Pennie

hello everyone Ok I have come up with a new activity that I want to make up but I am needing your help however. It is still a work in progess until I get info gathered up. What I am wanting to do is make an activity that explains how a town got its name. Example is I live in Onalaska, TX, it is located: Onalaska, Texas, located on a peninsula extending into Lake Livingston, 13 miles west of Livingston and 28 miles east of Huntsville on US Highway 190, is nestled in a very picturesque setting surrounded by Lake Livingston and the Piney Woods in all directions History: An "Old Sawmill Town" in Texas. When you stop to chat with local townsfolk and shop owners you find that Onalaska has quite a colorful history. The area was first settled in 1840, and was a farming area until the arrival of the Carlisle Company. With the sawmill, Onalaska then became a boom town and was even larger than the nearby county seat of Livingston. The town had two hotels, a movie theater, a large park, a hospital, a large downtown which included many stores, a cold storage plant, its own electrical plant, a bank, a railroad depot, and a large general store where you could purchase almost anything. The town's primary claim to fame was the largest sawmill in Texas. However, when the forest was depleted in the mid 1920's the sawmill closed. The loggers moved on and Onalaska shrank to a "sleepy little East Texas village". William Carlisle sent L.O.. Jackson to Polk County, Texas in 1903 and, with the help of Judge J.E. Hill and R.T. Stone, he purchased thousands of acres of land between the selected mill site and Trinity, Groveton, Corrigan and east of Livingston. The price paid for the land was approximately $5 per acre. This included land and mineral rights. more history on Onalaska http://cityofonalaska.us/history.htm So I would like all of you to tell me where you live city, state & some info about the town ie how it got its name etc. I will then make up some sort of activity program out of this to do with the residents. Once I have completed this I will post it for all of you to use. This is if I get enough response to turn this into an activity. Also any suggestios or ideals on how you think thi sactivity would work will be appericated. Thanks in advance You can post your info here &/0r email it to me pbacon@activitydirector.com

View the AD Newsletter for July.. Click Here enjoy.. thanks, Pennie

Hi Nikki, you need 20 CEUs per 2 yr period. NCCAP.org will have the exact details to keep your certificate up to date. thanks, Pennie

Hi Look at the different Tracks & find the track that fits your education level. Then you would need to follow that Track to become certified as an AD through NCCAP. Example if you take Track 4 Track 4 A. ACADEMIC EDUCATION **This would be the MEPAP 1 Course** 1. 90-Hour Modular Education Program for Activity Professionals Part 1 (C.C.1-11) and the 90-Hour Practicum (Basic Education Course). **If working you can do your practicum while working & be earning your activity expernience hours all at the same time, this goes for the MEPAP 11 as well*** 2. 90-Hour Modular Education Program for Activity Professionals Part 2 (C.C.12-20) and 90-Hour Practicum (Advanced Management Course). **This would be the MEPAP 11 course*** 3. 12 semester college credits (cannot include #1 and #2 (must include an English PLUS 1 other required coursework area). **This would be (I beleive) 4 classes, each class is about 3 college credits** ...AND... B. ACTIVITY EXPERIENCE **This is the hours you work or voulnteer at a facility, If you are working as the AD now & work 40 hrs a week then it would take about 3 yrs to get the required hours needed*** 4. 6,000 hours activity experience within the past 5 years. ...AND... C. CONTINUING EDUCATION **Some of these can be In-services you have attened at your facility & you can get CEU's on-line, these are actually very easy to get** 30 clock hours (Body of Knowledge) within past 5 years. So you need to get your college credits, both MEPAP courses, 30 CEU hours & the required experience. It will take time to get this all done, but don't let it over whelm you just work on them 1 at a time & before you know it you will be done. The good thing is once you are done then you will only need to get 20 CEU's every 2 yrs.

How long have teh act ass't been working there? Ifthey have been there for sometime ask them about what theythink the res. would like. If they are unsure about this, maybe start off with theh same act for each floor & if supplies are a problem change the times around to vary on each floor. Get to know the res. on each floor & then adjust the calendar after a couple of months to fit each floor. Even though the res. don't care for the eval. it might be a good way to get them to mingle with each other & get them soem exercise in the process. If you change the calendar up & get res. to mingling with each other why don't you consider have each floor host a party for teh other floor once a month. Say the 1st floor host a party for the 2nd floor on teh 1st wed of the month & teh 2nd floor will host one for the 1st floor on teh 3rd wed. If not a party maybe have a game day or dominoes contest, something like this. Just some thoughts. Good luck

Not knowing what your res. or your dept needs are makes it hard to say what to spend the money on. With that said, I had a fundraiser on a few items that benefited the res & the act dept. We raised money for a Large popcorn machine that was used on a regular basis. I also raised money for a cart, TV & a DVD/VCR combo & used this as small group act, In-servcies & also took it to res. rms. The res. who where bedbound, new or just wanted to watch a movie in private loved this. One of the thngs I also bought was a turn table to play records on. Most of the res. loved to listen to the Big Bands, someone had donated over 100 albums to the act dept & I had no way to play them. This turned into a weekly (sometimes twice a wk) act. The res. loved listening to the songs & reminiscing about them. I also found it handy for soothing res. with dementia, music usually soothes them right off. However I am hearing alot about the rooms that have the Lava Lamps, buble machines etc. i think these would be a great benfit for res, as well as staff & family. So many choices, what a fun thing to do. Let us know what you decide to use the money on. We will be dreaming about all teh stuff we could do with it.

Hi You are asking about a reg for staff not res correct? I do not know about the regs for staff. However it is very rude for staff to do this & it is also rude that they are conversing to each other while a meeting is going on & someone is speaking. If they were called upon to answer a question from the speaker then she/he should have corrected them at that point saying they should speak in english. It sounds like the Admin needs to address this problem & establish some policy/procedures about this. As far as them treating you this way, they are acting childish there is always plenty of these at every facility. The other dept heads should stand by you & ifi they hear their staff gossiping about this & making a problem out of this it should be addressed by them rigth then & now. Morale is a hugh part of having good staff & letting any staff gossip & treat a dept head this way is a way to start a really bad morale problem. Like teh Admin says befoer this becomes to big of a problem she really needs to head this off & I suggest that she does this in a dept head meeting, making sure everyone knows that this type of behavior will not be tolerated! So good for you!! Pennie

Hi I am needing help & information from those of you working in the Adult Care (Day) Centers. What type of forms do you use & would you share these? Are you required to be certified? What is a daylike for you in this type of job setting? Any info on how your job differs from those in the LTC or AL fields. Basically any info you can share with me would be so helpful & much appericated. You can post here or email me directly, pbacon@activitydirector.com thanks so much pennie bacon

Source: An open letter to those in the Activities Profession, from Bill Freiberg, Publisher, Current Activities. I read this letter from Bill. & hop ehe does not mind that I am sharing this with everyone, as I feel it is important for all of us AD's. He is talking about the regs. & the changes that have or have not taken place 1 year ago this June. It seems that some AD's were saying that they haven't really seen a change as far as survey's go &/or that even when they try to make changes they don't have the help from Admin, staff etc. Bill attened a seminar in Tampa, FL & spoke to some of the CMS people, here is some of the things he had in his letter: Bills say: I spoke to CMS regulators themselves, in person, at the recent SORIM/LTC seminar in Tampa. This stands for “Symposium on Regulatory Issues for Management in Longterm Care.” Several top regulators from CMS were there to explain all these new rules and regulations… in person Congress is demanding it, they’re a basic part of the Code of Federal Regulations… and we fully intend to enforce them! “This is a new era of “Culture Change” for the nursing home industry, and everyone better get used to it!” And, she told me that she didn’t have any idea why there hasn’t been a bigger reaction in the Activities profession… that everyone should be taking all this very seriously, indeed. Not only that, but regulators there told of a new computerized survey system that will eventually be instigated in all states, that will require strick enforcement of all these new rules, and will equalize surveys and enforcement among all the states. We heard this message over and over again at this 2-day meeting… in both prepared speeches, and personal conversations. (And they even mentioned the possibilities of increased civil penalties for homes not in compliance. They’re really serious, this time!) So, folks, unless the CMS is running one of the biggest bureaucratic con-games I’ve ever seen in my journalistic career… And, as the result, we think the Activities profession could well become one of the most important in the longterm, geriatrics care industry, as it will be at the center of the new culture change, quality-of-life factors that the CMS is instigating. He goes on to mention that Instructors should be teaching this in the courses getting AD's ready for the future otherwise the instructors who are not maybe eventually become irrelevant. For you nursing home administrators who are already incorporating many of these new guidelines and regs into your activities programming… that’s great. You’re elders must be very happy to be in a home like that! For those of you who are not doing this… and still treating your ADs and their program with a “second-class attitude” well… you may well find yourself in real danger of not surviving in the years ahead. you WILL need to know how to do “effective therapeutic activities” in the future! I think what he is saying is of great value to our profession. All of AD'should be focusing on getting educated, sharing articles like this with everyone in the LTC Industry & being prepared. I have always belived that AD's are a very important part of the facility & can fill a nursing home, retirement home, A L Facility etc. up with residents by what we offer the resident's. All of us AD's need to be sure that we are or getting certified, keeping our CEU's up to date & attending as many seminars as possible that will enhance our education. What is some of your thoughts/in put on this subject? Where do you see our profession going?

Lifestyle Extraordinaire Professionals Wilson Commons, artistically designed and decorated, situated next to the serine and beautiful Wilson Park on Milwaukee's South Side has an exciting employment opportunity available for a lifestyle extraordinaire. Skill sets required in Food Service Management, Business Marketing, Creative Senior Lifestyle Activities Management and development Wilson Commons, owned and operated by Tarantino & Co/Capri Communities, offers a carefully balanced design of services and lifestyle choices to adult residents age 55 & older. Three distinct residences: Ranch Homes, Apartments and Apartments w/services. This opportunity requires an individual to plan, develop and kick off our new lifestyle program. A wonderful opportunity for a Lifestyle Programmer to develop a "Lifestyle Connection" among our residents through exciting planned events, dining and activity functions that bring our community together to enjoy all that life at the Commons has to offer. This position offers the right individual a unique opportunity to develop a first class food service intermixed with community event planning to create a desire for our seniors to be part of this exciting community. If you have extraordinary interpersonal skills and enjoy working with a variety of our beloved senior population, and experience in senior lifestyle activity management ad promotion don't hesitate to contact us today! Grasp this opportunity to be part of the Capri Communities lifestyle where teamwork and dedication go hand-in hand! Submit a confidential resume with shift and salary requirements today! NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE Wilson Commons Attention Manager 1400 West Sonata Drive Milwaukee WI 53221 FAX 414-281-2410 ----OR- Tarantino & Co/Capri Communities Attention Human Resources 20711 Watertown Road Waukesha WI 53186 262-798-1119

Hi Having a facility with all a mixed level of res. is tough for everyone. The first facility I worked at hard this type of population. When I did the calendar it had all the 1:1's, in-rms, hi-function & low-function activites listed on it daily. What I did was put a R/H in from of the activites for the lower function res. This let the higher functioning res. & staff know that this was for the lower functioning res. I was the only AD staff person so I had to do everything! This meant that I had res. of some of the groups doing nothing while I was tending to the other level. I did learn that my lower functioning res. were up & did much better in the am. This was good to know because I got them taken care of & when I did the higher function activites in the afternoon they would have less interruptions & more enjoyable act. If you will try to use your higher funtion res., by making them volunteers) to help out with the lower funtioning res. wil be a hugh help to you & them. I am not sure if this info will help you or if thsi is the info your are seeking but I hope it will. thanks pennie

Hi Everyone, I read an interesting article that got me to thinking about residents & CP's (Care Plans). I sometimes have a hard time writing a CP for a res. because I know what they should attend for a problem but have a hard time in breaking it down as to how it benefits them. My mind does not work this way. However this article was very enlightening to me. Ex: Are there brain benefits to playing social games, like cards? Yes. If you're engaging in social activity, you're stimulating a lot of different aspects of cognitive function at once. Take bridge it has all the components for a major brain booster. It places you in a social setting & requires you to communicate bids with your partner, employing language skills, to remember which cards have been played, using short-term memory, & to strategize your next move, using judgement & expert knowledge. Chess, Scrabble & even the card game Concentration require some combinations of strategy, memory & reasoning as well & may have benefits that can help starve off symptoms of mental aging. See what I mean? A new CP with it goal & approaches are here in this 1 article. You can go to more.com/braingames look at the game there for another one to use with residents. How do you write a CP &/or break it down , the activity, for your residents? pennie

Hi Miguel, I used folks all the time that needed to do community service. First check why they are having to do it for, if it was for abuse then you don't need them. I have has so many of them become reg volunteers after they finished their community hours. I have used them for filing much needed paperwork, 1;1's, ass't w/ group act., ass't res to & from act, organizaing act supplies etc. I have also discoved that if I didn't need them that dietay, maint, nursing, housekeeping, accountting & other depts were very grateful to have them. I have only regetted having 1 or 2, not bad when I have had so many over the years. So I only suggest that you use her were you feel comfrotable, watch her & if she seems Ok then use her in other areas. You may find a gem in her & have yourself a wonderful addition to the dept. as a volunteer. pennie

Hello All, I have gotten the Ftag numbers but have not seen the revisions yet -- Updated with December 15 final revisions to F-tags #329, #425, #428, & #431 Anyone have the info? How do these effect activities or do they? Thanks pennie

Hi, I don't know what happen to my message They say of all the things I have lost my mind is the one I miss the most Any way this is from HCPro March 21, 2007 Surprise: CMS announces the arrival of two new F-tags By Fall 2007, CMS announced that it will unveil two new F-tags after previously stating that fiscal year 2007 will not see anything new. The announcement came during the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) conference in Washington, D.C. I think one of them has something to do with feeding & I can't remember the other one at this time. Just wondering what anyone knows about these & how will they effect us (Volunteers etc.) Let me know what you guys know. later pennie

Hi, Welcome to the world of AD's (Activity Director's) This is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have. The burn-out rate is high , so remember to take the time for yourself & family. The pay is not the best but it is getting better. ADC stands for Activity Director Certified & ACC stands for Activity Consultant Certified. To see what it takes to become certified for either of these go to NCCAP.org also check out thenaap.org No one here will judge you about education, we all do what we have to do. As far as college, depending on where you live & the state regs. you may not be able to work or become certified as an AD. Like I said it depends on the state regs. (In Texas you can be qualitifed or certified & no college required). But you can always be an AAC Activity Assistance Certified. As far as learning the paperwork & all the other stuff you run across, well you have come to the right place. We have some of the best folks on this message board. Everyone is always willing to help out & explain things, whatever you need. So again welcome. Pennie & all of us from AD Network

Hello, Maybe start with the administrator, sound like the source. That aside, one of the things that was successful that I did was a "Pat on the back board" Take a bultein board that is is a prime spot at the facility. Decorate the edges & put solid color paper over the board (this has no rason except to make it look nice) Make a pocket & attach it to the BB this will hold blank hands, also supply a pen. Have res. outline their hands on construction paper in various colors & cut them out. You will need a lot of these. On the top of the board in color letters write the word "Pat On The Boack Board" on a 81/2" by 11" sheet of paper hang up the directions. The directions are for everyone: (res. & family members, staff, volunteers etc.) If they see a staff person doing something that goes above & beyond the call of their duty; take a hand & write the staff person name, what they did, the date & sign it, hang it on the board (oh yea place a bunch of push pins on the board.) Then from here it is optional as to what you do. You can read these over the intercom evey firday, or on payday meetings, pass out small surprise on friday to evey staff person who got their name on the board etc. Take all the hands down & start the reward system over. This works well for a month or two, you will see staff doing more for others & it does boost moral. You could also change this from hands to stars. Ex of how to fill the hand out (might do an example of a filled out hand to hang up for everyone to see, write sample across it): Staff: Pennie Bacon, AD Did What: Sat with mother (Joan Smit, res) after her shift was over because she had learned her dog passes away Date 4/00/07 Sign: Nellie Smith (daughter) Later pennie

NCAL celebrates the older generation Legacies of Love-no it's not a new movie title, it's the National Center for Assisted Living's (NCAL) 2007 theme for National Assisted Living Week. The purpose of the theme is to keep the older generation legacy alive by passing their stories down through the generations, according to a NCAL press release. NCAL is partnering with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging to bring the theme to life. National Assisted Living Week is September 9-15, according to the release.

Everyone thinks differnent as to what this means. I do agree with the folks on your clothes being neat. I have been in this profession for many many years. I have learned & never heard a complaint from anyone, admin, corp office, state etc. about what works best as an AD. If you are going to a seminar, meeting etc. Then dress up in a bussiness fashion. But fo reveryday attire as an AD, like it was stated eariler, you will be crawling under tables, on ladders, getting glue, paint etc. on you. Not mention lifting boxes, res. in w/c etc. So I never wore skirts or dresses. My staff & ,myself wear pants (not jeans, except on causal friday) & blouses, polo shirts, t-shirts etc. & comfortable but nice looking shoes yes we wear tenny shoes. I have noticed that res. respond to us different to us if we look to formal, we should dress for the job we are hired to do. I suggest that you speak to your admin about what she/he has in mind. If she/he says bussiness suites etc. discuss w/ him/her about your job description> If you have assistance who will be doing the day to day activities & you will be in meeting, at a desk most of the time then that is fine. Otherwise bring up to him/her the daily task that are required as an AD & see if it is OK to dress the way I suggested. Also I really think it is important that the AD dresses for the holiday, occ., & fun. I agree w/ katlipstick on this. Ok this is my thoughts on this matter. Best of luck to you. Pennie

Hi Linda, I am not sure if they read the message board. Why don't you 1 email him & 2 call him & set-up an interview again or speak with him over the phone about your request. They may decide to hire you because you are showing so much interest. If being certified is a big deal to them tell them you are willing to get certified. We teach the Texas courses on-line. After you take the Texas Basic you are qualitifed & the Texas Advance will make you certified. Speak with them about helping to pay the cost, make an agreement that you are willing to sign a contact that you will work for them (ex: a min. of 1 or 2 years) after you become certified or that you will not work anywhere else as an AD for 1 year, if you do not fulfill your end of the agreement. (this is just a thought about the contact, it may show them how seriuos you are) Good luck. pennie

All AD's & their Assistance are welcomed. Please RSVP Where: Ainsley Courte Assisted Living Date: April 4th, 2007 Time: 11:00 - 1:00 RSVP to: Please reply to martindonna@hotmail.com, as soon as possible, if you will be attending, so Stevee will know how many to expect for lunch. The presentation will be, "Traveling Tips: Tried and True" - Field trip fun and safety... presented by Stevee Steely. - hand out the wheelchair safety sheet, and go over how to train volunteers on safety issues on the trip. -go over the first aid kit that we should have on the trips. -cover the name tags that we use. -cover the form that she uses for checking people on the bus. - give a list (and describe) her vote for the top 20 field trip destinations. The address is: Ainsley Courte Assisted Living 15055 North Eldridge Parkway, Cypress 77429. We are located on North Eldridge between Grant and Louetta. If you are coming from 249, turn west on Louetta and go one mile to North Eldridge. Turn right on North Eldridge, and we are just a little ways up the road on the right. If the parking lot is full (it is a small lot) you can park on the curb, but please do NOT park in or block the pull through driveway. If you need additional space, there is a larger parking lot in the back. To get to the back, go back out to North Eldridge and head AWAY from Louetta. At the corner (stop sign) you will be at Malcomson. Turn right at Malcomson, and the first driveway to the right will lead you to the back parking lot.

Hi Jody.. there are several Online CEU Workshops NCCAP Preapproved at http://www.activitydirector.org // pm me if you need assisttance thanks, Pennie

hello bc, Bingo is a big deal to most res. Look at how many bingo places there are in any community. Check out how many of the elders like to go gambling. How many of your res. like to watch The Price Is Right or Wheel of Fortune, something to do with the thrill of games & the control that they have this part of their lives. Yet we get critizied for having it on the calendar when most of our res. love this game. Go figure the powers that be want us to not have on there or only once a month. How about we let the res. make this decision. Oh sorry this was not your question, oops. So anyway most of the games you probably know of but off top of my head I canthink of these: Res Right Bingo. Mommy Bingo, Daddy Bingo, Pokeno, 4 Corners, Black-Out, Six pack etc. Check with a bingo hall in the community they have more ways to bingo that I ever thought possible. I do have a question for you AD's: Is Bingo a social activity? I know it is other things but interested in this specific question, social. Please explain your answer if possible.

Hey Miguel, Should pose for an interesting questions & answers. As far as I know the only state I have seen Ration of Activity Staff to res. is New Jersey & even it is vague. They have 2 FT Activity staff per 46 - 60 res. I believe this should be a state/fed regulation so that we could get the staff that we need in activities. Most AD's are so under staffed & trying to do it all themselves. Usually the pay scale is to low for what we have to do, the responsibilities we have, the schooling that we have to have etc. In fact most AD's are considered Dept. Heads but I will bet they are the lowest paid person in that group. It is also hard to find decent staff with what they allow us to pay them & the demands we put on them for that pay scale. I don't know the fix for this?! Qualified verse Certified. I think all AD's should be certified. But I do think that the requirements to be certified are too strict. I think that AD's should have to take the MEPAP 1 & 2 & should have high school dip or GED but I think the college is to much & that the hours one must work before becoming certified is to much (5000 to 6000 hours close to 3 years). Especially for the pay that most AD's are getting. I do however think that writing & spelling is very important, as the paperwork we do is legal documentation. Try to become a Consultant first the schooling is gets even stiffer. I know a lot of AD's that would make excellent ACC but because of their age or money situation they will never be able to do this because of the too strict rules. I expect to have a lot of you disagree with me on this part but just posting my feeling here. Hands on experience, seminars, workshops & daily life can educate us. I know that the times are changing as our res. will also be of a different generation but people are still people no matter what the generation is. So what do you all think & is there more to this topic that we should also discuss? Thanks Pennie PS: My mind is subject to change just like our calendars

Hi, An average day/wk/month at our facility goes something like this: every morning at 9 am dept head meeting last 30 mins to 1 hr QA meeting 1 x monthly last 1 1/2 to 2 hrs but we get a free lunch 1 x mthly dept head meeting 45 mins to 1 hr Unit/Room Checks 2 x wkly Check other depts 1 x wkly (we get a list of other depts we have to check on, it changes mthly) CP's every Tues, Wed, Thur last 2 to 4 hrs a day CP's sometime on friday if had changes or lots of admits Orientation these vary monthly to how many but they take about 1 hour each time Of course I have yet to do any of my work: Charting (writting CP's, documentation etc), calendars, newsletters, res council, shopping etc.. My dept works 7 days a week & luckly we have some wonderful volunteers who come in & do activites in the evening 3 times a week. Of course there is always exceptions to the rules, sometimes we have to cover evening events, plan outings on weekends, cover sick staff etc. This is a slight overview of a day & the life of an AD in LTC. This is subject to change (which I mean be added to) at any given moment. But I would not be happy sitting behind a desk doing the samething day in & day out.