Caregiver Blogs:

Assisted Living Community. To some, these words don’t sound or represent a place where people are active. But, actually, they are. From our standpoint, we look at activities as an opportunity to engage our residents in meaningful activities for mature adults. When we are programming for our residents with more advanced dementia, specific care is taken in providing them with appropriate and dignified activities that will engage them.

Tending to personal care/beauty needs, reading poetry or doing simple household chores like pouring a cup of coffee can all develop into a productive experience. The caregiver should be cognizant of details that can develop into a discussion or reminiscing opportunity. A recent conversation I had with a resident and a family member about the need to sign in and out of the community turned into a discussion about the resident being a retired pilot. By using his background as a catalyst, we talked about the need for planning and informing others about our “plans.” The conversation gave the resident the chance to reminisce about his flying past and feel purposeful. This offered a positive moment that doubled as a confidence building effort and a reminiscing opportunity.

We all need and appreciate our own successes. I have found that remains constant with all residents particularly those with dementia. Finding occasions to have successes offers residents the feeling of being competent and useful. Though it may not be practical or reasonable for a resident with dementia to learn a new skill, the ability to refresh his ability or renew an old skill is there. The feeling of accomplishment when this occurs is very valuable in reinforcing confidence. Giving a sense of control to someone with memory loss is very worthwhile.

I am a very big proponent of intergenerational programming. It both engages the residents and enriches the lives of young people. And we should never forget that simply relaxing is also an appropriate activity. The use of music or enjoying a view can provide seniors with simple down time we should all appreciate in our lives.
Real, engaging and purposeful activities are the key to a successful and meaningful program and it benefits all parties involved.

To learn more about the value of meaningful activities, read Scott’s full article.