wonytineres

Do any of you have ceramic programs at your facility? We currently have a fairly large program (about 70 residents from throughout our campus participate). The issue we are attempting to address at this time decreasing the time the staff person who coordinates this program spends driving about town purchasing supplies i.e. paints, brushes, equipment, etc. I have explored ordering everything but greenware on line, which seems to be part of our answer. I am just wondering if anyone else has any ideas/suggestions/comments on how you run your ceramic programs. Thanks!

We worked with a local non profit organization that trains dogs specifically for companion therapy purposes. We took custody of our dog when he was 2 years old; the local kennel club did all the training for us. I would tend to disagree with some on the message board here, it has been my experience (Act. Dir for 12 years; I've had 3 facility dogs and 2 cats at various places) that you need to find a dog that is well trained for the population and purpose you intend for and you need to build the cost of vet bills, grooming, food, etc. into your budget- it cannot be absorbed by your current budget. The current dog we have is great- he can turn on/off lights, gently picks up fallen call light cords and is even able to 'do rounds' and has on more than one occasion alerted staff to residents who have fallen. Besides all these great practical things he is fun, loveable and extremely well trained. He is a lab.

At our facility we have a committee of board members and management staff who have been studying the culture change/person first concept for the past 6 months, budgeting for the change has been a challenge for us. We have toured other facilities who are involved in the process and have learned a wealth of information from them. We plan to hire a consulting group to assist us in the process. While exploring the options/possiblities we have found ourselves overwhelmed on most days. We have also attended multiple training seminars/workshops, etc. You may want to check out the following websites www. actionpact.org, www.almosthomedoc.org, www.pioneernetwork.net and www.riqualitypartners.org- click on the long term care link for lots of info. I'd love to chat with anyone else out there who is involved in the process... www.wonytineres@hotmail.com

Hoping someone out there can help me... Does anyone have samples of short term care plans addressing recreation? By short term I do not mean care plans for short term rehab residents but rather short term care plans that are placed into the chart upon admission and serve as a care plan until the activity assessment/actual care plan are completed. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Hoping some of you may be able to offer me some suggestions. My budget is due Monday for the new fiscal year and I am planning to put in a request for a traveling laptop computer for resident use. A few questions... does anyone else have a laptop available for resident check out? If you do what programs do you have on the laptop i.e. Word, Excell, Games, etc.? I am planning to provide wireless internet access on the laptop however I know my CEO will want a plan/answers as to how I am going to control/stop nursing staff from using this. Any help would be appreciated. We already have a computer lab on our CCRC campus for our independent living however this will be dedicated to our SNF population. Thanks!

Non- profit CCRS- 47 independent living condos, 103 independent living apartments, 47 bed CBRF, 114 bed SNF and 24 bed Alzheimers unit.

I work at a large CCRC, we have independent living in condos and apartments. An assisted living center, a dedicated Alzheimers unit and our SNF. I oversee the activity programming/staff, etc. for the entire campus. Any info. I can share let me know.

I just went through state survey (WI), we have the Febreze Scent Stories machines along with other aromatherapy machines... surveyors DID indeed ask about these machines being used to 'cover up odors' however all the residents had the aromatherapy care planned as a therapeutic recreation approach. Surveyors did not bring it up again once they saw that it was indeed care planned.

The local high school brings their ROTC students over and we have a ceremony, 21 gun salute and certificates. Everyone enjoys this and the students are always amazed to meet WWII Vets.

I have never tried a drive in movie but I have taken small groups of assisted living/skilled nursing residents to the movie theater. It has worked fine- be sure to arrive early- you would be amazed how much longer it takes to get everyone settled and once the lights are dimmed forget about adjusting wheelchairs, foot pedals, etc. Good luck!

I would recommend that you spend a week doing a time study- keep track of how you spend your time- time spent doing groups, time spent arranging the medical/therapy appointments (which you SHOULD NOT be doing), time spent planning, etc. Then schedule a 1:1 meeting with your Administrator/Director. Share the results of your time study and then share your vision for the type of activity program you want to offer i.e. person centered, meaningful, life enriching and purposeful activity programming vs. the usual birthday party, bingo, bible study, exercise activity program. Try to gather some comparisons about other ALF in your area- Do they have full time/part time activity staff, how involved are the Personal Care Attendants, etc. I work for a CCRC in Wisconsin. We have a 48 bed ALF, we have one full time activity staff person and 1 part time (20 hours per week). THe PCAs also do one group activity per day in the ALF. When talking with your 'boss' about this remember... speak their language, do not run into the 'bosses' office and start rambling about how much the residents love you, love the activities, how stressed you are, how much you do and definetly do not cry. I think we often make the mistake of being dramatic when talking to our Administrators about our role/department. A large part of an Administrator's job is to run the facility as a business- this means MAKE MONEY. You need to show him/her that in order for your ALF to become a provide of choice and to attract the private pay $$ you must have an innovative, dynamic activity program and in order to do that you must have professional, talented, creative activity staff- and more than one is necessary. Good Luck!

It is always tough when we leave 'our residents'... it is my professional opinion however that we often add pain to an already sad situation. Perhaps if you really want to 'leave' something you could purchase something you know the activity department needs and donate it i.e. a nice stereo, a new VCR/DVD unit or resource books. I am sure you love your residents and they certainly care deeply for you but I do think that sometimes we forget that the residents need our reassurance that all will be well in their world. The best gift you could give your residents (and the person who takes over your job) is to leave with dignity and class... say nothing bad about your facility, reassure the residents that the new activity director will be different than you but GREAT!, try not to cry, leave a tidy office with all forms, policies, staff schedules, special event schedules in place and for the new director AND... the most difficult don't return for a visit for at least six weeks. The residents need time to accept that you have moved on and the new director needs time for the residents/staff to accept him/her without the 'old director' popping in for a visit and reminding the residents of all the new director is not. This response may not have been the one you wanted... and some others on the site may not agree but my eleven years of experience has taught me a few things.

First, step back and take a few deep breaths... I've been where you are. Two years ago I accepted my current position working for a large CCRC- condos/apartments/Assisted Living/Alzheimer Care and a 124 bed SNF- 783 residents in our system- 24 staff in my department. When I accepted the position the department staff were WILD! We're talking totally unmanagable. Just like you I was an experienced AD with tons of ideas and I felt so overwhelmed I cried most days. I thought of 'throwing in the towel'. My advice... slow down. Take care of the staffing issues first... always remember HIRE TOUGH MANAGE EASY. Hire the best staff you can afford. Highly qualified, competent people make all the difference... one competent staff person can do the work of 4 average staff people. And... foster a relationship with your Administrator... keep she/he informed of what is going on. Last... don't expect miracles overnight. It has taken me about 18 months to bring things under control here. Keep your sense of humor and take it day by day. If you'd like to chat more my email is wonytineres@hotmail.com... take a look at that email backwards... wonytineres= serenity now!

We begin our first groups of the morning and afternoon about 10 minutes after the last meal tray is served. We have found that by doing more frequent, smaller groups we are meeting the needs of more residents. It has required the staff in the activity department to flex our schedules i.e. staggered start/end of day times and staggered lunch breaks so that someone from my department is always available to do a small group/1:1/, etc.

You can order a book titled "Cooking for Lower Funtioning" from Nasco. It has in the bag receipes and alot of other great ones. If enough folks are interested I would be happy to post a few of the receipes on this site, that would enable folks to see/try the receipes before you buy the book- it is $35.00.