Newsletter- 31 July 2023

        N E W S L E T T E R

August is Woman’s Month in South Africa and we would like to wish all the women at Caister Lodge a Happy Women’s month.

We would like to welcome the following new residents and hope they have a long and happy stay at Caister Lodge:-

    Basil & Lee Duke - Unit 115
    Coba Kodelitsch - Unit 122
    Shirley Foreman - Unit 63

There has been an increase in Hi-Jackings in the area and residents are advised to be very alert when leaving and entering the premises in their vehicles and those leaving the Caister on foot should not be alone.

With the increase in Load-Shedding, residents should ensure that all electronic equipment is switched off at the start and end thereof to safeguard the equipment and cut the downtime and high cost of repairing same. Please see the notice board for the daily Load-Shedding Schedules.

This month, the medical team would like to focus on “Active Aging”, refusing to let our age define us. It’s about making the most of life regardless of the passing years. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You’re only as old as you feel”. With active aging, the goal is to feel fit and strong, despite the changes that the passing years bring. How do we do this? By embracing these key elements:-

Moderate activity-taking the long way round to get to the dining room, verandah or lounge, instead of the shortest route. Remain social - it is more difficult to keep a wide social circle as you get older, and experience family members and old friends move away or pass on. Sometimes it’s just too much effort to see friends or make new ones. But loneliness is one of the most common and devastating conditions of old age. If your social circle has dwindled, try joining in with a couple of people with similar interests. Get to grips with social media so you can connect with friends and family overseas. WhatsApp video calls cost next to nothing, whether you’re calling your neighbour next door or a grandchild thousands of kilometers away. Watch your attitude - If you’re always complaining about your aches and pains, or how badly your family treat you, don’t be surprised if your friends drift away. Nobody wants to be dragged down by a negative, depressing attitude. Yes, life may have changed. Perhaps you’ve lost your life partner. Or you find it painful to walk or impossible to open a jar of jam. You miss your big family home and all the happy memories of when your children were growing up, but it’s a lot easier if you can find things to be grateful for… even If it’s just the fact that you woke up this morning, the sun is shining, or your favourite tune is playing on the radio. It’s strange - but when you start concentrating on the little things that make you happy, you suddenly start finding more and more of them.

Residents are advised that their food orders requesting delivery to their dining room table is not allowed as food has been left there all afternoon and all night at times which is unhygienic. If you require your lunch meal later in the day, as you will be out, please advise the reception thereof and arrangements will be made to deliver same on your return.

Ever increasing electricity tariffs is having a negative effect of the overhead costs at Caister Lodge and residents are urged to be mindful of this cost as well as the high cost of diesel that is required to keep the lights on during load-shedding.

Crockery and glassware is still not being returned to the dining room timeously and having an effect on the service levels in the dining room, lounge, veranda etc. Please will residents return same to the dining room immediately after the use thereof and not store same for weeks on end.

Even though the dams that feed the greater Durban area have sufficient volumes of water, please continue to use this vital resource sparingly as the ongoing increase in water charges is having a negative effect on the current overhead structure of Caister Lodge. For your information, please see below the current levels of the dams that feed the greater Durban area.

    Albert Falls Dam               98.38%
    Midmar Dam                         94.37%
    Inanda Dam                         98.85%
    Hazelmere Dam                     55.82%

PATRICK ROBERT 31st July 2023