Juana Maria Frail Aged Home

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

Monday Morning Bingo at Juana Maria Frail Aged Home! 🎉

There’s something special about Monday mornings at Juana Maria Frail Aged Home… our lounge comes alive with laughter, friendly competition, and the cheerful call of “Bingo!” as residents and friends gather together to start the week on a joyful note.

For over a decade, Jill Richmond has faithfully led our Bingo mornings, bringing not only her time and energy but also her kindness and enthusiasm. Her unwavering dedication has created a space where residents can connect, have fun, and look forward to a much-loved weekly tradition.

Bingo is more than just a game – it offers wonderful benefits for our residents. It helps keep the mind active and engaged, supports memory and concentration, and encourages social interaction. Most importantly, it brings plenty of smiles and a sense of excitement that brightens the whole day.

A heartfelt thank you to Jill for the love and care she pours into every Monday morning.

16/03/2026

*JUANA* *MARIA* *BOOKSHOP*
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Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings turn into a hive of activity in our shop !

Long-time visitors, who have become our special friends, pop in to stock up on their reading material. As word spreads about the existence of our shop, new faces also arrive to join our happy bookworm family.

To the sounds of background music, shop days are a-buzz with friendly chatter, laughter and some serious literary discussions and debates. The stage is well set here for a fun and a very worthwhile shopping experience.

*DEFINITELY* *THE* *PLACE* *TO* *BE* ‼️

16/03/2026

Starting the week on a thankful note. 🌿

At Juana Maria Frail Aged Home, Wednesday mornings are a special time set aside for spiritual growth and reflection. Each week, a preacher from our community visits the home to share a sermon with our residents, bringing encouragement, comfort, and meaningful moments of faith.

This past Wednesday we were blessed by a beautifully moving sermon from Reverend Willingmore of the Ladysmith Presbyterian Church. His message was warmly received and greatly appreciated by everyone who attended.

Every week a different church and preacher from Ladysmith visits the home, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the churches in our town for their ongoing support and kindness. Your dedication to visiting and uplifting our residents throughout the year, year after year, means so much to Juana Maria Frail Aged Home.

We truly appreciate it.

14/03/2026

A Very Special Surprise in Our Dining Room

Our residents at Juana Maria Frail Aged Home were treated to a wonderful surprise at lunchtime Yesterday!

Sonja Fourie’s daughter, Liezl, wanted to do something special for the residents, so this creative mother-and-daughter team set to work making personalised place cards for everyone in the dining room.

Using residents’ photos, Liezl created adorable illustrated character cards and added a personal touch to each one by including things the residents love — favourite colours, flowers, foods, sports, and even animals. Each card was placed at the resident’s usual seat, making every place at the table feel extra special.

But the surprises didn’t stop there!

Elsebe Drager spent Thursday evening hard at work sewing beautiful new placemats for the residents. When everyone arrived for lunch on Friday, they were greeted by their personalised cards and brand-new placemats waiting for them at the table.

The dining room was filled with smiles as residents admired their unique cards and enjoyed the thoughtful touches.

A heartfelt thank you to Liezl, Sonja, and Elsebe for the time, creativity, and love you shared with our residents. It’s gestures like these that make Juana Maria Frail Aged Home feel so much like home.

13/03/2026

Acts of kindness stitched with care

A heartfelt thank you to Petro du Plooy, one of our generous community supporters, who used donated fabric to lovingly create adult bibs for our Frail Care residents. These thoughtful items make mealtimes a little easier and more comfortable for those in our care.

Petro, thank you for sharing your amazing talent and time to uplift our residents in such a practical and meaningful way. Your kindness truly makes a difference.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who donated material for this wonderful project. Your contributions helped turn a simple idea into something that will benefit many of our residents.

It is through the support and generosity of our community that we are able to continue caring for those who call Juana Maria home. 🌷

13/03/2026

JUANA MARIA BOOKSHOP
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There are only three bookshop days left until our draw-date on 21 March. Two lucky winners are going to walk away with a prize valued at R315❗

In addition to a Juana Maria Bookshop gift voucher of R200, they will also receive a box of 36 marshmallow eggs (R115) kindly donated by De Francas Spar❗

Be sure to pop in this Saturday morning, or next week Wed pm or Sat am, to choose your lucky numbers. Tickets only R20 each❗

FUNDRAISING FOR THE
OLD AGE HOME

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12/03/2026

Wednesday Mission: Operation Shopping List! 🛒

Every Wednesday, a very important mission takes place for the residents of Juana Maria Frail Aged Home — grocery shopping day!

This week, Sonja Fourie and Doreen Brits were spotted at Checkers hard at work. Sonja came fully prepared with a notebook filled with carefully written requests from individual residents. With two trolleys steadily filling up and plenty of concentration required, the pair worked their way through the aisles making sure every item on the lists found its way into the carts.

And just when it seemed like the shopping mission was in full swing, Sonja had to make a quick dash to collect a resident from an appointment and take them safely back to the Home… before returning to continue the task at hand!

These Wednesday shopping trips may look like an ordinary outing, but they take a great deal of focus, organisation and heart. Ensuring that everyone receives exactly what they asked for is no small task.

Sonja and Doreen are not the only ones who take on this challenge. Dedicated volunteers often lend a hand too — Bokkie Beneke has been spotted on similar Wednesday shopping adventures before!

It’s one of those wonderful behind-the-scenes moments that shows just how much love and effort goes into caring for the residents of Juana Maria Frail Aged Home. Sometimes that care looks like kindness, patience… and two very full shopping trolleys.

11/03/2026

More Sweet Moments from Our Ice Cream Day 🍦

We are still smiling when we think back to our very special ice cream truck visit at Juana Maria Frail Aged Home, and today we would like to share a few more beautiful moments from that afternoon that we were fortunate to capture.

As the familiar tunes of the ice cream trucks filled the air, residents gathered outside, chatting, laughing and enjoying their soft serve treats. For many it brought back wonderful childhood memories of running to meet the ice cream truck on a warm day.

It truly was an afternoon filled with nostalgia, smiles and community spirit.

A heartfelt thank you once again to Braam and Urma Potgieter, our generous anonymous donor, and Eric with his soft serve ice cream trucks for making the day so memorable for our residents.

And of course, thank you to everyone who helped make the afternoon run so smoothly.

10/03/2026

Autumn Sunshine in the Garden ☀️

With autumn setting in fast, the weather in Ladysmith is cooling down rapidly. On Saturday morning, some of our Frail Care residents spent a lovely morning outside in the garden, enjoying the warm sunshine and fresh air. Moments like these—simple, peaceful, and filled with nature—are so special.

We are incredibly grateful to our hardworking groundskeeping team who take such pride in their work and ensure that our outdoor spaces are always neat, welcoming, and ready for our residents to enjoy. Their dedication helps make these beautiful moments possible.

09/03/2026

The Final Love Story Revealed – Koos & Ellen Botha 💖

And so we come to the final couple in our “Guess the Love Story” series…

Many of you recognised them straight away! The beautiful couple in our final wedding photo is Koos and Ellen Botha 💍✨

Thank you to everyone in our Facebook community who took part in this series. Your guesses, comments, and enthusiasm made it such a special journey for our residents as we took a trip down memory lane together, revisiting these treasured moments from years gone by 🤍

A very special word of thanks must also go to our resident Ken Saunders, whose time and dedication in gathering and preparing these precious wedding photos made this entire series possible. Ken’s efforts truly helped bring these wonderful love stories back to life for all of us to enjoy 💐

While this chapter comes to an end, the reminiscing doesn’t stop here! We already have another series in the pipeline. Over the next few months we hope to share some childhood photos of our residents — a lovely way to reflect on the days of youth and the journeys that have shaped the wonderful people we know today.

Watch this space… more memories and smiles are still to come!

09/03/2026

JUANA MARIA BOOKSHOP
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Being transported into other worlds and stories is one of the best antidotes to challenging situations.

When we find ourselves engrossed in the pages of a book, concerns fade into the background, even if only for a while.

It's just like the urge to seek out our favourite bestie for the comfort their presence offers us.

The existence of books is a forever promise of a safe harbour we can retreat to when some shelter from life is needed.

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