BobiMarko 0 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I am new here but I need some suggestions on BINGO How often do you play bingo at your facility, we are playing three times a week and it has become a major ordeal. We pass out Funny Money as follows 100.00 to show up 300.00 to win 1,000.00 for black out This was set in place before I took over this position and it has gotten out of hand. I have an auction once every three months for them to spend their money but that eliminates those non-bingo players. I have to change bingo and know I will be getting resistance but it needs to be done.. Here are a few of my questions? How often do you play? What are your prizes? If money, what do they spend it on?? Thank you so much Bobi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRkathy 0 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 I am new here but I need some suggestions on BINGOHow often do you play bingo at your facility, we are playing three times a week and it has become a major ordeal. We pass out Funny Money as follows 100.00 to show up 300.00 to win 1,000.00 for black out This was set in place before I took over this position and it has gotten out of hand. I have an auction once every three months for them to spend their money but that eliminates those non-bingo players. I have to change bingo and know I will be getting resistance but it needs to be done.. Here are a few of my questions? How often do you play? What are your prizes? If money, what do they spend it on?? Thank you so much Bobi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRkathy 0 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 We play three times a week as well. We use quarters as prizes, usually .50 cents a game. Sometimes we give out a dollar a game or if we do a cover all we do $1.00. A lot of our residents will save up their money and believe it or not it adds up pretty quick if they play all the time. They will use it on the vending machines or when we order out lunch, go shopping or out for lunch. We recently started a monthly five and 10 cent store here in the facility where we have dollar store items or donated items such as toiletries and a variety of other items spread out and the residents can purchase things for five cents, 10 cents or a quarter. Hope this help you out. Oh by the way we usually use $10.00 of quarters a game, but we have a generous family member that gives and additional amount every day we play so that we can play longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandyatscr 0 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 We play three times a week as well. We use quarters as prizes, usually .50 cents a game. Sometimes we give out a dollar a game or if we do a cover all we do $1.00. A lot of our residents will save up their money and believe it or not it adds up pretty quick if they play all the time. They will use it on the vending machines or when we order out lunch, go shopping or out for lunch. We recently started a monthly five and 10 cent store here in the facility where we have dollar store items or donated items such as toiletries and a variety of other items spread out and the residents can purchase things for five cents, 10 cents or a quarter. Hope this help you out. Oh by the way we usually use $10.00 of quarters a game, but we have a generous family member that gives and additional amount every day we play so that we can play longer. We play Bingo 4 times per week. Sunday am, Monday PM, Wed PM and Saturday PM. We play for points. Regular bingo is worth one point, cover all game is worth two. At the end of the month the top 3 point earners get 5,4,and 3 dollars respectively. They can use the money on whatever they want typically getting stuff at the general store or in the break room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanine 0 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I am new here but I need some suggestions on BINGOHow often do you play bingo at your facility, we are playing three times a week and it has become a major ordeal. We pass out Funny Money as follows 100.00 to show up 300.00 to win 1,000.00 for black out This was set in place before I took over this position and it has gotten out of hand. I have an auction once every three months for them to spend their money but that eliminates those non-bingo players. I have to change bingo and know I will be getting resistance but it needs to be done.. Here are a few of my questions? How often do you play? What are your prizes? If money, what do they spend it on?? Thank you so much Bobi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanine 0 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I am also pretty new, only 2 years in the business. In my facility we play once per week (Sunday afternoons) and my residents are fine with that. Every other facility in my area plays at least 3 times per week. For prizes we have small candy bars (like you would give out at halloween) or sugar free candy. For the coverall, we have small figurines or change purses, very inexpensive. We have no male residents playing or we would have to have prizes appropriate for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yunakitty 2 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) We play 6 times a week. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday are at 2 in the afternoon (so I need to be heading there in a few minutes!) and we now have evening bingo at 7pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, run by the PCA that works on Assisted Living. Activities runs the other ones (I do Sat, Sun, Tue while my assistant does Thu.) We have it so much because we have a lot of bingo lovers. I have some low functioning targeted activities later in the afternoon for those that aren't cognizant enough to play bingo. The therapy dog comes at 4 on Tue and Thu, and we do hand massages on the weekends. I also give candy as prizes. 2 pieces per win, and I keep sugar free stuff too for our diabetics. Edited March 3, 2009 by yunakitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penkay 1 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) Be sure that you document in your Resident Council mins. why you have bingo 3 or more times a week. This way when state comes in you are covered. -- What I mean is that when I tried to cut back on bingo @ at facility (that had it often) the residents get very upset. This was voiced very loudly to me. When state came in they wanted to know why so much bingo etc. I showed them the Resident Council mins & avoided a lot of problems, since it was in the mins & it was a demand/request by the residents. Truth be told the residents would play bingo everyday of the week if I would allow it! It does get to be out of hand at times, residents get bossy, demanding, fighting over cards etc.. So I had to finally take it off of the calendar for a month. They had plenty of warnings that if they didn't stop behaving like children (verbally & in resident council) that it would be taken away. The social worker was asked to speak to all of the residents as well. So it did get removed & the next month it was placed back on the calendar & they acted like adults, went much smoother. I have alway had men as well as women attend, but the men usually enjoyed the Pokeno better that regular bingo. As far as prizes -- once a month was played for 25 cents & black-out was for a dollar -- the rest of the time we used play money & I had a bingo cart -- on the cart I had chips, candy, figurines, $1 store items (some of the items were donated by various folks & rest bought by act dept, set up a account with the folks that fill you vending machine or talk to the dietary manger about her vendors) Like some of you I had the problem of residents saving their bucks & cashing them all at once - so a new rule was put into effect the money expired after 30 days (we started Xeroxing our money every month ie. March was green for St Patty's Day, Feb was pink for Valentines etc. It takes some time & standing behind the change but in the end it works out & is accepted. Good Luck & hope this helps some of you. Edited March 5, 2009 by penkay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haileyg 0 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 we play bingo 2x week mondays and fridays and on mondays we play in the morning and fridays we play in the afternoon so those who are in bed in the moring come to the afternoon bingo and vice versa. we give prize's for the two samller bignos and for the cover all we give a dollar and our residents really like it this way. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsue 0 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 (edited) Hi, Topic: How often do you play Bingo? We play Bingo once a week every other week and twice a week every other week. We now give change for prizes but we used to give "lucky loot" (kind of like monopoly money) and we had a very small store that the residents could spend their "lucky loot" at. The problem we faced was having the time to open the store. In the end we lost the space for the store since they needed more storage area. The residents seem to enjoy getting coins but we really don't have a way for them to spend unless we go out somewhere and only a few are able to get out. I like the idea of the auction but I do see how that only gets to so many residents. Maybe you could encourage other residents to join the auction by giving everyone a raffle ticket and raffling a few small things. This way everone has a chance to get something. I'm glad for your question, it got me thinking how to better our system. Sue Rahn Edited March 6, 2009 by rsue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle 0 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 We play bingo 5-6 times a week and give change for prizes the residents spend at the snack machines or accumulate and add to their resident accounts for shopping trips. I have a staff member who does shopping 2x a month for those who cannot get out to shop. I have been here for five surveys, one of them a federal one, and have never had a problem with the number of times we play bingo. I do have five other activities scheduled daily and maybe that is what has kept there from being any problems because we are still offering such a variety of activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewGarvey 0 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Hello, I am not actually a director, I am the assistant here at our facility. We have 120 beds, 1 full time staff, and 2 part time assistants for activities. We are lucky our residents are happy with bingo. It is easy and one person can handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiefriel 0 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 hello I am new in the activity department also less than six months, and bingo is the main thing our residents wants to do. We have bingo 4x's a week scheduled. I am finding the residents are getting very bossy,and fighting who is going to set where, this makes the new residents leave. Also we have some that think they have to have matching cards so they both can win the same time. They have been warned about their behavoir. I do reward them on a weekly bases. I let them choose what they want out of our bingo store (candy,gum,lotions,etc.) I also take stuff to the Joy Group ones who we have bingo in there room. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcalbert 0 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 At my facility we play bingo on Monday, Saturday and every first sunday of the month. we were also playing every wed. but we substitutuded it for pokeno. at bingo they win 50 cents for each game and $1 for cover all and we have 7 regular games and 1 cover all that makes 8 altogether. they enjoy it alot and bingo is oneof the most popular activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yunakitty 2 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 hello I am new in the activity department also less than six months, and bingo is the main thing our residents wants to do. We have bingo 4x's a week scheduled. I am finding the residents are getting very bossy,and fighting who is going to set where, this makes the new residents leave. Also we have some that think they have to have matching cards so they both can win the same time. They have been warned about their behavoir. I do reward them on a weekly bases. I let them choose what they want out of our bingo store (candy,gum,lotions,etc.) I also take stuff to the Joy Group ones who we have bingo in there room. Any suggestions? Yes, bingo can be difficult when you've got those kind of residents! I have one who loves bingo, it's what she lives for, but she chants "right right right" over and over during the game. Most residents know she can't help it, but then you have the ones who "reset" their minds every 10 minutes or so, so even if I explain it to them, later in the game they are saying "Why won't you shut up!" which makes her MORE agitated. Sigh. Then I have a couple of people who just DO NOT get the concept, and talk if they are brought in. Nothing will stop the talking for more than a minute. I try to explain that I'm the only one that is supposed to talk, but that only sticks for 60 seconds max, and then they're going again. It's bingo related, which is actually worse than just chit chat - ie, I'll say I 26, and she'll go "No I 26, but I have I 19, I 21, I 30, I 23"...and the other players start getting confused and angry from hearing other numbers. So, she is not allowed at bingo. It's too disruptive for the other players. Don't be afraid to make some people sit out if they can't behave themselves - they (or other staff) may complain it's not fair that they don't get to play, but if they are allowed in and disrupt everyone, how fair is that to all the other people that just want to play in peace? When in doubt, I always make the decision that puts the least number of residents out. So if it's two disruptive players versus 10 quiet ones...well, you get the picture. I always make sure those players that can't come are set up with something else to do - one likes to work on jigsaw puzzles (she sticks the wrong pieces together, but she's engrossed and that's what matters) and the other likes to rock a baby doll and fold laundry, so I set them up before bingo starts and I can play guilt free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actpro 0 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hi, we play bingo 2x a week on Mon. and Fri. If you get everything else in to do, I don't have time to play more than that. I do other activities with other resident's. I think 2 times is plenty. Hope this helps. actpro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yrtype 0 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hello, I am not actually a director, I am the assistant here at our facility. We have 120 beds, 1 full time staff, and 2 part time assistants for activities. We are lucky our residents are happy with bingo. It is easy and one person can handle it. Several years ago I was told by a State and Fed surveyor that you can have Bingo in your facility as many times a week as the residents would like, however, they have to vote at their Resident Council Meeting and it has to be in the minutes. They also vote for the prizes. Over the years it has varied depending the group that voted. Currently we have Bingo 3 times a week. Monday evenings, I have a Resident Volunteer then my assistants do not have to stay late. On Wednesdays I have a youth volunteer that is working on a scholarship and comes for 2 hrs. This free's up my assistants to catch up on their paper work, et. Then every Saturday, AM or PM and my assistants work bi-weekly Saturdays. At present the residents voted for $.50 a game however on holidays they enjoy snacks, little items from Dollar Tree just to make it interesting. I have had the Bingo prize cart before and it worked for a while. Keeping up with chips and trading them in at the end of the month becomes difficult in skilled long term care because they misplace them, loose them, et. with the money they can purchase a soda, a snack, have a staff member pick them up a hamburger, et. Yvonne Type, ADC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yrtype 0 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Several years ago I was told by a State and Fed surveyor that you can have Bingo in your facility as many times a week as the residents would like, however, they have to vote at their Resident Council Meeting and it has to be in the minutes. They also vote for the prizes. Over the years it has varied depending the group that voted. Currently we have Bingo 3 times a week. Monday evenings, I have a Resident Volunteer then my assistants do not have to stay late. On Wednesdays I have a youth volunteer that is working on a scholarship and comes for 2 hrs. This free's up my assistants to catch up on their paper work, et. Then every Saturday, AM or PM and my assistants work bi-weekly Saturdays. At present the residents voted for $.50 a game however on holidays they enjoy snacks, little items from Dollar Tree just to make it interesting. I have had the Bingo prize cart before and it worked for a while. Keeping up with chips and trading them in at the end of the month becomes difficult in skilled long term care because they misplace them, loose them, et. with the money they can purchase a soda, a snack, have a staff member pick them up a hamburger, et. Yvonne Type, ADC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs2bake 0 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I work at an Assisted Living Facility. We play bingo five times a week. If the residents miss their bingo they are very upset. I usually get so many players, men and women, that I have to set up extra tables. We play for quarters each game and once a month have dollar bingo. We offer five to seven activities each day so there is something for even the non-bingo players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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LisaRee 0 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 We play 3 times per week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. We pay out a quarter per game and also do blackouts for a dollar. My activity staff dreads bingo days because it has become a huge yelling match. We have a couple of residents who can not hear very well even though they are seated right next to the caller. My higher functioning residents can be very mean and hateful towards these other residents and I have actually threatened to stop bingo all together if everyone can't be alittle more tolerant and understanding of their peers who need more assist because they can't hear, At one point, a few years ago, I did cut bingo down to one time per week when it got to be a hassle and an argument. Looks like it may be time for that again. Oh...15 years of experience here. UGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulette 0 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 I am only a volunteer at our facility but we play twice a week, which was very gradually cut from the every day that the residents wanted. I agree with the activities director that twice per week is a good amount; it gets the players to try different things the other days of the week - things that might stimulate their minds or bodies more. This leads me to my own question: DO ANY OF YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE DURING BINGO BESIDES CALL NUMBERS AND AWARD PRIZES? Bingo just seems so BORING. Have any of you tried anything like reading a joke every once in a while, or leading a discussion at the same time, or anything else at all? If so, did they like it or not? Back to your original questions, we charge 5 (real) cents per card per game, and 10 cents per card for the very last game (fill the whole card). There is no maximum on cards, so we have one resident who usually purchases 6 to 8 cards, one who purchases 4, and the rest purchase one or two. 5 cents per card makes it so easy to afford more cards, and yet some people don't do it on principle to make it more fair (which doesn't work unless everyone does that, which is obviously not the case) or because they are not quick enough to mark more than one or two cards (also not fair). I think everyone should have the same number of cards - say, two - and residents should be asked how much they'd like to pay per card in order to get the type of prizes that would then be available. (You'd have to do research first to be able to say to them something like, "At ten cents a card, the prizes would be things like a, b, and c; at 25 cents a card the prizes would be things like d, e, and f, and at a dollar a card the prizes would be things like g, h, and i." Or you could try having the first few games be 10 cents a card with smaller prizes, then the next few games 25 cents a card with bigger prizes, and the next few games a dollar a card, with bigger prizes. The very last game might be two dollars a card. I think it's good to have a selection of prizes to choose from, so they can get things they actually like. I think that candy should be at a minimum, if at all. I'd go more for things to do or little collectibles, such as crossword puzzle books, trivia books, puzzles, a pennywhistle, an art or craft item, tiny figurines or stuffed animals or dollar-store vases with artificial flowers, or even coupons good for services (that would have to be made available), such as a 10-minute hand, foot, back, or head massage, an errand to be run for them, a lesson in something a staff member is good at, etc. As far as cutting back on the number of times without a riot, I'd cut back gradually, and be sure to replace that time with something REALLY interesting and different. I can't remember if you had other questions, and this is my first time on this site so I'm not sure how to go back to your question...but I hope I helped a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitaaolson 1 Report Share Posted May 14, 2014 The residents play Bingo almost everyday. It is the residents favorite activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindayoung 0 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 Our facility plays bingo 5 times a week, and they are asking for more. They really love bingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
may16pag 0 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 We play bingo four times a week. We give them quarters or prizes. This week I bought hats to give for the fourth of July outside party. They liked that and the solar powered flowers and etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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