BartMan

I said a little prayer for you Cathy , I pray it gets better for you soon. I can remember my first couple weeks on this same job I have now. That was quite a ways back , but I can remember how tough it was for me. Geeeeeeeeeeeeeez how things have gotten so much better since then. I remember wanting to quit and just go back to construction work. And without a great network of friends I probably would have. You hang in there girl and be proud to be who you are. Respect yourself and hold you head high !!!!! Activity Professionals Rock !! And you are one of them !! We are a rare breed indeed my friend. That's why I say Respect Yourself when others don't !! BartMan

Hey Stacy !! How are you doing ? Are they back at your facility yet? Are they gone ? How did yall do ? If they are still there, I continue to wish you the best of luck ! Hang in there ! Keep us posted , okay ? Chat at ya later , BartMan

Well Tinki , it will only let me vote one time and I have done that already , good thing though huh ? Why ? 'Cause I would have won fo sho !! Hahahahahaha , Just Kidding........ Have a wonderful and blessed day from the BartMan !! I have a big day today Tinki , so wish me luck.... I am interviewing all day for an assistant. Four applicants to be exact....... Can't wait !! BMan

Yes , i agree with the smaller O2 tank. There are so many O2 tanks out there now that would benefit this Resident , then you could look into transferring her to a bus seat and letting a Nurse or Aide/Tech ride beside her............ Let us know how it works out !!!! Your Fellow AD , BartMan

That is Awesome Vikki , and if you don't mind I shall "steal" your idea for next year , Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee....... just kidden'................... Have a woderful day !! BartMan

Hang in there Stacy !! We all know what you are going through and we all know that it is not fun I just went through it in December. I wish you the best of luck the rest of this week !!!! You can do it !! BartMan

Hey there Tinki !! How are ya ? Guess what ? I have almost the same volunteer program at my facility , pretty cool huh ? BartMan

bacct , I shall email as well , sounds like a coooooooooool idea !! BartMan

Hi Mary !! I too have been unsuccessful at finding the right time to be in the chat room. I did get lucky one time and chatted with a real life human a while back but that is one out of at least hundred times........ I think people do have set times to get on there though , anyway , GOOD LUCK and have an AWESOME DAY !! BartMan

Yes , I agree , "we" should remember that. And a State Inspector should be able to walk in your facility and clearly see who a Resident is through your paperwork , like the Care Plan for example.......BartMan

Barbara , I hope this is not a silly question , but have you explained this to your Administrator in a way that he/she might not want to use the lower functioning Residents as a marketing event. We all know how difficult it can be to get lower functioning Residents to participate. Let me know what happens.... I wish you all the luck in the world on this matter...... BartMan

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm , could you or would you share with us a little more info on this matter , like what software and where to find it ? It sounds interesting and I might be able to benefit from it , thanks BartMan

We also do just about the same program . Instead of the baloons we have a huge cake and punch party.... But I like the ballon thing , sounds fun....... BartMan

Hello Angelakay , try this web site and call the number at the bottom of the screen , they sent me some stuff a long time ago that was helpful.... www.eldercarerights.org BartMan

Stacy , I have done several Health fairs for my facility here in Florida. If your facility is willing to spend some money they could make your set-up look really nice. We had a tent made up with the name of our facility on it. And got all kinds of hand outs and little free prizes to give to the public i.e pencils , pads of paper , stress cards, Even T-Shirts that have our logo on it. We do stroke assessments for the public at the Health Fairs we go to. We take blood pressure readings , we have a stroke assessment sheet that we fill out for the person. I bring a few nurses with me , and a couple Department Heads to help. You can't do it by yourself , believe me Hope this helps some and GOOD LUCK !! BartMan Oh , and don't forget , you have to have a couple folding tables and a few chairs to bring with ya too....

Thanks Pennie , I knew someone would come through for Suzie in Iowa BartMan P.S Now , if we can just get the rest of the MEN on board for that little voting thing ya got goin' on , Hahahahahahahahaha..... Hey , Don't forget to Smile )~ BartMan

Hey guys , we only have one vote , Whats up with that ? Can ya help a Fella out or what ? BartMan )~

Hey Pennie , how are ya ? Yeah , I drove a steam roller for a major road construction crew for about five years and before that I put in ceilings for an Acoustical Ceiling Company (Hahahaha , pretty neat that now I get to paint on them with the Res. Ha, Love it !!) Yes , I have certainly found my calling. Well , gotta get to a Dept. Head meeting now to try and solve the worlds problems. That's what we do in those meetings ya know ? Heeheeheeheehee, See ya Pennie !! Have a Fabulous day today !! Yo Friend , BartMan

You're Very , Merry , Berry Welcome !! Hey , let the site know how it turns out if ya try it ....... BartMan

Hello Suzie in Iowa !! I wish I could be of more help to you on this matter. All I know is that my Facility just went through survey and the inspectors couldn't say enough about me writing care plans on all the Res. It might depend on your facility and what they require. I am positive someone will give you the correct information on this matter soon. Can anyone help Suzie in Iowa ??????? Have an AWESOME day and Good Luck !!!! BartMan

Hi Sandy, here is an Art Therapy project you can do with your people , it is soooooooooooooooooo much fun and you're going to be surprised in the results you get. This will only work if your facility has ceiling tiles. If it does then you know the ones that look old , ragged , or are just needing full relacement ? Well take those down and paint a picture on them , let your Res. do the work. Then put them back in the ceiling. It gives people , family memebers , staff , and the Res. something to look at besides a blank white ceiling. I have them everywhere in my facility and add new ones all the time. As for Music Therapy , I am so fortunate to have my very own in house Music Therapist. She visits Res. all the time and takes up much of my One on One visit time required by the State. I am so proud of her. Anyway , I hope this helps a little..... P.S. Any paint will do , just have to let it dry for a few days to be safe ....... Good Luck !! BartMan

Well Karen & others , in a time long long ago in a place very far away , oooooops wrong story. Seriously though , I started off as a volunteer in a VA Hospital fourteen years ago when my Father became ill with cancer. I'd quit my job as an road construction worker to help my Mother take care of him. I use to take the Veterans outside to smoke their ciggs and would listen to all their war stories. I was like , Geeeez this is really cooool helping people. Also I would do that to pass the time away and keep my mind from going crazy knowing that I was going to lose my best friend soon to that dreadful cancer. Anyway , when it was all said and done and I got back to Tallahassee I enrolled in a nursing program , I worked in a nursing home for about a year after I graduated and would always be the first one to the Activity room when my work was complete. The Act. Dept always counted on me to help them with the outings and to get Residents to the Activity room. Well soon I got so good at it that I transferred departments , quit nursing and became an Activity Assistant , did that for about a year and decided that was what I wanted to do for a career and became the Activity Director for where I work now. Would not change any choices I have made in life , (well except for that time when I , Ummmmmmmmmm nevermind)............. I Love what I do !!!! And like Gina Salazar's Motto , "I have never really worked a day in my life" well , since I found my passion that is................ Good Day , BartMan (Don't forget to smile)

Try this site Chet www.GloryBeeFoods.com Hope this helps ya out and good luck.... let us know how it turns out.... Sounds interesting , BartMan

Your welcome Mary !! Glad to be of help , now I must think of something to do for that time as well !! Talk at ya later !! BartMan

Mary , I haven't tried it yet but this will probably work for ya. Just GOOGLE "free trivia Black History Month" and you will probably get all the material ya need..... Hope this works for ya and Good Luck !! BartMan