sebastian and Johnnie from King’s College for such a heart-warming initiative!

This year Mental Health Awareness Week is about creating space for conversations about mental health and wellbeing. In this interview with Clinical Manager Karen Talbot we talk about Real Living’s program to support mental wellbeing in the villages and the challenges of the lockdown.

During the lockdown Real Living goes the extra mile to make sure their residents are safe and healthy, physically and mentally. Here are a few examples of what the villages are doing to improve the wellbeing of the residents: social distanced exercise classes, lockdown happy hours, wellness calls and little gifts to lift up everyone’s mood.

Real Living Group has almost completed the Covid vaccination program for their staff and residents. The team at Walls and Roche Pharmacy (Royal Oak) administered the second dose of the vaccine to Epsom Village residents. Our villagers and staff have played their part in protecting themselves, their whānau, and the community from the effects of the virus.

How much are you missing your hairdresser? Angela, Remuera Gardens’ own hairdresser, is looking forward to going back to work once alert levels drop. She has one simple advice for her clients; “Please be strong and don’t cut your own hair!”

Today we’re celebrating New Zealand’s Random Acts of Kindness Day (RAK). It may seem difficult to RAK when we’re in lockdown, but here we give you some ideas to support one another even during these challenging times. Random acts of kindness, however small, can have the power to brighten someone’s (and your) day.

Daffodil Day symbolises hope for all New Zealanders impacted by cancer. Real Living villages found their own way to keep the tradition alive and raise funds for the Cancer Society. The team at Pakuranga Park wore groovy hats and paper daffodils to celebrate this special day with a lot of enthusiasm and a great sense of humour. The village raised almost $2500.

This month we're sharing a delicious recipe of Banana Caramilk cake with Margaret from Pakuranga Park. Margaret’s talent for baking and decorating cakes has impressed many staff and residents at the village. She’s such a good cook that her nephew, well-known conservationist Daryl Eason, took her to Codfish Island to participate in the efforts to save the kākāpō.

Epsom Village celebrated International Cat Day with a special Happy Hour last week. Residents came dressed up as their favourite cat characters… including a special appearance by a real cat! Celebrated on August 8 every year, the day is used to raise public awareness about cats and to learn about ways to keep and protect them.