VOTE - Reminiscing Contest

[Guest Tinki]

Hot Potato

We pass around a fake potato to music. It can be a fake one from a craft store or a foam ball covered in panty hose. When the music stops, the person holding the potato has to draw a card. On the card is the name of a recipe using potatoes. ( Ie French fries, Scalloped, mashed etc...).The person has to tell the group how to make that recipe. Step by step. We usually begin as a group by yelling “first you wash the potatoes" which makes everyone laugh.........then if the resident is having trouble with the first step, they ask a neighbor for help. We are not very competitive, and often talk about what they served with these potatoes, and other kitchen memories.

Nancy Hahn

 

 

What's Cookin

I put on an apron and then get out a cookbook and begin to read the list of ingredients from a recipe. They try to guess what I am making from the ingredients. If they cannot guess, then I begin to read the directions one at a time and they try to guess again. Someone usually guesses before I get to the end. The chance to look at cookbooks really gets their memories flowing, and I have a boxful garnered at many yard sales and flea markets just for this kind of reminiscing. I sometimes give the apron to a resident who might want a turn at stumping the group, and they like the passing of the apron too, which gives them a chance to talk about the pretty or functional aprons they have had/ made.

Nancy Hahn

 

 

Whatzitfor?

Put a selection of kitchen gadgets both common and unusual in a sack. Each resident draws a gadget from the bag. We go around the circle and they tell what the gadget is used for. If you have a very high functioning group cognitively, you can adapt the activity by allowing them to tell the true use or make up a use and then having the circle vote on whether or not it is the correct use! I am always on the prowl for unusual things to add to the bag, my favorite so far was a gadget to make a hard boiled egg square! Periodically, I have a gadget sale and allow the residents to sell the collection to staff for 50 cents each to make room for more! They enjoy staffing the "sale table" and even funnier, get a lot of enjoyment out of stumping the staff.

Nancy Hahn

 

Our Residents

I create life story boards each month. I choose a resident to highlight and create a bulleting board depicting their lives. We gather copies of family photos, special events of their lives, and little known facts about the selected resident and post them on a poster board - scrapbook style with plenty of stickers, journaling, colorful papers. As an activity for the month, all residents are invited to a "Get To Know Your Neighbor" social and review the board. That resident is the center of attention for the program and their information is posted for a month at a time. The story boards are posted on poster board which the resident can later place in their room for visitors and family members to enjoy when they visit. All of my residents really enjoy this program; they all look forward to it every month. It promotes reminiscence conversations as we talk about the lives of their peers.

Callie Watley

 

 

High School Days.

I took my residents (Alzheimer) to visit the high school that they once attended. They really enjoyed it. I usually do this activity right before schools are closing for the summer. You would be surprised at what they remember about their high school days.

Carla Greene

 

 

Antique Talk

At my facility, we have many antique items decoratively on display I pull one down, such as, for example, a coffee grinder. We discuss how it was used, the different types that the residents had when they actually used it, then we actually grind coffee beans with it and make coffee. Many residents like to talk about these items. Other items, washboards, etc.

Kim Leach

 

 

Pictures on the Ceiling

I have recently introduced a unique idea into our facility. We have a 10 bed sub-acute ventilator unit. Due to medical issues most of these individuals are unable to leave their room. I have talked to these individuals about what they like to talk about the most as they reminisce with visitors. Our therapeutic recreation team has then painted this remembrance on their ceiling tiles. We average an 8' area that is painted with acrylic paint. For one gentleman his favorite hobby and point of conversation is lighthouses. A lighthouse scene was painted over 6 tiles and put up over the area where he is looking most often. This is a visual prompt for any caregiver or visitor who enters his room to engage in a conversation. The painting is used by the resident as a focal point for pleasant stimuli and the caregiver has a starting point for person-centered conversation. We are currently painting a garden of sunflowers for another resident.

Shelley Evans

 

Weddings

While working at nursing home in Ohio. I got together 6 dementia/ alzheimer couples. Husband and wife. One or the other was in the nursing home. With family involvement. I sent out invitation to all the family and friends of the couples. These 6 couples were reunited in marriage. I went out and got wedding gowns for each one. The local florist provided halo flowers for brides, boutonniers for the grooms, flowers for two flower girls, a local store provided ring bear pillows, A bakery provide a wedding cakes for each couple and a sheet cake for staff and other residents. Grocery store provided nuts and mints and beverage. Aides dressed in pink scrubs to be bridesmaids. We spent the whole morning preparing the brides for their special day. With pillars to stand by for the service. The wedding march played on a nearby CD player. Camera's flash and video cameras ran. We had all the residents, staff, families and friends. Over 400 attend the wedding. The Couples were so happy and nervous as if it was the first time getting married. At that moment they knew what was going on and walked down the aisle to their husband and stood by them and said their " I Do's" The memory of this day was very special to all the couples and families. The really knew what was happening and received wedding rings and wedding certificates that day. This was the first for some of the brides to be able to actually wear a real wedding gown. They look so cute and pretty. The husband some of them went out and even bought new suits. The brides wore white ballerina type slippers. It was the BEST!

I have it on video tape. Thank You, Pegge Sines

 

Halloween Memories

Have some farmers donate pumpkins. Ask family to come in and decorate a pumpkin for halloween anyway they want. If a resident doesn't have a family member ask staff to pick one and help them with their pumpkin. Have activities supplies of crafts, paints, felt, material, flowers, seeds, all kinds of things to decorate pumpkins. Do not let anyone cut the pumpkins. Then after all are decorated we had administrator and maintenance judge who had the cutest, funnies, prettiest, ugliest, most original, etc. just like you would judge costumes. The winners got prizes. Then all the pumpkins were put on display for all to see. On Halloween Day we ask the local Fire Department to come to the facility and take all the pumpkins one by one up on their ladder truck high in the air and drop onto the pavement and smashed them. Telling each resident name on the pumpkin before dropping. All the families, friends, staff, residents, and neighbors came to watch. Then set up before hand the city street department who came down and clean the whole mess up. After that we went inside and prepared for all the residents to dress up and hand candy and novelties out to children who came for Trick or Treat around 2:00. Then we went in an judged costumes and gave 2 ltr. of pop donated from a convience store in town for prizes - which was judged by a local Queen of the year in town. Then we had a band play music, socialized, and ate cider and donuts. Boy did the resident sleep well that night after a fun filled day.

Pegge

[Guest Vote]

Hey everyone!!!

 

Please don't forget to vote! We want to get everyone's opinion so that we can award the winner!

[Guest Guest]

I like the ceiling tile idea. That is unique and innovative

[Guest Guest]

o.k. we have 8 out of all of you that visit this site! I think we can do better then that!!

 

Read them and vote!

 

Thanks,

Karen

[Pennie 26]

Hey All,

It is really hard to pick what I liked the best! i loved the Wedding, Pictures on the Ceiling, What's Cookin & Whatzitfor?.

Any of these would be easy to use in an activity program. They also would be great to use along with the new ftags!

 

As for the voting, Texas is electing a new Governor, or maybe keeping the one we have, this Nov. 7th. I hate to admit that I don't usually vote and I dont like the games played by the canidates. But I watched the debate on TV, a first for me! I didn't like Perry & especially "one tough grandma". I think Kinky is my man. he may have said things that should have been reworded but I bet most of our residents can relate to what he was saying & to him. This was emailed to me about the debate.

by SARA SCAFE TOOLE

 

http://www.opednews.com

 

 

 

Texas Governor's Debate Got Touchy at Times

 

 

I just finished watching the debate between the Texas incumbents and Governor Rick Perry, and I have to say that Ms. Strayhorn almost literally sickened me with all of her talk about caring for the people, when most of her campaign funds have come from businesses that wanted tax breaks from her. She was the Mayor of Austin decades ago,a Democrat, and just like her fickleness over which party she belongs to, she also can't seem to keep a last name. She was known then as Mayor McLellan, and I really can't remember the specifics, but all that I know is many people here in Austin were very unhappy with her policies and performance. If she couldn't run a then small city like Austin, then how in the world does she expect to run a huge state like Texas?

 

As for Chris Bell, I think that he did the best job of the three because he was concise, knew his statistics, and is not for the Texas Trans-Corridor fiasco, which will take thousands of acres from farmers to build a huge slab of concrete throughout our entire state! He also spoke of the need to do away with the TAKS test. This seems like a wonderful idea, as it only puts undue pressure on teachers, students, and parents. The children also take these practice tests that are so similar that one wonders if they have really accomplished anything except memorization. Texas is now in 32nd place in education, I believe, or thereabouts, and was all of the way down in the upper forties just a few years back. Congressman Bell also wants to completely re-vamp our school system, and give our teachers raises. He is also for campaign funding reform, and after you read about Perry, you will know why.

 

As for Governor Rick Perry, he was the slimiest of them all! He, of course, is for the Texas Trans-Corridor; the company that got the contract is from Spain, and they contributed HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of DOLLARS to Perry's campaign. His meek reply to this was that some Texas contractors would also receive work, but I don't believe him for a second. Just two years ago, he was cheering for property owner's rights, and these farmers and ranchers voted for him. Now, he wants to take their land for the TTC. He wants to keep the TAKS test in place, and he stated that our children's scores have risen 20% in the past two years. What he DIDN'T SAY was that we are the highest in the COUNTRY in DROP-OUT rates, and that we were rated in the upper forties out of the fifty states about four years ago. I don't think that 20% is much of an improvement when Texas is one of the top 15 richest states. Many poorer states have better education than we do, and why is that? Ann Richards passed the Texas Lottery and had put in place that the money would be set aside in a Special Education Fund, solely for teacher salaries,and proper maintainance of Texas schools. Now, the money goes into a General Fund; who knows where it ends up. There was one other thing that irritated the Hell out of me. Mr. Perry said that Texas teachers had received raises. This is simply NOT TRUE! I just spoke to an Austin fifth grade teacher a month ago, and she hasn't had a raise in over THREE years! She is actually considering quitting teaching because she can't afford her living expenses, and they aren't very much. Perry is only interested in himself, and his cronies; FACE IT. He is a part of Bushco. Bush appointed him, and if we have to use the fraudulant voting machines, Perry will win once again, just like his mentor did in 2004 with Kerry. Our only recourse is to get out en-masse on November 7th, and let our wishes be known. If enough of us vote, I don't think that fraudulant machines will have a chance against us. Only 26% of the population voted in the last election, and voter's registration ends on October 10th,(Tuesday.)

 

Now, I like Kinky Friedman for his complete honesty, and even though he has used some terminology that is outdated, one has to remember his age. I believe the African-Americans, at the time of his youth were probably referred to as negros. As for his other comments, they were made on stage, in a comedy act. I wouldn't take it personally if Richard Pryor said, "honkie, or redneck" but most of the general public hasn't seen his act, or read his books, so they don't understand that these were taken out of context to discredit him. To take the entire focus of his comments and place them on one outdated term was a crappy move by Strayhorn and Perry. Bell, however, stayed out of it, and focused on the issues at hand, which showed viewers what type of person he really was. Friedman has some wonderful ideas about bio-diesel, and ethanol, which can be grown by Texas farmers, so everyone wins. It would also cut down on pollution, and since Friedman's against the TTC, the farmers would still have their land to produce the ethanol base; whatever it may be. The panel mentioned Friedman's comment concerning the Katrina evacuees that he called crackheads, and thugs. I, myself read an article in the Austin American Statesman concerning this issue, and it's no joke. As Kinky stated, the murder rate has gone up 20% since their arrival, and I read about one apartment building that is filled with evacuees, and constant criminal behavior. The crime there is so bad that they have to have an officer's car parked there 24 hours in an attempt to keep crime in check. Mr. Friedman's idea of sending 100,000 more officers to the high crime areas may not be such a bad one. It would certainly send a clear message that Texas DOES NOT tolerate violent, and criminal behavior. I don't think that we'd need quite so many, but I haven't been there personally to see the situation as Kinky has, so I cannot give an educated guess. Mr. Friedman also wants to legalize gambling, and put that money into a Special Education Fund, just like Ms. Richards did. I think that's a wonderful idea, as long as the casinos are in good taste, and are not near schools, and churchs; just for propriety's sake. The last important issue that Friedman brought up was decriminalizing marijuana in Texas. Personally, I think that this is an idea worth considering, as thousands of people are sitting in prison, while we foot the bill, for having a little weed on them. Prisons are for violent/sex offendors, thiefs, pedophiles, and criminals. Rehabilitation is for people with addiction issues. My best friend died in a car accident because she was driving while intoxicated. Alcohol, to me, is a much worse drug than marijuana. One can black out, get violent, and when they abstain, or try to quit, they can seize and literally die. I have seen it in person, and it was not a pleasant experience. The lady was rushed to the hospital, where they re-started her heart several times. She was hospitalized for over a week. Alcohol can actually kill you; pot can't.

 

It may be a tough decision for some, but to me one thing is very obvious. Governor Rick Perry is a parasite, and has got to go! If this means that former Kinky supporters will have to vote for Chris Bell in order to rid Texas of this greedy, selfish man who thinks that he's got it in the bag, then that may be the only solution, as sad as it may be.

 

IREALLY DON"T AGREE WITH VOTING KINKY SUPPORTERS WILL HAVE TO VOTE FOR BELL. KINKY VOTERS GET OUT THERE & VOTE.

[Pennie 26]

WE NEED your votes.. we have a tie..

 

 

show your support for your favorite activity!!!!

 

thanks, Pennie

[kristas_mom2 0]

AT our facility, we are on a low budget. SO...instead, we make "mobiles" or we call them "Life Mobiles"....made with tongue suppressors and fishing line wire and we hang them in the resident's room....with many different magazine pictures or drawings of their own life ...we make sure its very colorful....room bound residents really seem to benefit from this...

[Guest Tinki]

Hey Guys,

 

The voting will stop Monday Morning so please get your votes in so we can give the prize to the best idea!!!!

 

Thanks Karen

[Guest Tinki]

Congratulations the Contest is over

 

1st Place - Pictures on the Ceiling by Shelly Evans - free F-TAG course 8 CEUS

 

 

2nd Place - Whatzitfor? by Nancy Hahn - free Aromatherapy Course worth 4 CEUS

 

3rd Place - Antique Talk by Kim Leach - free Staff Motivation Course worth 2 CEUS

 

 

We will be in touch so that you can collect your prizes!

 

Be sure to check the contests section of our site for more contests!

 

 

Karen