Activities Co-Ordinator... Advice please.

tink80

Registered User
Aug 27, 2015
1
0
Wirral, Merseyside
Hello everyone.
I have just started a job as an activities co-ordinator in a nursing home.
I have no problem providing activities for the service users who can communicate well, but I would love some help with activities for those who have trouble with memory and concentration, or speech.

Could anyone help me with some suggestions please? I just want to give the service users the best possible care they can have, After all they deserve it.

Thank you in advance for any replies.
 

TinaT

Registered User
Sep 27, 2006
7,097
0
Costa Blanca Spain
I would go to your manager and ask for some training in communicating with dementia sufferers.

Have you any kind of a budget to spend? Often memory books for the era the resident is at can help.

Try to find out from relatives what kind of things the resident used to like, what musical taste he/she had, hobbies etc., and take it from there by chatting to the resident or playing music you have been told means something to the resident.

Make any activity short lasting because concentration is hard for anyone with memory loss . Best of all just sit and talk. The power of human touch is also a powerful tool.

Best wishes in your new post.

xxTinaT
 

Sue J

Registered User
Dec 9, 2009
8,032
0
Hello Tink80

Welcome to TP

I agree with everything in Tina's post.

Hope you enjoy it

Bes wishes
Sue:)
 

Soobee

Registered User
Aug 22, 2009
2,731
0
South
Looking through magazines or pictures together... potting small plants or other such gardening like planting seeds...painting things (we painted some beach pebbles the other day and it worked really well).. decoupage.... sorting buttons or other objects....even 'helping' to fold towels or sheets is something that's been mentioned before. For former teachers involving them in taking some form of register can be helpful in some way.

And singing is really really effective especially if there's no speech - it's involved with a different part of the brain to speech so you will often find that people can sing or hum a bit they couldn't say
 
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Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
Music, gardening, arts and crafts, jigsaws, card games, armchair exercise.... My OH has no memory to speak of and mostly lost his speech but he enjoys all of those. Or he sits and writes down pages of gobbledygook. As long as he enjoys it, it doesn't have to make sense.
 

cinco-ranch

Registered User
Jul 5, 2016
1
0
Sensory-Related Activity Ideas?

Hello,

Does anyone know of any activities that I could provide to my residents that are targeted to those who are more non-verbal than verbal? I would appreciate any ideas! Thanks!
 

Toddleo

Registered User
Oct 7, 2015
411
0
Hello,

Does anyone know of any activities that I could provide to my residents that are targeted to those who are more non-verbal than verbal? I would appreciate any ideas! Thanks!

I agree that this is a tricky one. Mum is registered blind, and has no attention span at all now. How do you target people like her? There is hand massage and sensory things/ music etc but to be honest she does not like being "fiddled with" I don't think there is very much you can do with folk like that.
When I used to work in an elderly entertainment job, I found this book to be useful.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Activity-Y...7790295&sr=1-1&keywords=activity+year+elderly
 

Donnarobo

Registered User
Jan 4, 2017
2
0
Try a person centred approach likes and dislikes of what that person used to like. It could be a certain singer you could play to them. Have you tried twiddle muffs? Doll therapy is also good for stimulation hope this helps
 

Donnarobo

Registered User
Jan 4, 2017
2
0
I work with elderly residents some have dementia some just need support. I'm looking to arrange a theme night as a group activitie. We already have a weekly quiz residents v staff so I'm looking for something that doesn't involve a quiz any help would be grateful