Highlights


MHA’s NEWEST CENTENARIAN!!

8 June 2020

 

MHA celebrates with the family and friends of Edith Stock, who turned 100 on 30 May 2020!!!

Edith just missed the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-1920, she survived the Great Depression, she survived WWII, she was married to Doug for 62 years and had four children, and Edie (also affectionately known as ‘Kiewietjie’, because of her thin legs!) is blessed with seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. 

Yet, just short of hitting her 100th run, Coronavirus came and rain stopped play! Her family have always gathered at van Stadens River Mouth to celebrate important occasions; after celebrating her 99th there last year, the family set about organizing a bumper party there for her 100th birthday. Sadly this cannot happen during Lockdown, and so arrangements had to be cancelled. 

Growing up in PE, Edie says she had a simple but happy childhood; she was never good at sport due to her small build, but she enjoyed running, and so she was the one who always got sent to the shops by her Mom and even other parents!

Edie worked for most of her married life, and she moved to Maranatha Village in 2002, where she became a very active and industrious member of that community. She moved to Maranatha Frail Care in 2018.

A dear Maranatha friend of Edie’s, Pam Shapiro, has submitted this tribute:

Our dearly beloved Edie Stock has to be the Maranatha Frail Care Flavour of May, as she turns 100!! We are all very proud of her; always smart, she wears a pair of size 3 black patent leather shoes as she walks briskly, using either her walking stick or 3-wheeled Ferrari!!   Praise our Lord

Edie has shared her recipe for a long life:

ü  keep life simple 
ü  most important, be sensible

Her advice is to move to Frail Care in good time; she has been very happy at Maranatha Village and Frail Care, and has no regrets about her decision to move from her cottage to Frail Care.

Congratulations Edie, from the entire MHA family. We know that you are a compassionate person, always putting others before yourself, and we are sure that you are disappointed that the gathering of your clan cannot take place right now. Your Maranatha friends will put the 100 candles aside, and they will bake a cake when you all  get a chance to celebrate in style!! Keep well, keep safe.

 

THE GENEROUS HEARTS OF MHA RESIDENTS 

8 June 2020

 The CovidCom ‘Newsflash’ of 22 May 2020 ran this article:

The Ekuphumleni Old Age Home provides institutional care to 60 disadvantaged frail aged people in the Ward 25/Zwide area of PE, and has 27 staff. Some MHA residents will remember that we have supported Ekuphumleni over the years, for example passing replaced Frail Care beds and other equipment to them. MHA has developed an informal co-operation arrangement with them, over many years, and we recognize the wonderful work which they do, with limited resources.

Ekuphumleni is in serious trouble right now, with their residents and staff in dire need of many essentials. They have turned to MHA for help, and so the Board, Management and CovidCom invite residents to contribute towards a ‘relief package’ which we will put together. We remain mindful that some residents are also struggling right now, and also that some may be supporting other charities and organizations in need. That must be respected”. The response from the MHA family has been unbelievable! God bless you all.


These photos show some of the collected foodstuff items handed over to Mongameli Peter, the Programs Director at Ekuphumleni. In addition, a whopping R21530 was donated by residents and others, added to by MHA, and that money has been used to pay a wholesaler for a huge consignment of foodstuffs and healthcare essentials, all destined for the Home.

This is indeed love in action!


THE LORD WATCHES OVER US!
28 May 2020

This beautiful rainbow over Maranatha Frail Care and Village was captured early in the morning, after this week’s soaking overnight rain.

It felt like a blessing to those lucky enough to observe it; a reminder that the Lord is constantly watching over us all.


AUTUMN SPENDOUR!
12 May 2020

Aldersgate resident Pat Garrett celebrated her birthday recently, and is seen standing alongside the beautiful yellow-flowering Cassia tree growing outside her cottage, and which brightens each day for her. It appears to her to be even brighter than normal–perhaps thanks to the cleaner air? Several other residents are of the same opinion.


The Rothers of Aldersgate are avid gardeners. Their clever use of succulents, stones and other materials has created a beautiful water-friendly garden in front of their cottage, filled with colours and textures. The website photographer will visit them again in Springtime!


CP BRADFIELD FRAIL CARE ACTION !
12 May 2020

On Friday 17 April a specialist cleaning firm sprayed the frail care unit with a high-level disinfecting and sanitizing agent, which will be repeated every fortnight. It was a beautiful early Autumn day, and all residents were taken outside, into the sunshine, until the exercise was completed.  A range of other health and safety-related initiatives have been taken since even before  Lockdown began, in order to keep the Covid-19 monster from our doors. At the same time MHA has ensured that its wonderful nursing/caring staff are properly protected, and also that residents are kept stimulated and as active as they can be.