Published by Matthew’s House
It looks like Christmas in Freda Teichroeb’s little apartment. She’s decorated her home with all the joy and flair of a true Christmas-lover: a festive wreath hangs on the door, another in the living room. Her table is covered in a pretty red and green tablecloth. At her window, a little decorated tree stands atop a table surrounded by more ornaments, a beautiful nativity set, and lit-up village houses. Christmas carols play softly in the background.
“I’ve always loved Christmas,” she says. “I decorate early and leave things up until the New Year.”
But Freda’s love of Christmas goes much deeper than surface decorations. At the heart of this season is the message of giving, and Freda lives this out all year round. It is a value that is borne out of her deep faith in God and a desire to share her gifts with others.
“All my life I’ve been a faithful giver, tithing and supporting missions,” she says. “Then when my health began to fail, I really talked to the Lord and asked how I could continue to serve and give.”
The answer came through her sewing machine. Freda has sewn all her life. She and her husband Henry, a school teacher, raised their three children in Saskatchewan and she sewed all their clothes including coats and snow suits.
“My daughter always said that she had the nicest Christmas dresses,” Freda recalls.
They moved to B.C. 30 years ago to be closer to Henry’s aging parents. Freda managed a gift shop in Sevenoaks Mall called The Panhandler and Henry managed Alliance Manor, a rental apartment for seniors. They attended the Alliance church and then Clearbrook M.B. Church where they are still members. Over the years, the Lord has blessed them with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Now in their late 80s, health challenges have necessitated a change in lifestyle. Henry lives in an extended care home while Freda’s assisted living arrangement gives her both the support and the independence she needs. Throughout her life’s journeys, her little sewing machine has traveled with her, so it was only natural that the answer to her prayer was to use her sewing skills to bless others. It was also natural that her skills and her love of Christmas would come together.
Freda began to sew Christmas stockings. She began by sewing them for her children, filling them with crayons, socks and books. She’d wrap everything carefully so that they had something to unwrap. She enjoyed it so much, she decided to sew stockings for sick children in Vancouver. She sewed 50 stockings that were so enthusiastically received that she decided to sew more – 250 more.
Then this summer, while attending a Lady’s Tea, a woman who was familiar with her abilities asked if Freda would consider sewing stockings for the children at Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. Matthew’s House is a ‘home away from home’ that provides respite care for children with complex health care issues, giving parents a chance to rest and rejuvenate.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea, so I did!” she says.
It takes a commitment from the community to keep Matthew’s House running, costing $860,000 annually, all of which comes from generous donations. When Alan Cavin, resource development coordinator for Matthew’s House, first received a call from Freda about her idea, he was moved by her desire to share her gifts with the children at Matthew’s House.
“We really value Freda’s generosity and her creativity,” he says. “Each child connected to Matthew’s House will receive a stocking and she has made dozens more for us to use to raise funds for Matthew’s House.”
Each stocking is made from high quality fabric that has been pre-shrunk so that they can be washed. They are fully lined and come with a strong loop so they can be filled and hung from a mantle. In the two years since she began this project, she has sewn more than 1000 stockings and continues to sew more. When asked why she keeps on doing it, a smile lights her face.
“I really feel that the Lord guided me to know that children would get smiles and joy from these stockings,” she says. ‘In my heart, I am doing this for the Lord and I feel so good doing it for Matthew’s House.”
Freda’s Christmas stockings will be available at several Matthew’s House community events this season: December 5th and 6th at the Lepp Farm Market Christmas events and December 6 & 13 at Sevenoaks Mall. The cost of a stocking is a donation to Matthew’s House.
Parking on Primrose Street
/in Family and FriendsWe are pleased to let you know that we have an agreement with the city that enables resident’s visitors to park along the west side of Primrose Street.
When?
Beginning on February 15th, visitors will be able to receive a date/time stamped parking pass from Terrace East reception to place on the dash of their car.
Where can I get the pass?
You can get the pass from Terrace East reception.
Who is this for?
This is for the visitors of residents who live in Terrace East.
Where can I park?
Along the west side of Primrose Street between Marshall Road and Brundige Ave.
What is the small-print?
Don’t miss the Concert in Care – The Lady Larks! – February 2
/in Family and FriendsKick up your heels with The Lady Larks and their sweet swingin’ vintage harmonies! From striking arrangements of Tin Pan Alley composers to covers of The Andrews Sisters, Manhattan Transfer and The Swingle Singers, this young quartet has been impressing their audiences since they came together in late 2010.
Tuesday, February 2 at 10:30am in the Menno Hospital Chapel
No Admission cost.
Joy will find a way… weekly quotes on bringing joy
/in Family and FriendsHave you ever thought that Menno Place staff are a vessel through which others receive joy?
Giving joy-filled moments to our residents is one of the most satisfying aspects of working with people in need of support. We are a conduit through which joy flows. Each day, our staff make choices that create opportunities for joy. They open the door to smiles, delight, feeling valued and feeling loved.
Joy. It’s one of the greatest gifts we give to our residents – and its ours to give freely – in times of sorrow and times of delight. In 1974, Bruce Cockburn’s wrote a song – Joy Will Find A Way
Do you think joy will find a way?
This past week, our chaplains spoke at numerous funerals (please pray for our chaplains and interns as they journey alongside residents and families at life’s end). They share how deeply grateful the families are for the loving, skilled caring received by their loved one here at Menno Place.
As one family moved through transition into dementia with their mother, they shared their hesitancy about moving her from one unit to another – and yet, their mother was grateful in her new unit even as she slipped further into dementia. They thanked the staff for the care.
Another spoke of the professionalism and dedication of the staff. Their father received excellent care. They were grateful.
Another was supported through their deep friendships in the apartments. The friends were grieving.
Joy. It’s been making a way here at Menno Place since 1953.
It’s making it’s way today – through our staff, through our resident… and through YOU.
What a gift you are, what a gift you bring!
To follow the weekly JOY JUMP quotes, “Like” our Facebook page – Click Here
Benches that Honour and Remember – Celebrating a Life
/in Family and FriendsIn 2015, we launched the Celebrate Life Bench Donation Program. Benches are placed throughout the Menno Place campus with bronze plaques honouring loved ones.
The Celebrate Life Bench Donation Program has been extremely successful as residents and family members have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to honour a loved one in this way. The donation covers the cost of the bench and enables Menno Place to furnish our outdoor gardens with elder-safe furniture that will endure through the weather and over the years.
Would you like to dedicate a bench to someone you love? For details click here.
Family & Friends Support Network
/in Family and FriendsThursday, February 19th – 1:30 – 2:30 at the Menno Home Chapel – Click for Campus Map
Come and join a group of people who are supporting each other as they are involved and caring for a resident at the Home or Hospital.
Local and international examples of person centered care for dementia residents
/in Family and FriendsTake a look at some stories that share the experience of person centered care.
1. Czorny Alzheimer Center, Surrey, BC
CBC Story: Person-Centered Care – Getting it Right for Dementia Patients
CBC: Click to Listen – 21 minutes
The Province: Unique Care Facility Looks More Like a Rural Retreat
Vancouver Sun: Tragedy Creates Alzheimer Centre
2. Hogeweyk, Weesp, The Netherlands
CNN’s World’s Untold Stories: Dementia Village
Hogeweyk Website
De Hogeweyk: Wikipedia
Person-Centered Care – What does it mean?
/in Family and Friends, NewsPerson centered care is a philosophy of providing care for the elderly that puts the individual at the centre of their own care. In this philosophy the needs of those who care for the elder are considered as central to the care of each individual.
Person centered practice has five primary focuses in order to succeed:
1. Getting to know the resident as a person
This focuses on building a relationship between the caregivers and the resident. A person centered health professional knows and understands a resident beyond their diagnosis, medical needs and personal needs.
2. Sharing of power and responsibility
This focus is on respecting preferences. It includes treating residents and their caregivers as partners when setting goals, planning care and making decisions about care and treatments.
3. Accessibility and flexibility
Here, the focus is on meeting resident’s individual needs by being sensitive to values, preference and expressed needs. This focus gives the resident and their caregivers choice by giving them timely, complete and accurate information in a manner they can understand so they can make choices about their care.
4. Coordination and integration
This is about teamwork. It includes working together to minimize duplication. It involves working seamlessly behind the scenes to maximize the resident’s experiences and to provide them with a positive experience.
5. Environment
The physical, cultural and organizational environment allows staff to function in a person centered manner.
Grateful Community Volunteer Celebrates 100th Birthday
/in 100 Years!, Family and Friends, NewsOn January 6, 2015, Siegfried Bartel smiled with content surrounded by his family and friends who celebrated his 100th Birthday.
Born in a time when the US House of Representatives was denying women the vote, neon tubes were patented and the first coast-to-coast long distance call was made, Siegfried has lived through the incredible and rapid changes of the 20th and 21st centuries. World War 1 had just begun to rage across Europe when Siegfried’s mother prayed a prayer of blessing upon her unborn child.
Growing up in Prussia (Poland) in a Mennonite community, Siegfried enjoyed a privileged life earned by the hard labour of his farming family. As a young boy, he watched his father extend grace to a man whose drunken negligence caused a train accident that took the lives of his mother and oldest brother.
It was natural for a man of German descent to enlist in the German Army and Siegfried did so in 1937 before the second world war. When the war erupted in September of 1939, he found himself in an army that eventually brought horrors to others and convinced Siegfried that pacifism was the only sane response to killing and war.
During the war, Siegfried married Erna and started a family. Seven boys were born into his family as Siegfried went back to farming to earn a living. In 1951, he received refugee help through Mennonite Central Committee (http://www.mcccanada.ca) to re-establish his life in Canada becoming a dairy farmer in Agassiz, BC. Siegfried became an active participant in the community as well as serving in leadership with MCC from 1972 – 1987, grateful for how he had received refugee help in his time of need.
Siegfried’s birthday celebration was a vibrant afternoon party with friends and residents from Menno Home joining in the festivities. Five sons, six daughter-in-laws, one grandson and one great-granddaughter and the staff of Menno Place celebrated as well. Siegfried’s older brother, Hans, age 103 came over from Primrose Gardens Apartments with his wife to celebrate his brother’s life and enjoy a delicious piece of home-made cake and some German music. Ingrid Schultz, Chaplain, shared highlights of Siegfried’s life of faith and a prayer of blessing upon his life and the lives of those who love him.
Siegfried is the author of two books, Living with Conviction and Journey to Pacifism. In these books, he shares his life’s story and resulting convictions about pacifism and dedication to others in need. Happy 100th Birthday, Siegfried from your friends at Menno Place, Abbotsford Retirement Home.
Families & Friends – You’re Invited! Concert in Care – January 6th, 2015
/in Events, Family and FriendsJanelle Nadeau, Harp
You’re invited to join a resident or tenant at Menno Place for this Concert in Care!
Tuesday, January 6th, 2015 at 10:30am
Menno Hospital Chapel (enter through the main entrance of Menno Hospital – 32945 Marshall Road)
Harpist Janelle Nadeau’s performances showcase a range of musical genres from Celtic, Spanish, classical and popular songs. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a major in Harp Performance. She is a member of the ensemble Winter Harp, a guest performer in various orchestras, and enjoys a career of performing around the lower mainland. Janelle was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Celebrity Cruises, has performed numerous solo tours and has won various awards. Her classical training, combined with her personal contemporary repertoire, provides a refreshing approach to the harp. Janelle’s small town farming roots are reflected in her warm engagement with each audience as she introduces each selection.
Seamstress Shares Gifts
/in NewsPublished by Matthew’s House
It looks like Christmas in Freda Teichroeb’s little apartment. She’s decorated her home with all the joy and flair of a true Christmas-lover: a festive wreath hangs on the door, another in the living room. Her table is covered in a pretty red and green tablecloth. At her window, a little decorated tree stands atop a table surrounded by more ornaments, a beautiful nativity set, and lit-up village houses. Christmas carols play softly in the background.
But Freda’s love of Christmas goes much deeper than surface decorations. At the heart of this season is the message of giving, and Freda lives this out all year round. It is a value that is borne out of her deep faith in God and a desire to share her gifts with others.
“All my life I’ve been a faithful giver, tithing and supporting missions,” she says. “Then when my health began to fail, I really talked to the Lord and asked how I could continue to serve and give.”
The answer came through her sewing machine. Freda has sewn all her life. She and her husband Henry, a school teacher, raised their three children in Saskatchewan and she sewed all their clothes including coats and snow suits.
“My daughter always said that she had the nicest Christmas dresses,” Freda recalls.
They moved to B.C. 30 years ago to be closer to Henry’s aging parents. Freda managed a gift shop in Sevenoaks Mall called The Panhandler and Henry managed Alliance Manor, a rental apartment for seniors. They attended the Alliance church and then Clearbrook M.B. Church where they are still members. Over the years, the Lord has blessed them with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Now in their late 80s, health challenges have necessitated a change in lifestyle. Henry lives in an extended care home while Freda’s assisted living arrangement gives her both the support and the independence she needs. Throughout her life’s journeys, her little sewing machine has traveled with her, so it was only natural that the answer to her prayer was to use her sewing skills to bless others. It was also natural that her skills and her love of Christmas would come together.
Freda began to sew Christmas stockings. She began by sewing them for her children, filling them with crayons, socks and books. She’d wrap everything carefully so that they had something to unwrap. She enjoyed it so much, she decided to sew stockings for sick children in Vancouver. She sewed 50 stockings that were so enthusiastically received that she decided to sew more – 250 more.
Then this summer, while attending a Lady’s Tea, a woman who was familiar with her abilities asked if Freda would consider sewing stockings for the children at Matthew’s House in Abbotsford. Matthew’s House is a ‘home away from home’ that provides respite care for children with complex health care issues, giving parents a chance to rest and rejuvenate.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea, so I did!” she says.
It takes a commitment from the community to keep Matthew’s House running, costing $860,000 annually, all of which comes from generous donations. When Alan Cavin, resource development coordinator for Matthew’s House, first received a call from Freda about her idea, he was moved by her desire to share her gifts with the children at Matthew’s House.
“We really value Freda’s generosity and her creativity,” he says. “Each child connected to Matthew’s House will receive a stocking and she has made dozens more for us to use to raise funds for Matthew’s House.”
Each stocking is made from high quality fabric that has been pre-shrunk so that they can be washed. They are fully lined and come with a strong loop so they can be filled and hung from a mantle. In the two years since she began this project, she has sewn more than 1000 stockings and continues to sew more. When asked why she keeps on doing it, a smile lights her face.
“I really feel that the Lord guided me to know that children would get smiles and joy from these stockings,” she says. ‘In my heart, I am doing this for the Lord and I feel so good doing it for Matthew’s House.”
Freda’s Christmas stockings will be available at several Matthew’s House community events this season: December 5th and 6th at the Lepp Farm Market Christmas events and December 6 & 13 at Sevenoaks Mall. The cost of a stocking is a donation to Matthew’s House.