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

National Ice Cream Day!

National Ice Cream Day is the 3rd Sunday in July.... so this year it is July 15. In my retirement community I'm being asked to provide more weekend programming, so when I saw this, it was a "no-brainer." I will have an ice cream social after the resident finish with dinner - which on Sunday is served at Noon in our community. But, I thought to my self, this is not good enough. How can I raise the bar on this program and make it better? Having a make your own sundae bar on a Sunday is cool, but what can be the cherry on top of this? What I found was something that my husband and I enjoy - a video presentation of the best places to eat. It is a DVD called An Ice Cream Show and it takes you to many of the finest and most unique ice cream palors around. It is perfect for this event. I will set the room up with tables and chairs so that they can watch the movie while enjoying their sundae.  I also found a great website that tells you more about this fun day called Holiday Insights and found special cocktail napkins at a pretty good price that fit the theme of the day, ICE CREAM!

I know that this will be a great Sunday Sundae afternoon in my community. It is not to late to get this going in your community this year, but if you've missed it, I encourage you to add this information to your 2013 calendar.... (you did start that already, didn't you??  That's a whole-nother posting!) 

Breakfast at Tiffany's

"You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels." said Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

If you are an Activities Director, you know that you are only as good as your last event! Let me share with you one of the most memorable events I've done in a long time. . . . .Breakfast at Tiffany's!

We had this upscale party as a special event one evening in my retirement community. We suggested that the residents wear their pajamas, or for the ladies, the iconic Audrey Hepburn look - a black dress with pearls, sunglasses and gloves. There were some residents who were very concerned about the idea of wearing their p.j.s out in public, but when we gave them the alternate option, they were more comfortable. Those who wore their pajamas, did so with good taste. Some men wore smoking jackets. There is also a good picture of residents dressed for the party on my blog post, Theme ideas page. As you can see in this photo, I also bought cigarette holders for the staff that were working the party and we had a ball with them.

The colors for this event were the teal from the Tiffany's box, white and silver. Everything was made to show case beauty and elegance. I used a lot of the clear gels that looked like jewels around the buffet tables and even had a Tiffany's box that I was able to borrow to remind everyone why the colors were selected.

The food was breakfast for dinner! We had the chefs in the dinning room cooking as a special treat along with other first class breakfast options that they do not get on a regular basis. Of course we had steak on the menu for the person who does not like to eat breakfast for dinner.

After dinner of course, we watched the DVD and enjoyed little mini cakes that were shaped and decorated to look like a small ring box from Tiffany's. I served it with coffee.

We usually have our fancy theme night at the end of the year. It's called our Holiday Gala, and resident love getting dressed up for it. This is another way for them to pull out their bling and have fun coming to dinner without having to wait for the end of the year blow-out!  Enjoy!

Program Worksheet & Files

The calendar at my retirement community consists of weekly entertainment, bridge games, bingo, day trips, theater trips, special holiday celebrations, theme parties, dances, educational programs, fitness programs and more. I like to look back to find the programs and shows that were successful and pencil them in for the future and then I get to work towards adding new ideas! As you know from bring an activities director, you must be organized and have a system that works for you in order to bring back community favorites, not have to research it all over again, and to recall what not to do again, ever! 

How do you know if a program or entertainer is worth repeating or not?

I use my computer to help me with this question. First let's talk about a program.... I call outings, special events, lectures, etc a "program." It is something that I might like to repeat in the future and have all the details of how I did it available to me. I've created a "worksheet" for each of my programs. On this worksheet it has the name of the event, the contact information, the details of the program (time, menu, etc), how I figured out the cost for the program and an evaluation of the program - which you will have to go back to do after it is over, or it is worthless.  I save this worksheet on the computer by the name of the program and file it under in a file that I've named Worksheets. I also have a separate file called Worksheets- Lunch Outings, because I do them on a regular basis also. Sounds simple, but I've learned that many people do not name their files appropriately and then can not find them later. Think about your computer as a large filing cabinet. If you had to file the document after you printed it, where would it go. Create that folder on your computer and keep putting the appropriate files there. Create as many folders as you need. (Creating new folders is usually a right-click on your mouse when you are in the area where you see all your files - usually when you are opening a new document.)

It might look something like this:

Desktop

  Documents

     Worksheets

         Boca Museum

           Civic Center

              Daggerwing Nature Center

      Worksheets - Lunch Outing

             Ale House

               Benihana

                 Carrabba's

Now, for entertainers. Back in the "old days" (a few years ago) I would try to remember if a show was good or not. Then I realized that was not going to work, so I started writing it on my calendar in the date block when I had the performer scheduled. I found that that was not good enough either, because I could not retrieve the information fast enough when I needed to. So, I've created a document I call my Entertainer's List. It is in a table format in my word processing program that has a column for the date of the show, the act's name, and then their rating. Since the beginning, of doing this, I've added a column for the fee, which I find very helpful. The ratings come from a 1-5 number system that is given to the act after a monthly review with my Activities Committee. (This is a committee that is formed through our community's Resident Board.) If you do not have such a committee, you may want to develop a way to get resident feed back that you can rely on.  Once I have the information in my computer, I save it and I can easily find a performers name by using the search key (usually the Control F keys) and I can learn what I need quickly and I book them or I don't. I do not bring back entertainers how received a 3 or below, and feel that the quality of performers has increased since putting this system into place.

I would love to hear if you have any other ways that you keep track of your programs and entertainers or if you have any questions about this process. Get started today and you will see positive results in the future.

Lucky Charm Lunch

Lucky you! Here is a fun party that you can do in your retirement community which can be adapted to any level of care.

I called this a Lucky Charm Luncheon. I was interested in knowing if the residents had anything in their possession that they held onto because it brought them good luck. I held this party on Friday the 13th and promoted that it was not an un-lucky day, but that it was going to be a great, fun, lucky day instead. The next Friday the 13th comes in July, so now is a great time to make your plans and get this onto your calendar.

I kept the number attending the lunch small and put the program into our private dining room so that it felt more intimate. The goal for the lunch was to have the residents share the story behind the item that they brought to the party.

At the lunch, I decorated the table with some items that are associated with bringing luck. These items were a rabbits foot (key chain), a horseshoe (make sure that is facing the proper direction - which is so that the open end is at the top), four-leaf clovers (I used items from my St. Patrick's Day decorations,but I'm sure there are other items that you can find.) I came into the party with facts about each of the items on the table - including the salt shaker (which you through over your shoulder), and mentioned others that were not on the table. Then I asked them to share what they had brought with the group.   For dessert at the lunch or party, you could serve a cupcake with Lucky Charm  cereal on it, Lucky Charm cookies  or Lucky Charm Bars. (Please stop by the store at the top of the page called Resources for Activities Directors for more ideas.)

This was a fun way to poke fun of the negativity of Friday the 13th and to get to know the residents better. They learned something unique about each other also that day.

This program could be done with a different twist also. You can change the focus from good luck charms to charm bracelets. Charm bracelets are timeless and yet no matter when you got yours, they all have a story to tell. This is a great way to hear all about the lives as they discuss the charms meanings.

Not-So-Newlywed Game

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 time frame. Here are a few sample questions that I’ve used before. You will need questions for the husbands and questions for the wives. You can find more on the Internet, but many of them I saw were not usable for my community or needed editing.  I found this booklet  from endlessgames.com helpful when I was getting started with this special game night.

I have a volunteer help me the night that I have the program. I give the volunteer the couple's names and a place to record the answers on a score sheet that I created. (You will need to edit it each time, based upon your questions and the couple's names.)  Some questions are worth 5 points, some worth 10 and then the big question is worth 25. In order to be efficient, I also have the volunteer write down all the answers, just in case I miss something while I am running the program. 

I start out introducing the couples and briefly tell the audience how long they've been married, about their family, professions, etc. Then I ask the men to leave the room and ask the ladies to stay and answer their questions.  Then, the husbands are brought back into the room and asked the same questions.  Then it is the wives' turn. I do not have the people write their answers down, they just repeat them out loud after their spouse's answer has been given. If they match, points are given. When determining if the answers match, you will have to use your best judgment and humor in order to make everyone feel good.  

I do give each couple a prize based upon how they score at the show and send them thank you notes afterwards for their participation. It is fun for everyone and a chance for me to have some fun hamming it up like a game show host! 

Check out these other resources that could make your event easier for you and more interesting for your audience!

• Newlywed Game Show Theme Song
• Invitations (Priced right so that you can scan one and use if for your posters, etc.)
• Board Game
• Box of questions for couples

Collection Show

Looking for a good indoor program for your residents this summer? I've done this program with independent living residents two different ways. I will share those ideas with you now.

A COLLECTION SHOW is a great way to have residents share their possessions with the community. There are so many interesting stories that come out of this event! The first time that I hosted this special event, I asked residents to sign up to participate. They needed to tell me what they were bringing and how many card tables or banquet tables they would need. I tried to limit it to one table per person of either size. I then set up a time when the exhibitors could bring their items and get their displays ready. The doors to the event opened shortly afterwards. Residents attending the function walked around to the different tables, looked, touched, asked questions and learned something new about their friends and neighbors.

This program went very well, but there were some negatives. The first is that some collections were not easy to bring to the auditorium. Some of the items were heavy or fragile and were at risk of being damaged. Our maintenance department had the job - if the resident requested help, of getting the items to the auditorium and then back to the residents apartment. The other problem was that some collections were in wall units on "permanent display" in the apartments and residents were not comfortable taking them to the auditorium.

The other way I've done a collection show is to have it as an apartment tour. Residents interested in having guests come to their home to see their collection signed up in advance. I then posted a list of the apartments in numerical order along with the type of collection that they were sharing. There was a specific start and ending time for this event. Some residents who participated in the collection showcase felt the need to offer light refreshments in their home, which was an added bonus for those on the tour. 

I think that the next time I plan this event, I am going to take both of these ideas and put them together. I will promote the homes that have items to share and also set up tables for those who want to display their collections in the auditorium due to space, etc. 

As I said at the beginning of this, I hosted this event with independent living residents, but it can be done in an assisted living setting also. It is taking the "show and tell" idea of speaking about one item to the next level. I don't work in this level of care, but I do think it would be successful.

And lastly, this would be a good staff program for your community. I think that it is a win-win situation when employees are viewed as human beings with real lives, real interests, real personalities, etc., instead of being "the maintenance man," "a housekeeper" or one of the people from the kitchen. I shared my families Kentucky Derby glasses collection the first year I did this and people learned that I love horse, sports and that my husband's family is from the Kentucky/Ohio area.

This is a fun indoor event that even residents who may not participate much in other ways, will probably enjoy. Give it a try!