More Movies

Seems like we have been taking our residents to the movie theater more lately because of the great selection of movies that are available. They've enjoyed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Queen, The King's Speech, and more in the theater. As activities director's this sounds like an easy outing to plan, but it usually is not. We like to plan programs in advance and put them onto our calendars with a specific date and time..... and they should be accurate, of course. But with most theaters, they do not announce their show times until the middle of the week for the upcoming week. Because of this, most of the announcements that I put out to sell a moving outing are an addition to the calendar, promoted usually with "time to be announced," and then followed up by phone calls to those signed up to tell them the correct bus departure time. It is more work than the average outing.

 

As an activities director, you can tell by the previews when something looks good for your resident population. You don't have to wait until it comes out on DVD to show it, just know that it is alright to have an addition to the calendar that does not have all the facts, because that is the nature of this kind of outing. It has taken me awhile to understand that I don't have to control every activity 4 weeks ahead of time in order to be successful.

 

Speaking about DVDs, I have been using DVDs that residents have loaned me for my Monday Matinee shows. They have been  The Great Courses series. These are educational in nature, with a professor speaking to us as if we are in the class room. Based upon the subject matter, they have been well attended. Subjects have included art history, American history, World history, music appreciation, etc.. The value of borrowing from residents is two-fold. First, if they own it, means that they are interested in the subject and most likely other residents will be too. I find this helpful because what interests me usually does not interest them because of our age difference.  And secondly, the series are expensive to buy. Saving money is always a plus in a non-profit organization looking to provide the most for less!

 

I do use Netflix to select my movies for the Friday night movie series. These movies are the types of movies you watch for entertainment, as apposed to the educational ones mentioned above. When searching for movies, I did find a whole lot more educational DVDs that I will be able to use on Mondays. In the upcoming year, I will be adding biographies and documentaries to the schedule. It will take a little bit more research and time on my part to put together a "series" that has a complete theme, but I think it will be nice for a change of pace. I don't know about you, but I rather see a "movie" and learn something than to sit in a room and be taught by a professor lecturing. Different people, different styles of learning, so.... it is time to mix it up.  

 

Can you add something new to your calendar this year? Can you acknowledge that as an activity director that you don't have to have all the details on your calendar at the beginning of the month to have a successful program? I know that you CAN!

 

Interested in reading more about movies in retirement communities? Here are other posts I've written:

Movie Scheduling

Movies in Your Community

Here is a link to find movies @Amazon that we've enjoyed 

 

I found a good and legal website to watch classic movies and documentaries on your computer, IPad, Iphone or Android device. Check out Fullmovies.com This would be great to have on a community Ipad that you can take from room to room for those needing that service 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance Lessons for Activities Directors

Seniors going Gangnam Style makes the news because of the trendy moves they are doing in their retirement community! I love it when the world gets to see that seniors are not all sitting in their rocking chairs knitting!

This week at my community, we had our annual holiday gala dance. I had received a call from my entertainer for the night saying that he was sick and was sending someone else in his place. My thoughts went from "oh crap" to "oh yea" to "uh oh." The fear of the unknown performer on one of the most popular high-end events of the year! Well, turns out that I learned two lessons this week when preparing for the event.

The first thing that I learned is, that if you have a good working relationship with a professional entertainer, he will take good care of you, even if he is not there. I had an entertainer cancel earlier in the month, but he did not find a replacement for himself and left me with nothing. The difference that I can see is that the first one that I mentioned for my gala dance is a professional performer who I've worked with for years. The other man is a church organist, who also works in an organ store, and performs on the side. This was the second time that I contacted him to play for us.... since he is one of the few in the area who can actually tackle our fancy organ!  I think I will try to include something in the contracts in advance about getting replacements and see how that goes over.......

The second lesson that I learned is, that just like at the parties that you go to, there needs to be a fun person that gets things started. The dance floor was full the whole night thanks to the dance host that I hired, but when the Twist came on there was nobody! I will tell you that I can not dance the way the residents do with the Swing, Fox Trot, Rumba, Waltz, etc., so they almost never see me on the dance floor... unless it is doing the Electric Slide or the Chicken Dance.  But the Twist?!?  I couldn't let that pass. I grabbed one of my younger, single ladies and got started with her and then Twisted my way around the room and got others out on the floor until it was full. It was the perfect way to end the night and we all had a blast. 

If you have dancing skills, don't let them go to waste. Yes,we are there to "work" and make sure that there is enough to drink on the table, that the air conditioner is right for the dancers, but not freezing for the listeners, etc., but then take time to really make the party a success - and that is with your own personal connection to it! I love to take time to go from table to table and sit down. "How are you enjoying the party?" is a good opener or "I haven't had a minute to talk with you lately, how are you?"  Residents love to have the personal contact that only you can offer. 

National Eye Month Activities for Seniors

January is National Eye Month and as the Activities Director in an independent living retirement community, I  like to draw attention to it due to the fact that there are residents living in our community with eye issues.  Yes, we can recognize each month's health focus and that might come across as "not real fun activities," so pick and choose the ones that will work in your community and then make it great. 

For National Eye Month, there are a few different programs that will benefit your community and they are:

• Invite a local area's eye doctor to come give a lecture to your residents about eye care/eye health
• Ask an organization like The American Foundation for the Blind to provide a speaker who would come to the community and share the tools that can help low-vision residents with their daily living tasks. See the Resources for Activities Directors for some low vision game aids that will help your residents stay "in the game."
• Provide a bus to a store that sells the items that will help the residents with poor vision.  Make sure to call ahead and tell the store that you will be coming so that they have plenty of staff available to help. Give the group enough time to be served and don't allow the group size to be to big. 
• Ask your local area's eye doctor's if they have an eye screening van that can come to your community and provide the testing required for a healthy eye.
• Highlight the special services that are available though your community's library or the local library for those with low-vision.
• Check out the National Library Service Talking Books information that is available for all U.S. residents. You can pass this information along to those in need in your community.
• And, as I am thinking about what else might be good to add, I was thinking....you can also scheduling a bus to a store that sells prescription eye wear. This might be a store that they already go to, like Walmart, but during the month of January, you might want to highlight that it has an optical department.

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." Woodrow Wilson

Look Ahead & Schedule An Event!

FaceBook for Seniors

The senior adults living in my retirement community are using electronics to stay in touch with their families and their friends more and more these days. Even one of our active 100+ resident understands how amazing the Internet is. She was interviewed this election year and saw and heard herself immediately on-line - as did her family when the links were shared. Residents are using their home computers,their laptops, Kindles, and smartphones to stay connected without having to travel to visit. They are using Skype and Facebook and having a great time.

I found a very good article about seniors using Facebook. It addresses the long term health and social benefits of staying connected. This article also shares another cool aspect..... the inter-generational connection that can be created with high school seniors working with senior adults.

I found this video showing seniors attending a workshop about Facebook. I'm sharing it so that you can see the value of Facebook to our residents. I am not supporting the source of the video, as I don't know anything about them.  And, here is a funny one showing residents working on their own home computer trying to learn Facebook.

Here are some other articles that I wrote about seniors and technology that have good resources and links also:

Seniors Using Computer

IPad and seniors

Seniors Keep in Touch with Technology

Now more than ever, seniors do not have to be isolated from their loved ones when they move into a retirement community. As the activities director, I feel it is important to keep the residents in touch with the world around them through current events programs, college professors sharing their knowledge, etc.

One of the other areas of interest is the World Wide Web, aka, the Internet. In my community, we have a wonderful computer club that was started by a resident. He trained more residents so that they could teach others, and the club has grown each year. They have guest speakers (some from our company's own Information Technology department), group meetings, and one-on-one tutoring. 

It is a fact that baby boomers and those who came before them are more interested in technology then ever before. Many of them have IPads, IPhones, computers, tablets, e-readers, smartphones, etc. Here is a great article about gadget going grandparents that is right on the mark. I also wrote  blog posts about seniors using IPads  and one on seniors using e-readers that you might find interesting.

If you do not have a program in your community yet that teaches your residents about technology, now is the time. Here are a few ways that you can facilitate the process:

1. Do it yourself. Take it a class at a time.... a subject at a time...... Look on-line or in your local library for more information if you need to. I also have noted some helpful books on another blog post re: computers and seniors. 
2. YouTube.com can be your assistant.
3. See if a resident is willing and able to lead the class(es) for you. Be their support by arranging the time and place for the meetings, advertising it, & get the supplies needed for their success
4. Encourage a Technology Club concept like mentioned above 
5. Ask your Information Technology department for their support. Can they direct you and/or  volunteers? Can they teach a class periodically?  
6. Speak to the area high school technology club and see if the students will come teach. Most likely the students need service hours. Residents may really enjoy the inter-generational interaction with this program.
7. Hire a professional company to come in. This might mean a fee to the students in the class

One of the subjects that you could teach would be digital ways to keep grandparents in touch with their friends and families. When most of us hear about grandparents staying in touch, we think of email. That is no longer the case. Here is a terrific article about 5 ways to stay in touch with today's advanced technologies. How wonderful is this, especially for those who may have physical problems that make it difficult for them to type or see well.

Be the facilitator and help a resident learn something new that will surely enhance their life!

Contemplate & Create

A small, but very interested, and talented group of residents went to the museum recently. This trip was different from any other outing to the museum because the residents went to "Contemplate and Create." That was the name of the program at our local museum, and that is exactly what they did. 

The program was basically a tour of specific items in the museum, with narration by the docent highlighting the concepts that we would later put into practice in our own work. There were a few different topics to select from. I choose "assemblage" thinking that it would be the least intimidating.  

After the tour, we went to a classroom area in the museum that I never even knew existed. The teachers for this portion of our outing had everything ready for us. They had a plain white box that would become our work area, along with magazines pre-clipped and organized by subjects, pipe cleaners, buttons, corks, straws, small plastic animals, beads, scissors glue, etc., etc.  They showed examples and guided us through our own very personal process. 

What was neat about this was the bonding that took place with the residents who attended. As some of you know from reading this blog frequently, the community where I work also has two other communities in the area and we run trips together. This trip had about 11 people, but they were from three different locations.  While on the bus waiting for the museum to open, I discussed what we were going to do that morning, and asked the group if they had ever done any type of assemblage project. A few had, and they shared that with  the group. A few had other artistic interests, but had not worked with assemblage. At the end of the morning, when it was time to put away the glue and the beads, it was another great opportunity to interact. It was like  Show and Tell. Everyone took great pride in showing their box and explaining their process and/or subject. 

At our museum, this was a free program and is done with students also. It might be worth a phone call or a look on-line to see if any of your local museum's programs could be presented to your group of senior adults. Some museums have outreach programs where they will come to your retirement community. contact their education department. The museum's slow time for having patrons in the museum is usually a good time for our population, so get busy and see how you can enrich your resident's world with art appreciation.

Safari Theme Party: A Roaring Good Time!

Animal print is the rage right now! You can find it in stores in the clothing department, shoe department, housewares and just about anywhere else you look, and it is the perfect time to have a Safari theme party in your retirement community! 

For my special event, I rented a large tent and had it put up outside. I decorated the tent with the cuttings from the plants that were around the area by placing them on the legs of the tent and up in the apexes of the tent. For the tent I had, there were three specific points to decorate from. I found pinata monkeys and hung them from those points and used the plant cuttings to cover the place where they were hanging. I also used a course rope to hang the monkeys so that it looked more genuine for the theme. (I did have to use multiple pieces for the rope in order for it to be thick enough to be seen.) Make sure if you hang something from the tent that you bring it down low enough to be seen, but keep it high enough for tall guys to work under.

We closed our casual dining area on this night, and encouraged casual dinners to come outside. Our main dining room was open for those who did not want to sit outside or who did not want to navigate a buffet line. The dining room tables had animal print shelf paper in the center of each table, along with a specially printed menu so that they could feel a part of the theme party while staying inside. I did decorate the hallway from the main lobby to the "side door" that took folks outside. I used animal theme balloons to mark which hallway to go to and the door to exit out of. I also used cutouts of the safari theme on the walls of the hallway.

Promoting Activities

In the retirement community where I work, promoting my activities is an important element of my job as activities director. I use a few different methods. I use written announcements that are available twice a week, my in-house television community's channel, a monthly newsletter, posters on a bulletin board next to my sign up sheets and a magnetic board in the main lobby. Today, I want to talk about the magnetic board in the lobby.  

We bought a large brass floor easel and a magnetic board to advertise the foremost activities happening in the community. Due to space it is really important that you control the items on the board, so that your residents know that this is the place for them to find the "need to know at this moment kind of stuff." I like to keep mine in date order, so I am constantly moving the poster that are on the board around once I remove or add one. Usually there is a poster for the week's movie, the week's entertainment, a special meeting, guest speaker, etc.  Location is important, so make sure if you are going to add this to your community, that you have a good place to put it. 

If you can not find a big enough magnetic board, as your religious leader in your community if he has a source where he gets his supplies. I can not remember where we got ours, but I think that is where it came from. Also, thanks to the internet, you can make your own if you want. Here is a Martha Stewart video on how to make your own magnetic board. Remember that you could also frame the board with a frame that you might find in a thrift store or that a family might leave behind once a resident passes away.

In the past, I had magnets that looked like picture frames, or picture frame corners. Once those wore out, I found round black magnets at a local store. They worked fine, but kind of jumped out at me every time I walked by the board and it just didn't feel right. It dawned on me after a few months that there was an easy solution and that it was in my desk the whole time! I had small smiley face stickers in my desk that I used from time to time on notes that I'd send to residents that would work perfectly. Now, when I walk by the magnetic board, I see smiley faces instead. (And yes, it does take an extra minute to make sure they are all facing the right direction, but it is worth it.) 

Is there a place that you can add a board like this to promote your most current programs??

Give it some thought and then do it with organization and style.

Storage Room Solutions

One of the common problems with being an activities director in a retirement community is the lack of storage for all of our goodies! I am lucky in the fact that I do have a large closet that I keep my theme party, special events, and holiday decorations (besides Christmas). Christmas is in another separate storage area. If you do not have a storage area, maybe now, with the housing market being slow, is a good time to discuss this with your administrator.

Once you have a storage area, what is the best way to make the most out of it? Here area a few pointers that I use:
    

• Buy clear plastic bins that are large enough to hold a specific subject's items. I try to pick up one or two when I find them on sale. Keep in mind the largest item and buy accordingly.
• You may also find that when residents leave their home that there are storage pieces that you may be able to use
• Use clean and dry boxes from your kitchen and housekeeping departments
• Label the box well.
•  I use a simple piece of typing paper and write in a black marker what is inside (St Patrick's, Back to School, etc) and put it where it can be seen from the outside
• You may find tape that you can write on to be helpful also. I don't like to label a box in a permanent way so that I can reuse it in the future.
• Use a black thick marker on a cardboard box
• Dates do not usually matter.... it is content that matters
• Keep like items together
• Have shelving added if necessary.
• Keep the items that you use on a regular basis nearest to the door.
• Keep the items that you use less frequently in the back of the room
• Break the room into sections within your mind.
•  At the front are the theme boxes, holiday boxes and silk flowers & vases.
• Towards the back are Fall, Thanksgiving and Halloween
• In the far corner are sports items, wrapping supplies for Christmas and past gift items
• Throw away items that you haven't used in a while, a not in perfect shape, are dated or that you've inherited and don't like.
• Always look to raise the quality level of your decorations! If you are not excited to put it out, go shopping or ask your crafty residents to assist you! Look at Pinterest for cool ideas. (I have a page there also so after joining (free) look for Recharging Retirees!)
• If you need to replace old items, shop "off-season" for your best deals - which means you have to know what you will need in advance...... so keep a list handy and get stuff when you see it during the year, not when you need it.
• If something does not fit in a box, keep it as close to the appropriate box. You might even put a note in the box to remind you, or whoever, to look for the larger piece.
• Keep it clean

It will make you so happy to have nice things and most importantly, knew where they are! I promise you it will make your job more pleasant and effective. Don't hesitate, start with one box at a time!

 

Activities Director Title

I saw this link for an article regarding the job title and perception of activities directors in long term care on the UK Geractive Facebook page. The article is titled 

Let's Change 'Activity Director' to 'Chief Experience Officer' and although it was written almost a year ago, still holds a lot of truth and value. The article is from McKnight's which is a long-term care and assisted living newspaper.

After reading the article, take the poll at the top of my blog and let everyone know what real activities directors think about it. Then, check back and see how your opinion compared to others who respond by clicking the link that says poll results at the bottom of the poll!

Public OpinionPoll Results

National Breast Cancer Awareness Activities for Senior Adults

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and at my retirement community we as staff and residents walk in the local Susan G Komen "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" Walk. It has become an annual event that is spearheaded by our Fitness Director and raises money for this worthy cause. It also shows the community at large that the residents and staff within the retirement community where we work and live cares!

I was searching the web to find some other ideas that would help raise awareness and funds for this cause. If you go on-line, there are a lot of ideas. Some bigger, some smaller. Some are practical for our population and some are not. You can get lost in reading them all. It is fantastic that they are so available. Below are a few thoughts that I believe are the best choices for you, as activities director to review and include on your calendar for October. 

• Have a Doctor or Nurse come in and give your female residents free breast exams and show them how to do an self-exam.

• You can have volunteers make pink bow pins to sell for breast cancer.You will need pin backings, pink ribbon and glue. I like to use the hot glue gun, but crafts clue would be fine. Sell them for $1.00 each and give the proceeds to your local breast cancer organization or hospital.

• Have a day at your community where everyone wears Pink .Those who wish to participate must donate $1.00 to get to wear the pink clothes to work. Give the proceeds to your local breast cancer organization or hospital.

• Hold a Raffle. Get pink raffle tickets and have local stores and businesses donate items to raffle off. Have a table set up in the front lobby with the raffle items so that everyone can view the prizes. Give the proceeds to your local breast cancer organization or hospital.

• Have a Think Pink Bake Sale.  Have a bake sale with the requirement that each item have some type of pink on them, such as pink sprinkles,pink frosting, pink candies, etc...

• If you have a chorus group, arrange for them to be a part of you areas local walk. Usually there is entertainment before and after the walk. Make sure they are dressed in pink and that those who hear them know that they are senior adults from your community.

• Put pink candies in a jar and residents can pay to place their guess of how many pieces there are in the jar. Winner takes the jar of candy home, and the funds go towards the breast cancer organization or hospital. (Sometimes buying pink candy goes towards the candy company's donation at the corporate level.... so you are helping there also.)

• Check out this amazing collection of photos for more ideas from a Pinetrest collector. (Click on the pictures to get more details.)

Here is a link to the other article that I wrote about this event. . . .  Cancer Walk with Residents

Fashion Show Lunch

Residents as stars of the show, great food in a country club environment makes for a wonderful afternoon in my retirement community. Once a year, I host a fashion show in my auditorium. It is a "free" program to put together and the interest to attend is always high. Here is my action plan for success.

6 - 8 weeks ahead:

• Contact a local boutique and ask if they will host a fashion show at your community.
• Models provided by the store or by the community?
• If they are to be residents, how many and what sizes?
• Determine if  model's fittings will take place at the store in advance or in the community the day of the show.
• Will resident models get any discount the day of the show?
• What kind of microphone is best for the Master of Ceremonies providing the show?
• Podium or lectern?
• Sale of clothes after the show and the requirements for that?
• Lunch before, during or after the style show?
• When will the staff from the boutique arrive on show day?
• When should the models arrive on show day?
• Discuss the date, menu and cost with the Culinary department in your community

3 - 4 weeks ahead:

• Add the style show to your monthly calendar
• Consider set up time required and determine if any programs need to be moved or canceled
• Promote the fashion show
• Residents sign up for the activity
• Select resident models based upon criteria of the store
• Make or buy centerpieces for the tables
• Determine and Reserve a dressing room area, if necessary
• Discuss the set-up requirements with the department in charge (Maintenance/Security)

1 week ahead:

• Contact resident models to confirm fitting appointment
• Give Culinary a final count of those signed up including the models

2 Days Before the Show

• Contact Models
• See how fittings went, if done in advance
• Remind them of arrival time for the day of the show
• Remind them about the schedule for the show (when and  where do they eat?)
• Update numbers with Culinary and Maintenance if necessary

Day of Fashion Show:

• Arrange the dressing room area as requested by the store (include a place for models to hang clothes, and a chair to sit on, as well as a full length mirror for all to see on their way out)
• Verify the room for the show is set up properly
• Decorate the tables/room
• Welcome guests and introduce the boutique representative hosting the show
• Assist Culinary if necessary
• Assist models in dressing room if necessary

This day is the most successful when I've selected models who are attractive on the inside and out and when they get fitted in advance. The residents attending the show like to have the food pre-plated and on the table when they walk into the event - and Culinary likes that too. I even have the dessert preset. Once the lunch plates are cleared, the fashion show starts. Make sure the models go close to as many tables as possible while showing off the clothing. Models eat after the show. Resident models do not pay for their lunch as my way of saying thank you for being in the show. Residents attending the show are billed for the food cost of the even and are given time to shop in the store that the boutique sets up after the show.

Resident Run Programs for Success

I love when a resident comes to me and says that they want to provide a program to those they live within our retirement community. The positives usually outweigh the negatives in these kind of programs. I have residents in my CCRC who have presented the following:

·         "Getting to Know" you shows with fellow residents. Here they interview a resident and develop a program to showcase their story so that it fits into an one hour format on our stage

·         Teach backgammon, Bunco, etc and then continue to meet on a regular basis

·         Recognize that it is a special day or month in the year and host a program to recognize it. For example, September was National Sewing Month, and there was a gathering to discuss the resident's past and present successes and also determine if there is an interest for future gatherings.

·         Host a poetry reading program that features a resident presenting his or her favorites

·         Arts and Crafts programs including a beginners painting class where the resident in charge provided all the supplies to the group

·         Host a Tea Party. This is something that I usually do once or twice a year, so I invited the resident to co-host with me. I ran it as I usually do (sign up, and charge the residents afterwards) and she provided the program that was a lesson on tea, which added a nice touch

There are many more that I could share with you, but I will stop here because the fact is that what might work for me, might not work for you. It all depends on who is living in your community and who wants to share their time and talents.

 

What I’ve learned about having a very successful resident driven program is I can run a better overall activities program if I do not try to control every part of it. What a great feeling it is to see, that with my support behind the scenes, including proper advertising for the resident generated program, that my community gets to have another quality program. I like when programs are "win-win" programs. This concept is more than that because the resident who gives the community the program wins, those who attend it are winners and I am a winner too because it has enhanced my activities calendar. Get to know your residents and don't be afraid to ask them to provide a program for you. If you get a "no," at least the resident knows that you value them and that is a just another plus.

Senior Needs at Stadium

A new university football stadium opened recently and it is about 15 minutes from my retirement community. I've taken my residents to college basketball games and to professional baseball games in the past, and I know there is an interest for such outings with my sports minded residents.

I contacted the group representative at the university and selected out tickets based upon a few important facts; that the bus drop off location should be close to our seats and that there would be limited steps to our seats.  I explained that this was a group of senior adults and that it was very important for their safety and piece of mind. The rep seemed to understand and our transaction was completed. What follows are the details of a stressful outing and the lessons that I learned.

When I got to the stadium, I told the driver to go to Gate 5 as I was instructed. When we got there, the staff told us that we needed to go to Gate 6 instead. Right away, I started worrying if it was going to be closer to our seats or further away.... and of course it was further away. Once we were in, I asked for directions to our section and was sent on my way with the residents following close behind me. I quickly realized that the only way to our section was going to be by going up stairs, and was thrilled to locate the elevator on our way to our section. But, it was not meant to be because the elevator was broken! 

Thank goodness I did have a small group with me. Most of them were fine going up the approx. 30 steps that were involved. I had one resident who was very upset, but with the support and encouragment of her husband and me, she got up the stairs. My group waited for our arrival at the top of the stairs and I'm glad that they did. Our seats were in a section that was another 5 steps up to get into the section and then another 7 steps up to our row. Well, of course I moved quickly to Plan B, and decided that we are going to sit in seats that we do not have tickets for - which usually work out fine at the other venues that we've been to. We selected the section below us and prayed every time someone came into the section. I even asked if people would mind sitting in different seats so that we could stay in "ours" - since we are seniors that can't handle the steps easily. Everyone was great about it and we were able to stay seated. This is not something I am proud of, but felt like I needed to do for the safety and happiness of my group.

This stadium was very strange to me. There were no ramps to get up and down anywhere in the stadium and there were no trash cans or rest rooms upstairs. When the woman who had a hard time with the steps needed to go to the restroom, she and her husband went down stairs. When I realized they were gone, I went down stairs to find her very upset about having to go back up again. I asked the staff at the stadium if there was anywhere that they could sit without steps and they told me about the end zone area... but the resident would not walk there (even after I explained that it was half way back to the bus).  She ended up sitting in a chair that we received from a booth nearby in an area where they could not see the game. I continued to check on them throughout the game, and 15 minute after leaving them, I found them with the paramedics and the husband saying that they would call a taxi to go home.

I called our bus driver on his cell phone and he came back to get the woman and her husband. After taking them home, he came back and got us. I did find another elevator that was on the other side of the field that took us down and closer to Gate 6.

I share this with you so that you can learn by my experience. What I learned is that the next time I go to a place, especially a stadium, I should have assumed the worse, and promoted it to the residents by saying that they "must be a good walker, and stair climber" to prevent the situation that I had. I also made notes about this on my program worksheet in the evaluation section, so that I would remember the pros and cons of the outing. And of course, I made a note about what section number we did like instead of the section that we had tickets for.  These are good thoughts to keep in mind for other outings you may go on. All and all, the residents who stayed for the whole game really enjoyed their evening at a college football game, and I will say that they were thankful for the extra running around that I did to make the night safe and enjoyable.

Hollywood Theme Party

Old Hollywood! What a wonderful period in history to celebrate with independent living residents in a CCRC retirement community. I just held this theme party this week, and I must say that it was a smash hit! It really was not hard at all to create, and the overwhelming results were terrific. Here is what I did.

I went to my storage closet and started digging around. I ended up in one of my New Year's Eve boxes that I had marked "black and gold." I pulled out all the black stars that I could find, some black material, tooling that had gold stars on it, a few black sequenced hats, and some other stuff that I did not end up using. In another box that I had used for a movie night, I found paper items including a gold Oscar cut-out, some theater lights cut-outs, a mural of the red carpet, and other theater related items. Online, I found some cool piñatas of a clap-board and an old movie projector. And lastly, I always like to keep silk flowers on-hand to use, so I brought down some white peonies. Oh, yes, the best item was something that I did not buy, but was made by a resident - a large black star with the words Hollywood Night on it and lights around it.

What I ended up doing was using the stars to hang from the ceiling, the red carpet mural in a hallway that really does have red carpet, and the big star with the lights as a backdrop for my picture taking. I made a centerpiece for my room with the sequenced top hats, the silk flowers and some black shiny, star picks. After clothing the table with a black cloth, I used the tool with the gold stars in-between the tablecloth and the black hats as well as to fill in the bottom of the arrangements. The piñatas were used on the wall, instead of hanging them, because I realized that they were only one-sided. I also had a few items that I found at Old Time Pottery that I used around the area. Check out my own "store" to see what else I found on line for this theme party and others. Also note that at the bottom of my blog, you will find a discount for Shindigz. Click on it to take you to the site and get the discount. Ordering with the links above will not provide you with the discounts.

Residents were invited to dress up for the event. I gave them the following suggestions: "Dress as your favorite movie star: Clara Bow, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Lena Horne, Greta Garrbo, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Clark Gable or even as the paparazzi!" We had some of these stars show up and some that I have never heard of before! The residents really got into this special event.

I also showed the movie, "Hollywood Canteen" about a week ahead of the theme party and suggested that they view it to get more ideas and the new movie, "The Artist" that was set in the old Hollywood period. Both were great sources for ideas.

Speaking about ideas, there are a few places on the web where you can get more suggestions for planning an Old Hollywood party. My favorite is at Easy Party Ideas and the other is at Top Party Ideas.

For food, the hors d'oeuvres were scallops wrapped in bacon and asparagus in puffed pastry. Both were delicious. Light yet classy. These were served before dinner in the main lobby.

The hit of the party was Marilyn Monroe and the show after dinner. Marilyn was situated at the end of the red carpet walk. In front of her photo area were red velvet stanchions - as seen in the movie theater to create separate lines that I borrowed from another community's dining room. Or you can get paper stanchions instead if you'd like. The woman that I hired was amazing. She even brought a fan to stand on to make her skirt blow up a bit. The show afterwards was so unique. It was a man who spoke about Hollywood starting in the 1920's. He showed film clips, spoke about each section, and played the piano as background for the video clips. It was so well done and was perfect for the event.

Sometimes a theme night comes to mind because of a specific decoration that is your "jumping off point," and sometimes it is in order to host a specific entertainer. It may even be because you have a great outfit and nowhere to where it. Whatever the reason, make sure that you pull it all together for a well thought out theme party that will be a smash in your community!

Olympics Events

The Olympics! They are the hot topic in my retirement community as I am sure they are in yours. My attendance for programs has fallen a bit and I'm sure it is because of this special event. 

I'm sure that some of you had a gathering of some sort to watch the Opening Ceremonies and I would love to hear your comments on what you did and how it went. One of my "sister-communities" did something that I thought was pretty special. They had the opening ceremonies viewing party, and followed it up with a two-week long special dining program. They decorated the main dining room, using hula-hoops as the Olympic rings as part of the decorations, and then made a hand-out to give out the first night of the program. The hand out gave interested facts about the Olympics and also explained the two-week program. Basically, the culinary staff committed to make a special dish from a different country each evening and add it to the menu. Next to the item, it will have a small picture of a Olympic torch next to it so that the residents know that it is the special item for the night. I think that is neat! (It so happens that the activities director in that community was going to be on vacation during the Olympics, so it was perfect timing that the culinary department could get their ideas featured!)

In my community, I did not host an Opening Ceremony event, but I will be hosting a Closing Ceremonies event instead. Since it is on Sunday, August 12, and begins (my time) around 9:30 a.m., I will be serving the same continental breakfast that the residents would get in the dining room. This way, I do not have to charge them anything extra for the food, nor will I be charged it either! Our culinary department does not have a lot of people come for Sunday breakfast, in part because many people eat breakfast at home in their pjs and because we served dinner at noon on Sundays and many people don't like to eat two meals so close together. I will have the residents sign up in advance for the get together and will be able to let Culinary know how to prepare for the morning. I am hoping that my event will increase the breakfast business for culinary that day and that those who attend enjoy the program on the big screen.

Activities Chart

A well-rounded activities calendar is the key to success in an independent living retirement community. When I think about having a program that is "well-rounded," I think about having something for everyone. Now, I know after 25 years in the field that I will not have everyone participate, nor enjoy everything that they are involved with, but I make every effort possible.

I am lucky enough to have the best of both worlds. I am a one person department and yet I have co-workers to share the workload. My company owns two other communities within a 10 minute drive of one another. Each community has an activities department and we share a common transportation department. Because of the buses and because of the needs to have escorted outings, we have learned to pull our resources together and create a well-rounded program for all three communities. It is a win-win situation for us and for the residents who we serve. Don't get me wrong.... it is not the same calendar at all three communities as we add our own special programs.

What we have done that works well for us is that we get together quarterly and divided the work up. There are standards that we have from our corporate office, and then we have added our own, based upon the resident's requests in our communities. We rotate who does what kind of outing so that one person does not go on all the yummy lunch outings and another person get stuck with going to the waste management plant tour - again. If I had to be the escort on every trip that was on my calendar, I would never get the next month planned. Here is a copy of the activities chart that we use to organize our schedules.

We have found that it is a great help to work as a team so that we are not requesting the bus on conflicting dates, so that we meet the minimum numbers required for a group and have to cancel fewer trips, that we get to know more residents better and we can all offer more on our calendars than if were to work alone. The residents have also enjoyed getting to know other residents on these outings and we've seen how new friendships develop.

You may not have the same situation as I do, but you might have other co-workers in your department that you maybe able to have utilize this concept. If that is not the case, that is fine too! The activities chart is a great tool to help you keep focused. After all, if you are the department head, it really is all up to you anyway, right? Feel free to change the headings at the top of the document to be what works best in your community. I find the chart helpful to use so that I can see at a quick glance a certain category instead of having to look through my entire past calendar to see when I did something last, etc.

If you have a system that works well for you and your department, we would love to have you share it below in the comments section of this page. Thanks!

Pets in Retirement Community

As an animal lover, I understand why it is wonderful for residents to have a pet in their apartment when they come to a retirement community. As a department manager, I see the problems that come in time when a resident can no longer take care of their beloved pet. And, as the Activities Director in the community, I program for those residents who want to share the love of their pets with others in the community. Check out my blog on the annual dog show that we have each August. But, there are other interesting topics that need to be covered when we think about pets and senior adults.

The first is pet therapy in nursing home. This can be done formally or informally. Since I work with the independent living residents, I see how those with dogs choose to have them interact with fellow residents (or not). Those residents with the pets get a lot of enjoyment from sharing their loved one with others, the animal usually enjoys the interaction, and the resident who choose to stop and greet the pet does so because they know it will bring them joy. It is a win-win-win situation. This is what I call an informal pet therapy session, and I find that those "resident pet therapists," tend to utilize their dogs every chance they get to bring joy to others.

The activities director who works in the assisted living part of our continuing care community has identified the independent living residents who like to share their pets with others and has reached out to them to ask if they would bring their pet to the assisted living section of the community. She works with the resident to schedule a specific time and adds it to her calendar of events. This, along with outside trained "professional" pet therapy dogs are what I consider a formal program.

As mentioned, the community where I work has multi-levels of care, and thus the issues of owning a pet differ based upon the level of care where the resident lives. Independent living issues include a resident not being able to walk the dog, keep litter boxes cleaned, dogs barking, etc. We do have a private-pay home health service that is associated with our company, but many residents do not want to have to pay for these extra services. They believe that friends, family, neighbors and /or staff members should say yes if they are asked to assist with their pet's care. As you know, most family members can not factor this extra responsibility into their schedules, other residents may help for a little while, but not for the long term, and for us as staff members, we are not able to "moon-light" in this area since our company offers the service for a fee (weather we do if for free or not).  

In the assisted living part of the community, the issues are the same, plus in addition, have some specific issues of their own. We have had a resident who wanted to bring her cat with her to this level of care, but her neighbor next door was allergic to cats. And there was a lady who had a dog who did not like anyone to pass by the resident's door, and he room was located at top of the hallway, so that almost everyone entering that section of the community had to pass her doorway. Is it far to the pet to contain them in a much smaller room? Should CNA's be asked to walk the dog or care for the cat? Is it wise to ask a resident to give up their pet when they make this transition? I don't know the answers, but I do wish that residents and their families could make the decision - and be alright with it- to pass the pet to someone who will love it as much as they had in advance of making the move. It is kind of like sending your kid of to college.... you know it is in their best interest, even though it makes you sad. Maybe it should be a required conversation with administration, when a resident moves in with a pet, that specifies the plans for the welfare of the pet in times when the owner/resident is unable to care for the animal. 

While researching the Internet on the topic of pets in senior communities, I found this interesting article. It is worth reading. It is about university veterinarian and nursing students supporting residents in a community. As the activities director for my community, I am going to learn more about this and see if there is any interest in the colleges and universities in my area. Again, this is a win-win situation if the students can get hands-on experience with the pets and the seniors get their animals cared for on a regular basis. As with other volunteer programs, I'm sure that the bonds the students and residents make will be lessons in life for the students. The program in the article addresses some of the issues that I mentioned above also. Here is another opportunity for you to make the residents in your community happier.

Here is another article re: pets in the retirement community from Recharging Retirees