kmp0065

My local VFW has a luncheon for the veterans in my building. We secure transportation and actually take the veterans out of the building for a few hours to celebrate them and their service. We were also fortunate enough to have some community organizations donate various items for us to pass out to the veterans in the building. I also plan on having someone come in and play some patriotic music during lunch for everyone to enjoy.

Food and drinks are a great way to get residents to activities -- my Halloween party had more residents come than any other activity I've done! Even with this being the case, one of the different ways I get my residents to come to activities is by listening to their input. They love to tell me what kinds of things they would like to do. That way, when I schedule those activities, I make sure the residents that requested them know when they are scheduled for and they are more likely to attend. I use Resident's Council as a time for me to find out what is working and what is not working. I also make sure I announce my activities at least ten minutes before they are scheduled to start because one of the things I have come to notice is that my residents don't always remember when the activities are, even when I have a calendar posted in their rooms. I also take the time to talk to my residents and tell them about the day's activities and let them know that I'd love for them to attend. My attendance at activities has gradually been increasing since I started in my current position two weeks ago.

My first recommendation would be to see if the person before you had a calendar that you could follow. That way you could at least see what kinds of activities the residents are accustomed to doing. Another suggestion would be to talk to different residents to see what kinds of activities they enjoy doing and would like to see incorporated into the new calendar. If you search on the Internet, you can find a lot of really interesting activities for residential seniors. Good luck with your new job!

I agree with talking to the executive director about what your hours should be. I was informed when I was hired that my position would require me to work on occasional nights and weekends, which I don't really mind. One suggestion I would have is to find volunteers that would be willing to come in and run some of the activities. For example, calling bingo is something that most people do not mind coming in to do. (I agree with the other poster who said you could ask a resident to call as well.) I'm just starting out in my position as the Activity Director, so I'm in the process of seeking out volunteers. I would also ask the executive director if you are able to make changes to the calendar to incorporate activities of your choosing. It seems odd to me that you would be asked to do activities planned by someone else for the next several months. Perhaps this person thought they were being helpful. Good luck.

My situation is fairly unique. My bulletin boards are actually separated into different sections, one section for each day of the week. I put the different activities for each day into each section and only really decorate the squares that are left without daily events. These calendars have been wonderful for my residents, because they are located near the dining areas and they can reference the day's events easily. I also print out a large calendar (on 11x17 paper) and post one in each residents room as well. I am able to format this on the computer and photocopy it in my own facility. I think in the case of how often to change a regular bulletin board, I agree that montly is how often I would change them. It does take a lot of time and effort, however I really do feel that the residents appreciate it.

I agree with talking to the nursing staff to help get people prepared for the activity. In my facility, I make an announcement about 10-15 minutes before my activity is set to begin so the residents can ask for assistance to come to my activity if necessary. I also think that the reminisce activities are great for lower functioning residents. Another way I have been able to reach my lower functioning residents is by having a Current Events and Coffee Social several mornings a week. We read the newspaper and discuss events going on in the world today. This is a way that I have been able to have residents at all functional levels participate in an activity together. I also do manicures as an activity, which is suitable for anyone.