gina

Wow! I have not been on the site for a while! Thanks for all the replies. I never wrote that book I had spoke about as I moved to Arizona and have just been so busy working as a Activity Director still. I do appreciateall the ideas and suggestions for the book and maybe someday will get around to doing it! Lol! I do have my Facebook, Activity Ideas That Work page and try to put fun ideas on that. Well, just wanted to check in and say hello! Thanks again for all the replies. :-)

Hello All, I am currently looking for work as an Activity Director. I have over 20 years experience. I am in the Phoenix,Arizona area. You can see some of my ideas at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Activity-Ideas-That-Work/157538300943081 or at: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/Gina_ActivityIdeasThatWork_Home.html My contact info: ginasalazaraz@yahoo.com Thanks for reading! Gina Salazar,A.D.

Hi All, I am wondering what is your favorite activity to do with your Alzheimer's residents?? Please share..............

Hi ladies! I have not been on the site latley and was shocked at the change. I have come on a few times in the past year but have not really tried to do anything on here. I am getting back into the field in August and would like to start moderating again but this site is confusing and hard to work. I tried to check out some member profiles and it says I do not have access to it.Am I blocked or what?Help..... Gina

Hi All, I know we are all so busy at this time of year but does anyone know of an Elvis Impersonator that lives and entertains in Arizona? I am planning my January acts and am in need of one. Thanks in advance.... have fun! Gina

Hey Ladies, That is my site.It is at: http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/...tWork_Home.html You do not need to join. Thanks for the comments about the site.

Merry Christmas To Everyone, May we all have a Happy,Healthy,Safe and Creative New Year!!!! Have Fun! Gina 8-)

Hey Sublimetart(I luv the name!), The Activity Connection is where u can find the actual "Daily Cronicles", now they charge to use their website.I copied many months of Daily Cronicles long,long ago when it was still a free site! I have a link to the History Channel that has "This day is history" that is pretty cool. Just click on the link then click on the "Day in history" link thats at the top of the page. http://www.historychannel.com/ Maybe this will help. Otherwise its worth the money to use the activity connection.com or as Tinki says Pennie is starting a new site for pay use also. Good luck at your new job. Have fun! Gina

Hey Diane, Have you tried "BRIBES"? :-o I always have used lottery tickets,candy bars,raffle tickets (for each correct answer for a drawing at the end of the In-Service).What I do is talk about the subject,then every few questions give a prize for the correct answer.Or pass out raffle tickets for every right answer to the staff and then at the end give away a gift certificates for a local resturant(Mc Donalds,Burger King)or a local grocery store.It will cost you 10-$15.00 per in service but have your Administrator pay for it out of petty cash.When the staff know that there are prizes at stake they usually put forth more of an effort to listen!!! It has always worked for me. Good Luck!! :-) Have Fun! Gina

PAT!!!!!! Its so good to hear from ya again!!!!! Please email me personally at: crazee_g2004@yahoo.com We need to catch up!!!!!! ;-) (((((((HUGS))))))) Gina :-D

Hi Laurie, Welcome to the site! I as well, will be sending ya one from ARIZONA...... Great idea by the way!!!!! Have fun! Gina 8-)

Hi Jl, I dont know of any registry in Calif. for Activity Directors, but go onto the Recreation Therapy website and search around on it, there be an answer to your question on it.. http://www.recreationtherapy.com/ I am going to research further and If I hear of anything I will let ya know. I think it is a great idea, they have nursing registries,why not A.D. registries too? ;-) Have fun! Gina :-) P.S.- What part of so.Cal are you from? I recently moved to Arizona,but was born and raised and worked for twenty years in Cali.

Hi All, Has anyone tried Time Slips? It is a very interesting way to get your Alzheimers residents to write and draw stories of their lives.I would think your Art teacher (flgirl) could do this with the residents and really have some fun with them. Check out the website: http://www.timeslips.org/index.html Have fun! Gina :-D

Hi All, I am curious how many of you work in CCRCs? In Arizona there are quite a few of these facilities and I am considering a position in one. From my understanding of it, the person buys in and gets an apt./unit of their own, then as they age and need more services,such as nursing care, they then go to the other side of the building and still are with you just in a different capacity. What do you all think about these facilities? I have worked for twenty years in the buss. but have never worked in a facility like this. I personally think its a great idea if the resident can afford it, they are pretty expensive. Well, let me all know what ya think. Gina

Hey Diana, I am glad you found the site. Since I am now doing daycare in my home, I have found that alot of the sites I use to keep the kiddies active can be adapted to use for some residents in various settings. I do miss my seniors(I will go back to work with them in a few years), but for now, I will keep posting things that I know would be of interest to others still working with seniors. Have fun!!! :-D Gina To join ACTIVITY CHAT: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Activ...yguid=178619319

Hey Linda! How have ya been? I havent heard from ya in a while. Anyway, here are a few ideas that I have used before for my Cowboy/Western Parties, I got them from a party site: Decorations: A basic red and white checkered table cloth cover the table. Make a centerpiece with a balloon bouquet tied to a toy horse. If possible, give a real horseshoe to every guest, attach a balloon to each one and place at their table setting. Instead of streamers, hang easy western stencils. Ropes, hay, saddle and horseshoes add authenticity to the decor. Place the saddle over a bail of hay. Don't forget the western music! Games and Activities ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tin can shoot played with empty pop bottles and a squirt gun. Place three cans on a bench and take turns with the water gun. Pin the Tail on the Horse, the badge on the sheriff.... Have a rope tying contest with licorice or real ropes. A horse relay with brooms and a challenge course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Faux Leather Cowboy Vests You'll need Brown paper Grocery bags, Markers, scissors Directions :Cut one side of the bag down the middle to make vest opening. Cut the bottom enough to fit a person comfortably around neck and shoulders. Decorate with markers. Hope these help.... :-) Have fun! Gina

Hi Wonytineres, What I have always done is tell the entertainer that I will only use them if they offer a free trial entertainment show( say a half hour show,instead of their full hour) and that way I can see how the residents react to him and also if he is not good I have not invested my hard earned petty cash money!!! Most new entertainers do not have a problem with it and the ones that do are usually the ones that are the "Prima Donnas" and want you to basically do all the work yourself(borrow all your equipment,have the chairs set up a certain way,etc) and there are so many entertainers out there now you should be able to do this,just stand firm and dont let them push ya around! Did you pay this guy or what? :-o Have fun! Gina :-)

Hi All, How fun! What is your name? Gina What is your occupation? Activity Director,Social Service Director, Daycare Provider, and Mother of five/ wife. •What are you listening to right now? Audio Slave on MTV2 • What was the last thing you ate? Tacos and corn •Do you wish on stars? Always,doesnt everyone? •If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple or Red •How is the weather right now? Hot ,about 112 today •Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Mom and sister •How old are you today? Just turned the big 38 •Favorite drink? Non-alcohol: Diet Pepsi & Water •Favorite sport(s) to watch? Football and Soccer, my four boys are always on a team! •Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes all the time –Burgandy, Red , Black, depends how I feel...LOL! •Do you wear contacts or glasses? not yet. •Pets?I have five kids,NO time for pets!! •Favorite month? October •Favorite food? Chinese food •What was the last movie you watched? Wedding Crashers,War of the Worlds. •Favorite day of the year? Halloween and Christmas •Fall or Spring? Fall •When was the last time you cried? I don’t know •What did you do last night? Watched Law and Order, did my Gazelle workout machine. •What inspires you? My children. •What are you afraid of? Having a heart attack or stroke or Cancer,all run in my family. •Favorite car? any type of convertable. •Favorite dog breed?Labs •How many years at your current job? 8 months, taking a break from Activities right now, doing Daycare in my home. •How many states have you lived in? 2- California and Arizona •How many cities/towns have you lived in? Way too many to list :-D

Hi All, Well,let me tell ya my opinion on both types of facilities.... I started in a SNF in the early 80's and back then there was hardly any paper work and not alot of meetings and regs.,hippa, or none of that..It was actually really FUN to work in skilled nursing! Then came MDS,more people on medicare-medicaid ( more gov. paperwork),Hippa regs,f-tags and all that came with it.No more fun,just tons and tons of paperwork. I worked for SNFs for about 15 years. In the mid 90's A.Ls started poping up all over the place,in turn the need for Activity Directors, but the owners did not want to pay as well as SNFs.I worked for AL facilities for about ten years.I really enjoyed working for AL facilities but the residents are alot more demanding and alert so you really need to be on your toes! There is alot less paperwork and usually more family involvement( this could be a good or bad thing,LOL!) There are pros and cons of both types of facilities but if you just really want to be with the residents choose ALs,if you like to deligate and do paper work and attend meetings most of your day choose SNF. Its really up to you and what you like to do with your day. Both jobs are equally fun and rewarding and will keep ya busy!! Have fun! Gina :-D

In-Service for Activity Professionals Activity Directors Troy L. Lott, ADPC, State President, Activity Coordinators of Tennessee An Activity Director can be rewarding, challenging and often time consuming. This profession allows us to enhance the lives of residents who live in long term care facilities. Activity Directors must be familiar with all state and federal regulations as well as ongoing changes and updates. We are responsible for scheduling religious, emotional, social and psychosocial activities on a daily basis. To many of our residents, we become a sounding board, personal shopper, visitor and dinner companion, as well as their adopted family and only connection to the outside world. This article is being written to clarify one of the biggest misconceptions about the training of Activity Directors in this state and many others. This misconception is about the difference in qualification and certification. Some people think that they are certified after they complete their State Basic Course for Activity Directors. In fact, only two states in the United States have a State Certification Program for Activity Directors. When an Activity Director completes their state basic course that is approved by that state, they are qualified to be an Activity Director in that state. If you leave your state, moving to another state, you need to see what their state requirements are. There are only two ways that an Activity Director can be truly certified: 1) Go to college, complete the required course of studies for Therapeutic Recreation and then pass the certification test or: 2) Complete one of the certification tracks through the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals. There are three tracks for Activity Assistant Certified and four tracks for Activity Director Certified. The first three tracks for Activity Director Certified requires college: A) Track One - a Bachelor Degree. Track Two - an Associate Degree. C) Track Three - 60 hours of college. D) Track Four - this being the track that most people receive certification with, this track requires: 1) Successful completion of an approved 90-hour NAAP/NCCAP Basic Activity Course. 2) Successful completion of an approved 90-hour NAAP/NCCAP Advanced Management Course 3) 12 college credits, (3 credits must be English composition) plus 1 other required coursework area 4) 6,000 hours (3 years) of experience in Activities within the past 5 years. 5) 30 clock hours of Continuing Education (found in the Body of Knowledge) within the past 5 years. After application and acceptance, the Activity Director is truly certified. National Certification is accepted in any state without further classes or test. To maintain certification the person must re-certify every two years. Sending in the re-certification application and certificates for the required 30 hours of Continuing Education does this. Unless a person is truly certified by one of the two methods of certification explained above, using the letters CTRS or ADC is unlawful. I hope that this clears up the misconception. For further information on certification, get in touch with the National Certification Council For Activity Professionals by looking on their web site at www.nccap.org or by calling 1-757-552-0653.

Hi ohiochrissy, Fundraising ideas: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jellybean count: Fill a jar with jellybeans and have people pay to guess how many there are in the jar. Walkathon: Choose a date and a route, make up some pledge forms, and advertise with posters. Have everyone who wants to participate gather donations or pledges using their pledge forms. Raffles: Sell tickets and keep ticket stubs. On the date of the draw, have someone close his or her eyes and pick a ticket stub from all the ones that were sold. Do this publicly. The winner receives a prize. Auction: Have individuals, groups and businesses donate goods and services. Be creative in what you can auction off and make certain that the goods and services are sold at reasonable prices. Sell candy or cards: Work with reputable businesses that provide merchandise you can sell. Be sure at least half of the money raised goes to your cause. Winter carnival: Hold a winter carnival in your local park or schoolyard. Invite students, staff, and the community. Charge admission and/or a small fee to play games. Carnival day: Host a mini-carnival, with games, prizes and popcorn, in a local park or your own backyard. Charge admission and/or a small fee to play games. Spelling bee: Look through some books or in the dictionary and come up with a list of words of increasing difficulty. Have participants and spectators pay to participate. Battle of the bands: Gather some bands from your loc al community. Book a venue and advertise with posters, flyers, and radio announcements. Hold a mini-concert in which the audience chooses the winning band. Pitch-a-thon: Rent a radar gun and measure how fast people can throw a baseball or kick a soccer ball. Charge $1 per try and give a prize to the fastest individual. Sell buttons or t-shirts displaying your logo: Create a logo, and then make up a whole bunch of t-shirts, buttons, pens, or other gifts with your logo on them. Sell the items at a reasonable price. Spaghetti dinner: Prepare a great dinner for students, teachers, or community members and charge a fee. Hold a theme party: Decide on a fun theme. Charge an entrance fee, but be sure to explain to people what their cover charge is going towards. Plant a tree: ask a nursery for seedling donations and then get people to sponsor a tree. Pledges: Gather pledges to have dance-a-thons, rock-a-thons, or any other type of endurance contest you can think of. Day of community service: Gather together a group of friends, and contact a number of organizations for which you would be interested in volunteering. Then have people sponsor you to do community service for 24 hours. Piñata contest: Charge a fee to have each blindfolded person have one turn at trying to break a candy-filled piñata. Craft sale: Make all the crafts yourself and sell them. Family barbecue: Host a family barbecue in your backyard, with games and activities. Bingo: Host a bingo night at a local hall, place of worship, or school. Plant sale: Organize a plant sale with plants donated by local nurseries. Games night: Organize an evening of board games. Boat race: Organize a model boat race on a body of water. Charge a participant/spectator entrance fee. The winner of the race gets a prize. Book sale: Ask all your friends, relatives, and teachers to donate their old books. Advertise your book sale by means of posters and flyers. Set up a table and sell books. If there are leftovers, you can always give them to a needy library, shelter, or school. Bowling: Organize a bowling night or a competition. Charge everyone a small fee to enter or have participants get bowl-a-thon pledges. International dinner: Have people from various ethnic origins cook traditional foods, and then charge admission to an international dinner. Balloon pop: Before filling a balloon with air or helium, put a note inside. Have a certain number of the notes worth a prize. Have people buy balloons and pop them in the hope of getting the prize. Be sure to pick up the broken balloons afterwards. Scavenger hunt: Set a route and make a list of items that the participants need to find in order to win. Advertise your scavenger hunt well and charge everyone a small fee to participate. The winning person/group gets a prize. Car wash: With a group of friends, set up a car wash in the parking lot of your school, church, or public area. (Be sure to ask for permission and make sure that people are careful of moving cars). Carol-singing: During the Christmas season, go door-to-door singing carols for donations. It is a good idea to have a card or a flyer with some brief information about your organization to give to sponsors. Candle making: Make candles and sell them to family members. This can be educational and fun, but be sure to exercise all safety precautions. Hug-a-gram: Advertise a hug for a dollar. Have people buy a hug for a friend. After a member of your group gives the hug to the designated person, give them a small card with a message from the person who sent the hug. Sporting events tickets: Ask sports teams to donate a number of seats for their games and raffle off the tickets. Charity ball: Hire a DJ or a band, rent a hall, advertise, and sell tickets for a dance. Christmas ornament sale: Sell Christmas ornaments during the Christmas season. Classic car show: Organize a classic automobile show. Invite people to attend and to bring their cars by placing ads in local newspapers, leaving flyers at local businesses, and charging people to come and see the show. Miniature golf: Build a nine-hole miniature golf course at your school, featuring ramps, water and sand traps, and other obstacles. Charge people to play a round during lunch. Hoopla: The competitor throws hoops over prizes. The person whose hoop completely lands over the prize gets to keep the award. Make sure you do not spend too much money on prizes. Pumpkin-decorating contest: Around Halloween, hold a pumpkin-decorating contest among different grades of homerooms. Dog show: Invite people to show off their dogs in a show. Make it a competition that people pay to enter, and offer a prize for the best groomed dog, most- and least-obedient dog, and so on. Talent auction: Auction off the talents of people. For instance, great singers offer to sing at a wedding, party, or special event. Duck race: Sell numbered plastic ducks. Set all the ducks afloat in a race on a river. The person who bought the duck that wins the race gets a prize. Guess the number of coins in a jar: The winner receives all the coins and your group makes money by charging people for guessing. Comedy hour: Host a comedy skit during lunch at your school and charge people to attend. Nacho party: Plan a morning to make nachos and popcorn, which can be sold during lunch. Eating marathon: Have a pie eating, hot-dog eating, or ice cream-eating contest. You can charge people to participate or to watch, or you can make all participants obtain pledges. Face painting: Have a face-painting day. Advertise in advance and then charge a small fee for painting young kids’ faces during a school day or on a weekend. Ugly tie contest: Have the students come to school wearing the ugliest tie they can find. Have them vote on the worst tie with the winner receiving a prize. Flower show: Invite gardeners from your community to enter their flowers in a competition for a prize. Ask volunteer experts to be judges and charge all participants and spectators a fee. Calendar sale: Create a calendar highlighting the projects and members of your organization, and sell it to students and their family members. Art sale: Have local artists donate some of their works, which will be displayed and then sold to the public. Game show: Recreate one or more of your favorite game shows and charge contestants a small entrance fee. Sell tickets to the audience. Guest speaker: Invite a guest speaker to your home or local hall and sell admission tickets to raise funds for your cause. Karaoke: Rent a karaoke machine, sell tickets or charge an admission fee, and sing all night. Videos: Make and sell a video for youth tourists of places to go and cool things to do. Or create a How-To video; for example, how to improve your golf swing, or how to make crafts. Recipe book: Gather together favourite recipes and put them together in a book. Sell the book through your school, sports organization, or community centre. Try to get the photocopying donated by local businesses. Talent show competition: Invite people to show off their talent in a competition in which they can win a prize. Sell tickets in advance. Toy sale: Hold a toy sale. The best season for this is just prior to Christmas. Lemonade stand: Make lemonade, post signs, and sell it on a hot day. January: Snow art contest. February: Valentine’s Day dance; red carnations for Valentine’s Day. March: St. Patrick’s Day party; spring car wash. April: Spring flower sale. May: Mother’s Day flowers sale. June: Father’s Day sale; end-of-school pool party (with lifeguards). July: Canada Day festivities with refreshment/food booths. August: End-of-summer party. September: Back-to-school dance; back-to-school supplies sale. October: Halloween party; pumpkin sales; Thanksgiving turkey raffle. November: Remembrance Day donations. December: Christmas tree sale; gift-wrapping service; New Year’s Eve Maybe one of these will help! Have fun! Gina :-D

Hi Erica, Here is the local association for your area. Try giving them a call. Maryland Activity Coordinators Society Melanie Whitman 17118 Spataro Ln NW Frostburg, MD 21532 Work: (301) 777-5941 Home: (301) 689-6792 Let me know if you have anymore questions. Have fun! Gina :-D

Hi Diana! Maybe these will help..... I have never made homemade Ice cream,other than in an Ice cream maker. Let me know how it goes. :-D Have fun! Gina Make Ice Cream in a Baggie (From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.) Materials * 1/2 cup of milk * 1/2 cup of half and half cream * 1/4 cup of sugar * 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or vanilla flavoring (vanillin) * 1/2 to 3/4 cup sodium chloride (NaCl) as table salt or rock salt * 2 cups of ice * 1-quart Ziploc TM bag * 1-gallon Ziploc TM bag * thermometer * measuring cups and spoons * paper towels * cups and spoons for eating your treat! Procedure 1. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup half and half cream, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla to the quart Ziploc TM bag. Seal the bag securely. 2. Put 2 cups of ice into the gallon Ziploc TM bag. 3. Use a thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice in the gallon bag. 4. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup salt (sodium chloride) to the bag of ice. 5. Place the sealed quart bag inside the gallon bag of ice and salt. Seal the gallon bag securely. 6. Gently rock the gallon bag from side to side. It's best to hold it by the top seal or to have gloves or a cloth between the bag and your hands because the bag will be cold enough to damage your skin. 7. Continue to rock the bag for 10-15 minutes or until the contents of the quart bag have solidified into ice cream. Do this on a lab table so your mess can be easily cleaned up. 8. Open the gallon bag and use the thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice/salt mixture. 9. Remove the quart bag, open it, serve the contents into cups with spoons and ENJOY! Use the paper towels to clean up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker: You'll need two containers, one that will fit inside the other with at least an inch to spare. Two sizes of coffee cans work well for this, but any food safe containers will do. Metal is best, but glass will work, too. Plastic does NOT work, as it doesn't conduct the cold very well. Be sure to tape or tie the lid down firmly on the smaller container. Place it in the larger coffee can or other container and put in enough ice, alternating with layers of rock salt two or three times, to completely pack the cavity between the two cans. Seal the larger can well, too, then go play 'kick the can' with it, or roll it back and forth between kids, or just hold and jiggle it like you would to hand churn butter for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. You can also make drain holes in the bottom of the larger container, punching them with a nail, but it can be messy if the can will be passed back and forth. To check for "doneness", it won't hurt to take off the lid and stir. If it's not frozen solid enough, drain the water caused by melting ice, repack and shake or roll again. Recipes for homemade ice cream vary from the super smooth, egg-and-cream-rich ices of the old south to the plain milk and sugar kind, but all can be adapted to a coffee can ice cream maker - just use a half recipe or less. However you do it, home made ice cream, while usually more expensive than store bought ice cream, is frugal entertainment as well as a special treat to eat.

Hi Phxville, Here is the local Activity Directors association info. you can call to get involved in your area. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Activity Professionals Association Chrylann Fons 1195 McKnight Dr Bethel Park, PA 15102 Work: (412) 571-1300 Hope this helps! Gina :-D

Hi Guys! Welcome to the board and to the world of Activities! My name is Gina and I have been doing activities since 1984(I was 17 when I started).Right now I am not working as an Activity Director,I am taking a much needed hiatus for at least the next year or so and I am working on some books and raising my five children at home,my youngest is two. Anyway,now you know about me.I am interested in how you got your positions since you state that you are new to the field.Are you taking the basic state courses or what are your backgrounds? Just wondering because it seems like there are alot of facilities that hire people with no prior background in recreation and it is a hard, yet very rewarding job and with no prior background it might seem a bit overwelming with the paperwork, meetings,budgeting, implementing activities and such. Please let me know if I can help ya with anything or any questions you may have. And you can visit my Activity Chat site at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Activ...yguid=178619319. Once again,Welcome and have fun! Gina :-)