Hi everyone, I have just applied for a Activities Co-Ordinators job in a nursing home. I'm currently doing admin work for a IT, and feel I need a big change and something totally new. This role sounds fascinating for the following reasons:
Working with people with dementia
Organising day trips and fundraising events
Buying weekly materials for the residents
My sister and mum work at this nursing home as chefs, and they have said 4 people have had this job in 5 years because they can't motivate the residents, therefore they do very little activities with them and eventually they get bored with the job. I think this is wrong, everyone has something that gets them excited, and it takes work to find out this information. My sister heard no one is interested in the job, even though the nursing home has advertised in the jobcentre.
A few people have said I'm too young for the job, I'm 22. I have seen the residents a few times and I know some of them are very agressive and sensitive, so it's not going to be a shock for me. I know this position will be hard work and disheartening a lot of time, but I'm prepared for that. The key is to gather as much information from the relatives as possible, maybe bringing in photo's or objects and working with the residents to help produce their own scrapbook and talk to them about their past. Find out what each individual hobbies are and stimulate those areas to get them motivated.
In the past they haven't been able to get any of the residents out of the nursing home. Something like going to the local coffee shop, library, feeding the ducks or general walking, is very difficult for the residents. The easy option is staying in and watching tv, which is a shame. How much better would the residents feel if they were feeding the ducks on a lovely sunny day?
I feel I have a lot of enthusiam for this job and want to help the residents and the relatives as much as possible.
I would like to get feedback from the relatives:
Did the activities co-ordinator ask about what the resident likes to do?
Did they ask you to bring any photo's in?
What relationship do you have with the activities co-ordinator?
What do you think of the activities they do at the nursing home?
What activities would you like to see in the nursing home?
Do you have any questions?
Working with people with dementia
Organising day trips and fundraising events
Buying weekly materials for the residents
My sister and mum work at this nursing home as chefs, and they have said 4 people have had this job in 5 years because they can't motivate the residents, therefore they do very little activities with them and eventually they get bored with the job. I think this is wrong, everyone has something that gets them excited, and it takes work to find out this information. My sister heard no one is interested in the job, even though the nursing home has advertised in the jobcentre.
A few people have said I'm too young for the job, I'm 22. I have seen the residents a few times and I know some of them are very agressive and sensitive, so it's not going to be a shock for me. I know this position will be hard work and disheartening a lot of time, but I'm prepared for that. The key is to gather as much information from the relatives as possible, maybe bringing in photo's or objects and working with the residents to help produce their own scrapbook and talk to them about their past. Find out what each individual hobbies are and stimulate those areas to get them motivated.
In the past they haven't been able to get any of the residents out of the nursing home. Something like going to the local coffee shop, library, feeding the ducks or general walking, is very difficult for the residents. The easy option is staying in and watching tv, which is a shame. How much better would the residents feel if they were feeding the ducks on a lovely sunny day?
I feel I have a lot of enthusiam for this job and want to help the residents and the relatives as much as possible.
I would like to get feedback from the relatives:
Did the activities co-ordinator ask about what the resident likes to do?
Did they ask you to bring any photo's in?
What relationship do you have with the activities co-ordinator?
What do you think of the activities they do at the nursing home?
What activities would you like to see in the nursing home?
Do you have any questions?