Help with activities please

[~kat~]

I am an Activities Co-ordinator at a nursing home for Alzeimers and Dementia care.
I have been in the post for almost a year now and the ideas for activities have started to dry up!
The residents love our beauty sessions, baking, art groups, table games and outings but i want to add some more variation into their weeks.

Any ideas gratefully accepted!

Thank you!

Kat.

 

[jenniferpa]

Kat, welcome to Talking Point.

Have you seen this http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/retail_product_browse.php?category_id=2&product_id=1

Also, you might like to took in this forum http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/forumdisplay.php?f=33

 

[CraigC]

Hi Kat,

This thread may also interest you.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/showthread.php?t=8695

I know dads home has great fun with baking and any musical activity. Musical recognition seems to stay around for a long time. They have also had a lot of success with group art activities/projects.

I'd also be very grateful for any specific pointers or ideas that you may have (sorry to answer a question with another question ). We are always looking for activities/ideas that may interest dad and his fellow residents.

One observation that I've made is that dad still likes to be involved, even if his interest wanders. It reminds me of when I was a child and he'd let me help out in the shed. Any job would take him twice as long with me intefering and slowing him down, but I just loved being involved and spending time with him

Thanks
Craig

 

[Skye]

Hi Kat,

There is an excellent book produced by AS, called Memories are mde of this. It costs £15, but it has lots of good ideas.

I've given a copy to the activities coordinator at my husband's home, and she's very impressed.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/retail_product_browse.php?product_id=10&category_id=2

Can I say what a wonderful job you ACs do? Ours has worked so hard to stimulate John, despite his lack of language. And thank you for asking for ideas.

Good luck,

 

[Zooey]

This may sound totally barking, but we saw something on television a few months ago about people in a care home using a Wii. Now I know nothing about these new games, but it seemed to be giving them as much or as little physical exercise as they could manage. My only understanding of the game is that you pretend to be swinging a tennis raquet/golf club/table tennis bat or whatever. The residents at this particular home loved it.

My Mum is about to be moved into a nursing home and also has mild AD. Until 6 months ago she was using her own PC, so we've just bought her a lap top. I know that she will now need help driving the thing, but I don't see why she still can't get some pleasure from e-mailing my cousins in Denmark and Australia. I also intend to reinstall her Catz computer pet and screen saver aquarium. Then there's Mah Jongg and a whole host of other games. I daresay we will have to target our game buying carefully, so she doesn't feel overwhelmed by rules, but there is so much out there to choose from that I'm sure we'll find something.

 

[Skye]

Continuing the technological theme, what about a digital photo frame? A memory stick of old photos of the local area should stimulate some discussion.

 

[Margaret W]

Ohh, Kat, how you struck a nerve with me. I was an onluy child, my dad would probably have preferred a son, but was stuck with me. But heck, it made no difference. He was a star, I did everying a son could have done, we built walls, ponds, rabbit hutches. He was brill to me.

Margaret

 

[~kat~]

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for their replies!
I am leaving the post soon but will pass on this link to the new co-ordinator, Rachel and hopefully she will find it helpful.

Thanks again!!

Kat