Nursing Home Activities Directors--Any Ideas?

[letterdavidman]

Hi. Well, after being unemployed for dang near five months, I've finally been offered a great job--as an activities assistant (there is no director... I'm the go to guy for all activities) at a local retirement community. I've not done anything like this before (but I did work with children aged 5-13 in a daycare setting for ten years), so I was wondering if anyone might have any ideas for some good activities? I've so far come up with: Bingo (of course), computer tutorials, book clubs/discussion groups, Christmas caroling, karaoke, trivia contests, and variety shows.

Any other ideas?

TIA!

 

[crazyme5kids]

How about some exercise classes? Music lessons? Art courses?

 

[clh2]

Just a couple of ideas, many people donated funeral arrangements to the assisted living place my grandparents lived for a while. One of the art classes offered was floral arranging,since they a nice supply of flowers.

In case you are wondering, they didn't look funera-like when they were rearranged.

Is it possible to find out if there are any therapy dogs who could come in and visit the residents from time-to-time? One of the things elderly people really miss once they have given up their homes is the companionship of a dog.

Also - contact the local schools, to see if any of the music programs would be able to take a field trip to put on a concert. Some local churches may also do this. Any local scout group might help out with bingo, or just talking with the residents.

 

[Hannathy]

At the home I worked at we had several different card groups going on. One group played everyday, it was so funny you'd go looking for someone for therapy etc and they'd say oh no I have cards at 2 we have to be done by then or not till after. Taking care of plants throughout the building and planting flowers outside in spring.

 

[allison443]

I also suggest contacting the local Girl Scout troops/council. Some of the younger troops might be hesitant about visiting a nursing home, but a retirement community is definitely in their "comfort zone". My daughter's troop just did christmas caroling at a senior residence, the girls brought baked goodies and juice and we shared those after the caroling.

Also how about bridge? At a retirement community near us, they have a garden club that takes care of the plantings in the common areas, like the entrance to the complex, e.g., mums in the fall, etc. They also have dances around the holidays. Not sure how physically active the seniors in your community are, though.

Good luck in your new position!

 

[Buckalew11]

Around here, every month a church comes in and holds an early afternoon service of just singing and music and it lasts for about an hour. They also have church each week also. At my grandmother's Assisted Living, they had Bible study every week from a local volunteer.

Nana would get a monthly calendar with the schedule and they'd do things like bingo, movies (w/ popcorn), bowling (which went over big! they'd bowl with those kiddie sets in the hallway), they brought in special singers (some came every month), they made crafts (painting ceramics and making some pretty things they could put in their rooms or give away to as visitor), they'd play games like Skip-bo, rummicube, etc. They had book club, chair massages, fingernails filed and painted.

Since it was AL and the people were mobile, they'd do little trips: movies, shopping, library, special trips like "Dixie Stampede" etc.

I bet they'll have some sort of past info filed that may give you ideas and also what goes over well with the residents at your new place. I will be doing a lady's hair tomorrow who is an AL administrator and I will ask her for some suggestions. She started out as an AD and moved up the ladder and pretty much runs the place.

Oh and at Christmas they always decorate several trees with different themes and then have a contest for "naming the trees". My Nana always won with our help (May she RIP) and she won a certificate for 2 free meals for 2 guests in the dining room which she LOVED.

When they played BINGO etc. for prizes they used to play for hankies and small lotions etc. but soon they changed it and bought things they "needed" and could used: kleenex, socks, stamps,lotions, toothpaste, soaps, candy etc. They keep these items in the "store" and now when you won BINGO, you won some bingo bucks and then you'd take your Bingo bucks to the store and spend them on whatever you wanted. The residents really liked this! The kleenex, for example, was a full-size box and it may cost 5 Bingo bucks.

Good luck with the job!

 

[barkley]

the assisted living place my mom lives at has regularly schedualed card games, board games and group games (trivia and such)-they also have 'movie' presentations where they alternate new relases and old classics (and provide snacks). they have monthly ice cream socials (cones, cups, root beer floats) and every few months they go to the local casino.

they get local performers to come in and also have sing alongs just with the residents (they provide word sheets for old favorites).

one of my mom's favorite things is at halloween and easter-the place hooked up with a nearby preschool and invites the kids to come over for cookies and punch. on halloween they do a little costume parade for the residents, and on easter they have a small easter egg hunt on the lawn area. the residents love seeing the little ones.

one suggestion is to survey the residents and find out if any have a skill or talent they would be willing to instruct in-you may have crafters and such who would love to teach a skill.

 

[Buckalew11]

one of my mom's favorite things is at halloween and easter-the place hooked up with a nearby preschool and invites the kids to come over for cookies and punch. on halloween they do a little costume parade for the residents, and on easter they have a small easter egg hunt on the lawn area. the residents love seeing the little ones.

Nana's did this also. Actually, they were to invite their grandkids, great-grandkids, or friend's kids and they'd have an Easter egg hunt which the kid's in my family have very special memories from and also they'd have treats there also. At Halloween, they'd invite the kids to come and trick or treat in the early evening.
The reisdents do love children and just light up when children are there so this is a very good suggestion to keep in mind.

 

[ZanneMarie]

My kids preschool is invited to go trick or treating at the local assisted living place. The residents that want trick or traters sign up and then those are the only doors we go to--they were marked with some type of tag. One time we just went around, this year someone (a worker at the place) accompanied smaller groups. Most of the residents were sitting in their doorway waiting and visiting with their neighbors. After we all T or T'd we met in the community room where they had cookies and milk and a few coloring pages and activites for the kids. It was fun for the preschoolers and It really seemed like the residents enjoyed seeing the little ones dressed up.

 

[doodlebugs]

A lot of your programming will really depend on whether your job is for a nursing home or a retirement community. Each will have different needs. Retirement will be more social and recreational whereas nursing home will have certain standards to meet each resident's social/emotional needs. Those will need to be care planned to meet certain goals.

A good place to start is to look at old activity calendars from the facility. What has been done in the past? There should be information available in files and you can probably get some information from some of the volunteers. There is a National Assoc. of Activity Professionals---do a websearch and see what type of info. you can find there. Networking with others in the field is a great way to learn the ropes. Also and most importantly, talk to the residents....ask what they want to do! I'm sure they will be vocal about it one way or another.

Good luck with your new job. If you would like more information, pm me; I've worked in both settings.

 

[Virgo10]

How about a monthly birthday party?

My mother formed a group of people who knew how to knit/crochet to teach those who did not. She did this when she was in her 80's and named the group the Happy Hookers.

Could you set up something with the local animal care organization in your area and have them bring in dogs and cats. I can tell you from working with seniors that this is something they really miss. The last nursing home I worked at actually had a resident cat and the patients love him!

Don't know if you have a budget to work with but a hand care event was always fun for the residents. While my patients all had dementia/Alzheimer's, on the rare occasion I could find a few free minutes I found this was a really popular activity. I'd have them soak their hands in warm, soapy water and then apply some nice hand cream. It was very relaxing for them. Your residents sound like they'd do well with a manicurist.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it later. Good luck. I'd love to have a job like that!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I know my grandmas favorite activities were the therapy dogs and bingo. She also liked to listen to the singers, mostly singing oldie stuff. I think the nursing home paid for them like twice a month. Also there was a group of about 6 churches who took turns on sun. afternoons and did a little service and singing and had a weekly bible study by one lady. She also loved when little kids came to visit. I know her home had different themes like senior olympics which was ring ross, bean bags, the plastic bowling mentioned before etc. I know they painted pumpkins once. As other posters said, you have to know the residents, are they frail elderly,cognizant or alzheimers etc. You might have to adjust your activities based on this. Best of luck.

 

[simba928]

When I was in middle school, the gifted program (which I was in) volunteered at the local nursing home a couple times a year. Around Christmas, we had a Santa shop. There were all sorts of little things from lotions to hand towels to little baskets and coffee mugs. Everything was donated and a lot of it was hand made. Students from local schools came to help out. All the seniors would gather in the dining room and then the students would take them into a small room where the "store" was set up. We helped them pick a gift for a relative or friend, some even chose a gift for their favorite staff member. After they chose a gift, we would take them out into the hall where a few more students were and they would wrap the gift and put a tag on it for them. The seniors seemed to enjoy it.

Another thing we did was a Spring Carnival. It happened around March. We would have a bunch of carnival type games set up and the seniors would go around to the different games. There was bowling (with those little kid bowling sets), a frog game where there were leap pads and stuffed, beanie type frogs (I worked that one year and the seniors got so excited when they got the frog on the leap pad), some kind of dice game, horseshoe type game, etc. They really enjoyed it and most of them loved when we made a big deal over them scoring a point or knocking over the pins or whatever.

They took a trip to the local fire departments fish fry this year. I helped wait their tables. They invited family to come and eat with them. There were like 3 or 4 shuttle buses full of the seniors and then their family met them there. It was pretty fun. One woman really wanted a desert, so she asked me what they had and I went over to the bake sale table and looked for her then she gave me money to go buy her some cake or something. When I got back, she had dug like 26 cents out of her purse and told me I was such a nice girl and she wanted me to have that money because I was so sweet and helpful. She was such a nice lady and so cute.

 

[TiggerStac]

Don't forget about your socials. The nursing home I work w/has several. Ice Cream, coffee/donuts, fried dough friday, french fry friday, pancake social.

Our residens love these!! We had a senior prom last year, that a local national honors society was involved with us doing and it was great. For our facility (82 beds, 20 of which is an alz/dementia unit) we have a hard time having families come and get involved. But for the senior prom, we invited family members and had the most I have ever seen show up. Ours, also, go on outings (whomever is able to and the transportation, wheelchaire van, can accomidate) go out to the weathervane or ice cream trips when the weather is nice.

I love listening to them when they are having sing alongs...some of the residents can really carry a tune!! It's amazing the things that people remember, they may not remember who you are (family/friend) but they'll remember the words to jingle bells or another song.

 

[RAZ24]

My DD volunteers at a NH and today she is helping them play Bingo and tomorrow she is bringing her little sister and they are making gingerbread houses.

Christine

 

[Cindy's Mom]

If there is a TV in the rec room, you can do movie night. Once a week, make a schedule, pre pick your movies, pop some popcorn.

Pot lucks every other month. Valentine's Dance, get a DJ for this one. Card tourneys are always good.

 

[letterdavidman]

Thank you all so very, very much for taking the time to hook me up with some activities--and there was certainly a wealth of great ideas! I've been taking copious notes, so, again, thanks a million!