lllucas

Hi, AD's! :-) Just a note to let you know that the June 2005 issue of Activity Director Monthly is available for you to download. To subscribe please visit The Activity Director's Office at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com . Also available is Newsletter-Express.com's free newsletter for your facility. Thanks for your support! ;-)

Hi, AD's! OK...I know this isn't exactly prime activity stuff...but it sure is fascinating :-D ! I just received this link in my e-mail and decided to share it with all of you. So take a break and visit the Great Woogie at http://newfunpages.com/cardtrick.php3#step3 just for the fun of it all. Hope you are as amazed as I am :hammer: ! Happy AD'ing, ;-)

Hi, AD's! :-) All of us get honked off at telemarketers and junk mail. We receive it at home...we receive it at the office...we receive it whether we want to or not. :-x There seems to be no way of stopping their annoying onslaught of spam. :hammer: Well I just received an e-mail from a friend that I want to pass on to you. Here is a way to fight back and hit them where it hurts...in the pocket book. :pint: ___________________________ Andy Rooney's tips for telemarketers Three Little Words That Work!! (1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..." Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt. Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task. These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting. (2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end? This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone. This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home. What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer!!! (3) Junk Mail Help: When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away. When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope. Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back. It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. Here is another one of Andy Rooney's (60 minutes) ideas. Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back! If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them. You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 37 cents. The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice! Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea! If enough people follow these tips, it will work---- I have been doing this for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore. THIS JUST MIGHT BE ONE E-MAIL THAT YOU WILL WANT TO FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS

Hi, Toonie! :-) Welcome to the site. You will find that this is THE message board for Activity Directors on the Internet. Also, there are a lot of excellent links to other sites which can help make your "activity directing" easier. Of course, I highly recommend my site, The Activity Director's Office at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com . :-D Hope to here from you again! Happy AD'ing, ;-)

Hi, AD's! :-) Following is some vital information you need to know about the true importance of your facility newsletter. I know that many of you are not aware of the newsletter's impact on your facility. Yes...it's major purpose is to inform; but it has a much more valuable function as a marketing tool. Perspective clients will be attracted to your facility by the content and professionalism of your newsletter. One admission per year...brought in by your newsletter...more than pays any price your facility may pay for a preprinted version. If you can write on that level...and you have the time available to do so...then have at it. If you cannot write on that level...or if your time is too limited to wrestle with the writing...seek help from a newsletter specialist. For me...I'd rather spend the newsletter writing time for charting or for spending more time with my residents. The following article was written by Robert Lucas, a retired nursing home administrator and the editor-in-chief of Newsletter-Express.com, a newsletter service ( http://www.newsletter-express.com ). Best Wishes in making an informed decision, Linda Lucas, AD ;-) ________________________________________ THE EFFECTIVE NEWSLETTER by Robert Lucas, H.F.A. (retired) In many facilities the job of writing and publishing the facility newsletter goes to the Activity Director. Some AD's love to write the newsletter while others loathe it. It's true, your newsletter is a powerful marketing tool for your facility. From time to time potential clients may actually choose your facility over another because of the quality of your newsletter. If that happens, even one time, your newsletter has earned its weight in gold. Also, the newsletter is your representative to the community. It's look and it's content reflect upon the quality of service your facility is perceived to give. It's as important as the facility's polished floors and being odor free. Besides that, a properly marketed newsletter can go places a marketing representative cannot; and it does it month after month. It is a great tool for you to mail to all of your "gatekeepers". Here are a few basic tips for you to follow in order to produce an effective newsletter. CONTENT First you need to consider your readership. Who is your intended target? What is their age and their interests? Does your newsletter only circulate within your facility? Do you only mail it out to responsible parties? For a suggested marketing readership see "Distribution." Once your readership is determined you will need to consider content appropriate to that reader's interest. For the most part, nursing home newsletters today are read by people aged 50+. It is people their parents' age who are your residents. So you need to ask yourself what is it that interests the Baby Boomer Generation. Things to consider for content include personal health care articles, Alzheimer's/Dementia articles, lighter subjects like recipes and poetry and jokes, word search games, crossword games, facts about the month, the Activity Calendar, special events, a management personnel roster, equal opportunity employment and admission statement, the activity donations wish list, etc. It is most helpful if you can get each department head to be responsible for making a submission from their department. Give them a byline (i.e. attach their name to the submission). Be sure to notify them in writing and verbally at least two weeks before you intend to write your newsletter. You will be surprised. They will come up with some great things. WRITING THE NEWSLETTER The old way of writing a newsletter included typing each article on a separate sheet of paper; collecting paper clip art; cutting everything out; moving it around on a large sheet of paper; taping or gluing it down. It took hours of work. Do you still do it this way? The new way is much easier. It involves the use of a computer and a good software package. Although there are many excellent desktop publishing software packages available to you, we recommend using Microsoft Publisher. Publisher is extremely easy to understand, master and manipulate. It also allows a broader latitude for creativity. However, it still takes hours of work. Another way, and we highly recommend that you check it out, is to order a pre-written newsletter which is personalized for your facility. It works like a taco shell. All you have to do is prepare your calendar as a separate insert. It saves you a lot of time and energy, and it allows you to get back to the important things like activities and charting. You can get a great looking newsletter for as low at $12.95 per month at Newsletter-Express.com. Or, if that is still too expensive, try our FREE newsletter "The Health Care Express". The size of your newsletter can range from one side of an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, to an infinite number of pages. However, 4 to 8 pages is a good size. It can be easily read from cover to cover in 10 to 15 minutes. We prefer to have our newsletters printed on 17" x 11" (tabloid size) paper. On one side, from left to right, arepages 4 and 1. On the other are pages 2 and 3. (Please visit "personalized sample" to download an example of a proper newsletter layout). The lower half of page 4 must be reserved for your mailing labels. PREPRINT For a 4 page newsletter we recommend you also prepare any printed material you may have for insertion into the newsletter. At a minimum we suggest you prepare your monthly activity calendar on one side of an 8.5” x 11” sheet or paper. On the other side you may enter residents' facts and figures (new admissions, birthdays, residents who went home, deaths). Also, on the back of the calendar page you may want to advertise upcoming activities and events, a management roster and other items of interest specific to your facility. PRINTING If you decide to print your newsletter on your facility copier you may print the newsletter on 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper. However, it is far more professional looking to use 17” x 11” sheets (this size is larger than legal size paper, but can be hand fed into most copiers). If you use a print shop have them print your newsletter on 17” x 11” paper. They will have a variety of colors for both your paper and ink. You can expect to pay more for color ink. If you decide to print your newsletter on color paper, avoid using dark colors and extremely bright colors (e.g.. fluorescent), they are too difficult to read. If you take it to the print shop they will also print and insert your extra material and fold your newsletter for you. One fold keeps your newsletter ready for hand outs. Two folds prepares the newsletter for mailing. MAILING 1. To prepare your newsletter for mailing, it must be folded twice so the mailing face is showing on the outside. 2. Each piece you plan to mail must be sealed twice on the loose page edge. Use 1/2” pieces of transparent tape (you can purchase seals at most office supply stores if you wish). 3. Write or stick your address labels near the center of the space. 4. Place postage in the upper right hand corner. First class postage will pay for your newsletter and at least two 8.5” x 11” insertions. 5. Your newsletter is now ready to mail. The Post Office appreciates it if you would pre-sort your zip codes and bundle the newsletters with rubber bands. BULK MAILING With bulk mail you can save a bundle on postage. However, you must set up an account with the post office, mail at least 200 newsletters at a time, presort your mail, prepare a billing form and deliver the newsletters to the post office. Although it sounds complicated, it becomes routine after you have done it a couple of times. DISTRIBUTION For the most effective marketing of your facility, we recommend that you make an extensive mailing list including these listed below. The more newsletters you circulate, the more successful your marketing will be. Here is a list for you to start with: · All responsible parties · Seniors at home · banks · Hospital discharge planners · nursing homes · adult day care centers · Churches · home health agencies · Federal, State and local social service agencies · Social organizations and clubs · Business organizations · Corporate headquarters · Area schools · Area radio stations · Area television stations · Area newspapers · Area businesses TIMING For timely distribution, your newsletter should be published by the last week of the preceding month and mailed prior to the first of the month the newsletter is dated. At Newsletter-Express.com we have your newsletter ready on the fifteenth of the preceding month.

Hi, AD's! :-) A lot of these people are totally unscrupulous. I've had offers for light bulbs, Bic pens and tons of other junk. One person had the nerve to say his boss was a friend of the president of our corporation and had received permission to sell his "going-out-of-business" items to our facilities for a discount. He was really convincing. :-x One fellow opened the conversation like this..."Because of your order, you will receive a free personal gift. Would you like the radio, the t.v. or the cd player? And let me just verify your ship to address." He made it sound like I had already placed the order and he was following up with a personal bonus to me for ordering. Well, I had placed no order. If I had agreed to receive the free gift, and verified the ship to address, I would have received an unwanted order and a cheap "Hong-Kong-Fooey" gift, and an invoice. :hammer: Don't fall for any of these gimmicks. Do not order from telephone soliciters unless you have pre-approval with a signed memo from your corporate office and your administrator's approval. Be Careful, ;-)

Hi, Marci! :-) I may be biased, but I highly recommend Newsletter-Express.com at http://www.newsletter-express.com . It is my husband's website. He is a retired administrator and is very particular about professional appearance, content, timeliness and affordability. Newsletter-Express.com offers you two options: 1. You can download a free monthly newsletter, Health Care Express, which you may use as your facility newsletter. 2. You may have the same newsletter personalized with your choice of title, address, etc. for a small monthly fee. I suggest that you visit my site, The Activity Director's Office, and take advantage of Newsletter-Express.com's special offer to my visitors. Go to my homepage at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com and click on Your Free Facility Newsletter. It will take you to a page that will explain how to download the free newsletter and how to get it personalized for your facility. Be sure to take a look. I hope this helps you out. ;-) Happy Newslettering!

Gina, Gina, Gina! :-o Wow! Someone must have pushed your buttons pretty hard! But you know what? I've been thinking along those lines myself. Like a lot of us have expressed...it's becoming too much. There definately needs to be some thinking done concerning the restructuring of Activity Departments. All of us (AD's) are people oriented and our number one burning desire is to provide high quality, meaningful and interesting activities for our residents. We want to be among them...to work with them...to encourage them. What we get (and honestly, what all of the other departments get) is paperwork...meetings...more paperwork...more meetings...still more paper work...ad infinitum.... The very thing that attracted us to Activities in the first place...working with the residents...has gotten lost under piles of government/corporate mandated meetings and paperwork. And in the end it is the resident who gets screwed. Quite frankly, the average Activities Department today needs at least two full time employees. It needs one to interact with the residents and actually direct the activities. It needs another to do the paperwork and attend the meetings. But what we get is one extremely stressed out and overworked AD who is forced by necessity to cut the residents short on their activities, and/or to fudge on the paperwork (or to always be behind on charting). It's a real battle...and many of us are losing. :hammer: A word to new AD's is this: You are responsible for both the paperwork and the activities. Only you can do the paperwork. Therefore find ways for the activities to get done by others. It is imperative that you establish a trained and active volunteer corps in your facility. Let them see to the small, daily activities. You get more involved in the larger ones. If you can't delegate the activity responsibilities...you will soon be buried in paperwork, stressed out at work and at home, wonder why God let you get into this mess, and will be considering resignation. You absolutely must become a skilled manager of your time...your paperwork...and your volunteers. Work smart. :pint: Wow! I guess I needed to vent too... Gina, I wish you the best. Please stay in touch with us. We need you! Sincerely, ;-)

Hi, AD's! :-) Like you, I scour the internet constantly looking for new ideas and resources that will help my department function more efficiently. We have often talked about Resident Councils and how to conduct them. Recently I ran across a website out of the state of Washington. The Resident Councils of Washington (RCW) states the following about their history and purpose: ________________________________________ The Resident Councils of Washington (RCW) is the only independent, consumer based membership non-profit organization in Washington State committed to: • Promote and enhance quality of life for all residents of residential care settings in Washington State. • Educate residents, families and service providers regarding quality of life issues and needs of the stakeholders in residential care communities. Established in 1978, originally as the King County Coalition, it is one of five coalitions in the nation. RCW has received recognition in the Congressional Record for contribution in increasing resident decision-making. Part of our Funding comes from the King County Council of Human Services Contingency Fund. We also receive volunteer help from the Seattle King County Ombudsman program. ________________________________________ RCW also has a Resident Council Handbook available which you can order from their site. It costs $20.00 and offers discounts for multiple copies. You can reach them at: http://www.residentcouncil.org/book.htm . Happy AD'ing ;-)

Hey, AD's! Here's another online resource regarding sex in the nursing home... http://www.jeffdanger.com/sex_in_nursing_homes.htm

Hello, AD's :-) Here's an excellent 2 page PDF fact sheet about sexual relations and Alzheimer's Disease. It is from the Alzheimer's Association and it presents a fair assessment of the problem. Go to http://www.alz.org/Resources/FactSheets/FSsexuality.pdf to download. Happy ADing, Linda ;-)

Pennie.... :-) Thanks for all of your help during the past year. My site wouldn't have been possible if it was not for your help. You and Chip have been a true blessing to Bob and I. Thanks for everything. ;-)

Hi, Everybody! :-D Hey! This fantastic site is 1 year old this month. How about responding by wishing Pennie Bacon and her folks a great big thank you and congratulations. It would mean a lot to her. Here's mine... Dear Pennie, THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING 1 YEAR at this address :pint: . This is the premiere Activity Director site on the Internet. You are the hub of our cyber AD resource wheel. Thanks for all of the hard work and long hours you spend keeping the site up and runnning. It is all worth it. God bless you. Your friend, ;-) Linda Lucas, AD

Dear AD's, Activity Ideas That Work is now up and running on the Activity Director's Office (the ADO) site :-D . Be sure to take advantage of this great AD resource from Gina Salazar, AD. Coming soon...the Activity Director's Guide page. Kate Lynch, editor of Activity Director's Guide magazine, has graciously agreed to begin a page on the ADO. Also, we are soon to start a monthly page from the folks at Inventive Play. We are growing to meet your AD needs... Sincerely ;-)

Hi, AD's! I have some great news to announce. Gina Salazar has graciously decided to move her web site, Activity Ideas That Work, to the Activity Director's Office (the ADO) web site. Gina's site should be up and running in early March. For a sneak peek you can visit her new home page at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com The Activity Director's Office title will soon read: The Activity Director's Office featuring Activity Ideas That Work At the ADO we realize how important it is for AD's to be able to find great resources on the Internet. They are scarce. That is why Gina has agreed to join the ADO and continue contributing to her site. We just couldn't let her go. God bless you, Gina...and welcome aboard!

Hi, AD's! Thanks for encouraging responses. We are really excited to have Gina's site merge with ours. Every AD site on the Internet is important to us all...there are a few good ones, but not nearly enough. You can follow the progress of the site construction by clicking on... http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/...tWork_Home.html . You will see more and more progress on its completion each day. Target Date for Completion: first full week in March (pray for us :hammer: ). Also coming to the site will be a page by Kate Lynch of Activity Director's Guide magazine. And we'll be starting a page featuring the folks at Inventive Play. So keep on looking at the ADO. Happy ADing, ;-)

Hi, AD's! :-) I have some great news to announce. Gina Salazar has graciously decided to move her web site, Activity Ideas That Work, to the Activity Director's Office (the ADO) web site. Gina's site should be up and running in early March. For a sneak peek you can visit her new home page at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/...tWork_Home.html . The Activity Director's Office title will soon read: The Activity Director's Office featuring Activity Ideas That Work At the ADO we realize how important it is for AD's to be able to find great resources on the Internet. They are scarce. That is why Gina has agreed to join the ADO and continue contributing to her site. We just couldn't let her go. God bless you, Gina...and welcome aboard! See you in the ADO

Hi, Crystal! :-) Welcome to Activity Director Network. You will find that this is the most active message board site on the Internet for Activity Directors. Be sure to check out all of the web links...they are quite useful. Looking forward to visiting with you on the net. Best Wishes, ;-)

Hi, Alan! :-) Check out my site at http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com and look at the free downloads page. You will find a small article containing 100 Alzheimer/Dementia Activities. Also check out Inventive Play and Alternative Solutions sites. There are many other places that can be of help to you also. Best wishes, ;-)

Hi, Gina.... :-( I am so sorry about your situation and the shutting down of your site :cry: . Activity Ideas That Work will be missed by all of us. I personally know how much time and energy you have put into maintaining your very active site...and the amount of dedication to the Activities profession. Thank you so very much for your selfless contribution to AD's and seniors. If there is anything I can do to help you out...just let me know. Sincerely yours, Linda ;-)

Hi, Gary! :-) I was just at your site and it contains wonderful content for care givers. Thanks for starting this company...it is truly needed. Also, welcome to this site. Be sure to list your company on our web links page. You will find a link to it in the Main Menu box on the upper left of this page. Best wishes, ;-)

MEET ME IN THE CHAT ROOM.....

Hi, AD's! :-) I just received an e-mail on my web site that I had to pass on to you. Someone asked about the need to use fire retardant paper products for all facility paper decorations (including bulletin board displays). Apparently this is the law (probably in every state). Please check your fire regs and get into compliance. The e-mail contained a link to a company that specializes in fire retardant products. Here is the e-mail and the link. _____________________________ Posted on February 15, 2005 at 12:01:39 PM by Kathy It is indeed a Fire regulation and it is important that you spray your cardboard decorations. Sorry, but here in NY it's a fire code for public buildings. And even though we all think that we aren't a public building we are. So here is a link for a good product. There are others, check with your Purchasing person. http://www.natfire.com/products.htm _________________ Sincerely,

Hi, Marcia! :-) I'm in Indiana, too. The first thing I would suggest is that you become a member of this site and sign up for their e-mail. Next you might check out my site and sign up for my free Activity Director newsletter ( http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com ). There are many free AD sites on the Internet these days that can help you with activity ideas and "nuts & bolts" things for your department. The hardest things to find are forms. Most places that have forms also charge for them. Other sites you may be interested in visiting are Gina Salazar's Activity Ideas That Work and Activity Chat sites, and Debbie Hommel's DH Special Services. Their addresses are listed under "Web Links" on the upper left side of this page. If you search around you can find quite a few sites. Sounds like you are in one of those 40 bed facilities. Your hours are totally based on census. When census goes up...so do your hours. At some point you may even qualify to have an assistant. Until then you have to work your butt off to make ends meet. :pint: The extra hours you work are illegal. If the wage & hour people find out about it they can make the nursing home pay you for all of them you have worked. That has happened other places and it really infuriates management. My advice is work your 31 hours. If it doesn't get done let them know you need more hours or more help. It will help you if you can develop an active corps of volunteers. Let them do the activities while you work on those charts. Best wishes in AD'ing, ;-)

Hi, pwjean! :-) We have an open chat night every Tuesday evening. The time is 8 eastern, 7 central, 6 mountain, 5 pacific. On the right hand side of the home page is a box labled "Shout Box." Below that is another labled "Chat Room." Go to the chat room and log in your name. We'll meet you there. That's every Tuesday evening. Chat time lasts about one hour +/-. Best Wishes, ;-)