Jean Sandel
Retirement Village
CARE WHEN YOU NEED IT
Care is not an ‘add on’ at a Ryman village, it is built into the fabric of our villages from the very beginning. It’s comforting for couples and friends to know they can still be near each other even if their health needs are different.
Jean Sandel care centre offers a range of care options including resthome, hospital and specialist dementia care. Like all aspects of our villages, we constantly look for ways to improve both the care we provide and the innovation behind it. Care is customised using our myRyman care app and residents love the food in our seasonal Delicious menu, which is prepared fresh on site by village chefs.
Jean Sandel is one of over 80 percent of Ryman villages that have been awarded 4-year certification by the Ministry of Health. It’s recognised as the ‘gold star’ standard in care.
That’s why each Ryman village is named after a Kiwi or Aussie trailblazer. Anthony Wilding, Lady Diana Isaac, Evelyn Page to name a few. They lived with passion and purpose, they pushed further, they went beyond the ordinary. That’s exactly what we strive to do every day at Ryman. To pioneer a new way of living, for a new retirement generation.
Jean Sandel (1916–1974)
With a reputation for being a meticulous operator, Jean Sandel grew from a talented school student into a respected surgeon known for going above and beyond for her patients. Her patience, stamina, technical skill, and deep knowledge of surgical anatomy set her apart.
Following her studies, Sandel spent the war years as a surgeon at Wellington Hospital before relocating to England for 4 years of postgrad work. Here, she broke new ground as a female surgical registrar.
Sandel returned to New Zealand in 1950 to be one of two surgeons at New Plymouth Hospital. An avid cricket fan, she often snuck away to watch matches at Pukekura Park. If she were needed for emergency surgery, the match commentator hung a white towel from the commentary box.
During surgeries, would often stand on a box so her taller, usually male, assistants wouldn’t have to bend over for long operations. By 1964 she was leading a staff of 8 and focusing her remaining energy on the need for a new hospital. A hard worker with clarity of thought and fearless determination, Sandel performed more emergency duties than required and tended to her patients at all hours. Later in her career, she pioneered cardiovascular surgery for provincial hospitals.
Sandel’s biography was written by Victor Hadlow and can be found online in the Te Ara Dictionary.
