Twilight’s Traditional Brandy Custard

By 13th January, 2020 News, Recipes No Comments

Is the Christmas season over? Yes.

Does that mean we have to stop eating delicious, custard-covered food? Absolutely not!

This recipe is perfect for those wanting to keep the Christmas spirit going for that little bit longer.

It’s a resident favourite from the Twilight kitchen and is often prepared by Ramina, one of the chefs who works in each of our four homes. It’s a treat you can enjoy all year round.

Ingredients

  • 185 thickened cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 60ml brandy

Let’s get started!

Method

  • Step 1

Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat.

  • Step 2

Use a balloon whisk to whisk together egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in milk mixture. Return to pan.

  • Step 3

Place over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats back of spoon. Make sure that it does not boil or else it will curdle the mixture. Remove from heat. Stir in the brandy. Serve warm on top of your favourite pudding.

Fundraiser Run by Residents a Huge Success!

By 20th November, 2019 News No Comments
One attendee is very excited to have won a raffle prize given away on the night.

Twilight Aged Cares own residents were behind the success of the company’s 2nd Annual Art Exhibition and Cocktail Party. The exhibition displayed a large collection of works include oil paintings and smaller watercolours that were auctioned off silently during the night. Gregory and Carr kindly donated the raffle prizes on the night. All of the proceeds from the evening went to support creative programs and art therapy held for those living in the residential homes. The exhibition itself solely featured art from the Twilight community, including those living at Hunters Hill and Horton House. The residents hosted and organised the event, and raised $3,730 – the most successful art auction yet!

Liz Matthews, a resident at Glades Bay Gardens and one of the Art Committee members, spoke on the evening. Liz said that she, “always looked forward to it every morning”. The morning art therapy program provides a place of self-expression for the residents as well as providing an opportunity to challenge them cognitively and technically.

The Twilight Art Committee pictured here in all their glory!

Numerous members of the local community attended the night, as well as friends and families of the residents. It created a great community atmosphere with volunteers from local schools and as well as students from the University of NSW coming in and supporting the event.

So many fabulous art pieces on display in the exhibition

According to Julianne Walker, Twilight’s volunteer and project coordinator, the annual art exhibition brought the Twilight family together. The exhibition was the combined efforts of all the Twilight homes, so it provided a “sense of community” for everyone involved.

Select artworks from the exhibition are now proudly decorating the homes in a permanent in-house collection.

We look forward to seeing where this exhibition will go in 2020!

Join the Community Art Exhibition Fighting Dementia

By 29th September, 2019 News No Comments

With over half of the residential aged care population living with dementia, Twilight Aged Care is fighting back and building support for cognitive therapy with their 2019 Art Exhibition.

The 2019 Art Exhibition and Cocktail Party will be featuring canvas paintings from aged care residents from across the Twilight Aged Care homes, some of whom themselves, are living with dementia. The event aims to raise donations and display the artistic prowess of the North Sydney Residents.

The event will include catering, raffles, and live music on the night, with a chance to talk to the artists and purchase paintings.

This is the 2nd Annual Exhibition following the success of last year’s art show. Artworks this year will be more diverse in style and size and include large scale oil paintings, watercolours, smaller acrylic pieces, and even gold leaf.

Julianne Walker, the volunteer coordinator, and event organiser, says that community support for the art program is very important. These events help show support for older Australians and aged care residents living with dementia.

Julianne says, “Art Therapy sessions have countless benefits for older Australians. It allows the expression of complex thoughts and emotions, helps alleviate anxiety and depression, improves motor skills and cognitive functioning, and reduces social isolation”.

Dementia is currently the single largest cause of disability for Australian’s over 65 years old, and is a serious threat to the older Australian population, a large majority of this who live in aged care. Art therapy participants are technically stimulated during the program, which helps in slowing down the symptoms of dementia and cognitive decline.

The exhibition is being held on the 29th of October at 16 Punt Rd, Gladesville 6 pm-8 pm.

100th Birthday for Tom!

By 26th September, 2019 News No Comments

Tom’s 100th Birthday never stops!

After being visited by his fellow Navy officers, Glades Bay Gardens threw an afternoon treat for him last Friday.

It was a wonderful event, with family and friends visiting as well. Ramina, and the Glades Bay Gardens cooks, were in the kitchen at 5 o’clock in the morning getting ready for the celebration. And Julianne lost count of the number of balloons she had blown up.

Sai, our facility manager, gave a small speech about Tom’s life in the military and his life now as a kind and engaging presence within the Glades Bay community.

Special highlights included Ramina’s delectable blueberry cake and the mini curry puffs.

Happy Birthday, Tom.

Intergenerational Success with Montessori

The children from the Montessori School and their grand-friends enjoyed a Mad Hatters Tea Party; celebrating the end of their busy 6-month research project, focusing on the benefits of an Intergenerational Program.

The Children’s House of Montessori wearing their crazy hats and socks for the Intergenerational Program.

For the party, the Children’s House of Montessori and the staff dressed up with crazy hats and socks. And the children played games and held performances for the residents.

The project was based off international studies showing the benefits of multigenerational activities and paired this with Montessori principles. The program saw many positive improvements since it began in April, including a reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social isolation.

One of the Twilight residents, Elisabeth, with one of the children of Montessori House for the Intergenerational Program

The research component of the intergenerational program is now complete. But the strong connection formed between the children and their grand-friends has resulted in the program being extended for the near future.

Beecroft Women’s Shelter House Soft Opening

By 16th August, 2019 News No Comments
The Twilight Board, and representatives from Link Housing, Women’s Community Shelter and Hornsby-Shire Council at the soft opening for the Beecroft Women’s Shelter.

We are delighted to have seen Jamieson House transform into Beecroft House with a lot of love and effort.

The home will provide accommodation and support services for 20 women over 55 who are suffering homelessness. This is a major issue within the Sydney area. A recent report from the Australian Human Rights Commission has observed an increasing population of homelessness in older women. And Sunrise reported on the importance of shelters like Beecroft to help aid these women in need.

This project would not have been possible without the partnership of local organisations and the surrounding community. Groups like Link Housing, the Generous and the Grateful, National Projects and Maintenance, Pymble Ladies College, the Goodwin Brothers, and many more, have volunteered their time and resources to make this happen.

The charity and spirit of all those involved has amazed us at Twilight. We are very excited to see this project come to fruition.

Homeless Women Crisis

Homelessness can affect anybody – and now women over 55 are the fastest growing demographic of homeless people.We spoke to experts to understand why, and if anything is being done to help.

Posted by Sunrise on Saturday, 10 August 2019

Twilight Providing Jamieson House to Women’s Shelter

Jamieson House Twilight (now referred to as Beecroft House) before its renovations.

Twilight Aged Care is participating in a local initiative to temporarily repurpose Jamieson House Twilight as a home for displaced women over 55.

The Beecroft House: Housing Partnership Project will provide financial and residential support to the homeless, and give 20 women housing accommodation for the next 2 years. The project will convert Jamieson into a safe and welcoming space and give the building a new name, ‘Beecroft House’. The initiative aims to enhance the lives of these women and give them independence through housing pathways and support services.

The Beecroft House: Housing Partnership Project is the collaboration of the Hornsby council and over 6 organisations in North Sydney area, including the Women’s Shelter, Twilight Aged Care and Link Housing. The majority of these companies, including Twilight, are offering services to the Women’s Shelter project free of charge, including the lease for the building itself.

Twilight Aged Care contacted the Hornsby Ku Ring-Gai Women’s Shelter and offered two year access to the building rent free. Neil Wendt, the CEO of Twilight, said

“Twilight was founded 100 years ago to support women that required assistance. This wonderful initiative goes to the roots of the company’s values”.

This spirit of charity is shared by organisations like The Generous and the Grateful, who have donated the furniture for the building. The organisation works alongside 5 star hotels undergoing refurbishment, and saved any ‘outdated’ furniture for the women’s shelter. The National Projects and Maintenance group, are also providing their services and 40 workers to renovate Beecroft House for free.

mage from Beecroft House. At the Beecroft House: Housing Partnering evening

Maraget Maljkovic, Chief Operating Officer at Link Housing, spoke about the great need for affordable housing at Beecroft House‘s community information afternoon. Maljkovic said the housing partnership is especially important for older women in the Sydney area where living prices are high. In this way, Beecroft House will provide opportunities for women to get back on their feet in times of financial or personal crisis.

The project aims to work closely with local people and businesses. The Women’s Community Shelter has set up a Facebook page for people to see the construction progress. The page offers opportunities for the community to help out the home with activities such as gardening, painting and cleaning.

The gardens of Jamieson House (now referred to as Beecroft House).

Beecroft House is hosting an Open Day on Friday 9th August with free tours of the home, to mark the beginning of the project for interested members of the community. For more information, click here.


Winter knitting donation for women’s shelter

By 26th June, 2019 News No Comments

Eleven blankets, 8 pairs of socks, 5 large teddies, 3 small teddies, 3 patch-work bedspreads, 2 scarves, 2 beanies, and one pair of gloves. These were just some of the items donated by Twilight to the Hornsby Ku Ring-Gai Women’s Shelter last Wednesday.

Anne Sheehan from the Women’s Shelter, and ladies of Horton House, Sheila and Jeanette, handing over their knitting donations.

Those living at both Twilight’s Horton House and Glades Bay Gardens had been busy knitting over the past months. This large collection of woollen clothes, blankets and toys was officially handed over at a morning tea at Horton House.

Anne Sheehan, a representative from the women’s shelter, thanked the ladies of Horton House for their “kindness and generosity”. She spoke of how the Hornsby Ku Ring-Gai shelter relies on donations from the community. The organisation currently supports over 450 women going through periods of homelessness due to domestic violence and poverty. These large numbers mean that there is a ‘huge need’ for donation and support.

Sheehan also says that she is ‘excited’ about Twilight’s converting Jamison House into a transitional home for women over 55 years old. Twilight is leasing the building for 2 years during its renovations as a source of accommodation and support programs for women in need.

The program will highlight the origins of Twilight itself, to support older, financially vulnerable women. Twilight was established as a social initiative in 1914, led by the Lady Mayoress, Miss Florence Clarke. As Sheehan says, Twilight is “going back to its roots and helping the gentle women in poverty”. The project will continue Twilight’s traditions and support the women who need it today.

Sheila pictured here at Horton House, thanking other residents for their contributions to the knitting donations.

Sheila, one of the residents at Horton House, was the ‘task master’ behind the project, and has been knitting since she was a young girl. She says that this is a wonderful opportunity to use her passions to give back. Sheila made sure to thank the other residents who knitted, especially, Jeanette and her daughter Margot, who donated a large amount of wool to the home to ensure that the project could continue.

As the Australian winter season comes into full swing, the residents of Twilight are determined to continue the program, and produce more blankets and clothes for the women.