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Saturday, February 9, 2013

Starting the New Year

Ok we are already into the New Year and I haven't posted since, hmmmm well OK it's been a while so I need to start blogging again. I have been working on my facebook page and that is doing well, but I need to start here then  transfer to faceebook. These are things I need to learn as being a new blogger and working on generating new ideas to Activity Directors so it makes every ones life a little less stressed.

Being an Activity Director there is so much to concentrate on, nursing homes Directors have so little time to plan. MDS, charting, new state guidelines, and all the meetings, care conferences, daily management meeting, Resident Council meetings and I can go on and on. It is like you are in a whirl wind of balancing daily hats to wear.... go home and come back and doing it the next day.

Assisted Living is well, is a little different. The older facilities have the personal and classic way of doing the activities. I mean we are hands on planning and working with the residents one on one. The buildings that are smaller have a "family atmosphere". The new buildings are becoming less personal, computer generated calendars that scroll through out the day .....I can't even keep track.
Along with these new buildings there are less contact and companies pay less for the Activity Director thinking it is all done for them as a template outlined by Corporate Directors that plan for company Activities for all buildings in there company. Ok well, yes they meet the standards for the Corporate world. So what about the resident's? That is a good question.....what does that mean?
Every resident has an individual care plan to meet there specific needs....so how do you do that with a corporate outline ......hmmmm do you put people in groups to what the corporate planners make up activities for generic purposes?

This is nothing new to any activity director, activity assistant, caregiver, nursing and even the executive directors ....... we all know because we work with them everyday and we listen so this system seems senseless. Listening is the most important part of our job and  planning is the hardest part of the Activity Directors job. All we want is a happy building ....right?

So we ask ourselves where do you begin? Well a good place to start is with the residents themselves after all it's all about what their needs and expectations. Holding meetings once a month to plan activities is fun and rewarding for the residents, they have a purpose and you find out what they want to do. I aways say that I can put on an activity about Gumby and Poky ( green bendable guy with his horse) and have the time of my life ....but it isn't going to make sense to them .....maybe or maybe not now you have to figure in the clients you have in your facility.

Activityconnection.com has a great planning sheet that has of special days for the month and great reading, trivia, puzzles and crafts to plan your month. I love this web site, it has great tools, however there is still the individual likes and now a wide range of age gaps, short stay needs, low budgets and whatever the life of an Activity Director throws at you.

So I hope by bringing this blog page bring a less stress life to all Activity Professionals... Linda

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the link!! I will definitely check it out

    ReplyDelete