One of the hardest things to find is a good movie to show in your retirement community. It is like trying to find the perfect receipe for meatloaf. Everyone has their own opinion on what is best. I have been told by residents that they want more current releases to be shown, but nothing with bad words or situations that will make them feel uncomfortable. Then I have residents who want more classics, or musicals, or award winning films. So now, I try to stick with the formula and it seems to work for me. I show one current release, one classic, one musical and one that is a movie that is of interest, but not in one of those categories. I do not see all the movies usually, so I rely on resident recommendations, requests, and on the Internet to read the reviews. Some of the sites that use to find reviews are Blockbuster, the Internet Movie Data Base, Rotten Tomatoes and a new one that I just found called Movie-ozone. I share the movies details, including it's ratings with the community in the monthly newsletter so that they have the information they need to attend the movie or not. If you are not a computer person and rather have something in your hands to work from, I've used Leonard Maltin's 2011 Movie Guide and found it helpful in the past. Please take a look at the Activities Director's Store. I have found some terrific musicals on DVD that residents will love. They are worth the price of having them in your private collection since you can no longer find them in the local video stores.
One of the fun evenings in our community is when I host the Not-so-Newlywed Game. I’ve done this a few times and the residents really enjoy getting to know some of our couples better. It is not a program that I do every year. I like to mix it in to the calendar so that it stays fresh. I also have it based on when there are enough fun and interesting couples to participate. It is very important that those who are participating are quick witted, up-beat people, who the community knows and likes. The residents remember the real Newlywed Game with Bob Eubanks, so I make sure to speak to the couples independently and assure them that the questions will not be anything inappropriate. I explain to them that I do realize that unlike a cruise ship, that I know that they have to see the people in the audience for the rest of their lives and that I would not embarrass them.
I find that having four or five couples is perfect in order to make the program move along and stay within the one hour ti…
I find that having four or five couples is perfect in order to make the program move along and stay within the one hour ti…