It is so wonderful to see all these creative initiatives for seniors in hospitals, long term care and retirement homes. All these expressions of love & kindness go a long way. From balcony birthday parties to chalk messages in the parking lot, outdoor musical serenades, and virtual visiting. OMG! It's so amazing!
As the days, weeks and months go on, seniors will continue to need the love, support and protection. Especially now that spring has sprung, residents will want to get out and enjoy the warmer weather. So what now? How do we help them stay safe when they want to go out for walks, picnics and bus trips? Answer; keep bringing your A-game with your creativity! Keep thinking outside the box and keep doing what's working right now.
Disclaimer here; different towns, cities, provinces, states, countries have different rules as to how they are going about the physical distancing presently, so some of these ideas may not be applicable to you.
Volunteers are so incredibly valuable to facilities. I encourage keeping close communication if they are presently not coming into your facility because of COVID 19. The weeks and months go by and they are finding new ways to fill their days. Potentially, some may not want to come back when all is said and done with this pandemic. They volunteer because they care and crave purpose. Nurture your volunteers by reaching out, checking in with them and asking for their help. Give them a resident call list, or a task that can be done outside of the building.
A great way to bring spring to a resident who may require to stay indoors is window planters. Bird feeders/houses are pretty entertaining, especially when a squirrel decides he wants birdseed too. You can make a checklist of regional birds that come for residents to check off.
Religious residents are missing their church services right now. Especially given these uncertain times, they may feel the need to pray more or speak to their clergy. Reach out to the churches and see if they can provide their services by phone or the internet. Provide residents with prayer cards or spiritual music.
As always, I cannot talk about programs without talking about music and entertainment. The weather is warmer and it's time to crack some windows open to let the fresh air in and listen to the sounds of spring. Reach out to the resident's favourite entertainers and get those outdoor concerts going. Sound quality will be an issue for larger facilities, so you may need to rent or borrow (it doesn't hurt to ask) a sound system.
Residents need to continue to receive cognitive programming. Prolonged isolation is bad for brain health. Trivia by phone, bingo in the hallway, or just doing a puzzle on their own is better than nothing at all. For higher functioning residents, ask them if they would like to try journaling. Journaling can help increase focus and reduce stress. The dollar stores have a variety of eye-catching pens and journals, pick one to suit their taste.
Remember when you were doing those baking programs pre COVID 19? Well, start up again. Pick some simple flavourful and aromatic recipes and just bake and serve. There's never been more of a need for soul food.
Last but not least; You are doing a great job, keep it up and take care of yourself as well as you are taking care of those you serve!
Comments