& IDEA NUGGETS All American Breakfast Month Breakfast is a favorite meal of the elderly resident. Many of them come from the days when full breakfast meant bacon, ham, steak, eggs, toast, pancakes, milk, juice, coffee, sweet rolls as well as fruit and cereal. Have a special "cooked to order" breakfast for the men and/or the women. Apple Month This is a good time to visit an orchard. It is a lot of fun to get the fresh air, taste the apples and cider. If you can't get out...try serving some cider and apple products to your resident. This could be a group or individual activity. Use apple decorations and apple crafts. Serve apples in different ways on different days. Cable TV Month Cholesterol Education Awareness Month Classical Music Month many do...), play a tape or cd. If you have a local orchestra or school of music, invite them in for an afternoon or evening concert. This could make an excellent public relations/marketing event for your facility. Serve wine and cheese. Emergency Care Month Invite the local EMS folks to come to your facility and bring their practice dummy. Have them demonstrate emergency practices. Also let your residents take a good look at the ambulance...most of them will need its services at some time. Healthy Aging Month your residents to exercise and eat properly. Bring in an aging expret...someone who knows about the aging process and health care. Library Card Sign you or your residents need to get a library card. Often the AD of the facility has a card in the facility's name. Just be sure to keep track of the books on loan so they don't get lost. Life Long Learning Month in classes of interest at the public library... or online (if possible). Some may want to try correspondence courses...get their GED. National Chicken Month Decorate the facility in a chicken motif. How about chicken served 5 different ways. If you know someone locally who raises chickens...invite them to bring some in for the residents to see and touch. A chicken or a chick to pet would make an excellent one-on-one activity. National Clock Lovers Month Do you know a clock lover/collector in your area? Invite them in to show a selection of clocks to the residents. Many of the residents will relate to some the collectible clocks of the forties and fifties. National Coupon Month Have the residents cut out coupons from magazines and place them in a shoe box for the staff and/or to search through and use. National Courtesy Month How about a small group gathering to review and/or practice proper etiquette? This could be a dress up, invitation, wear your best hat sort of tea for the ladies. Perhaps you can join this with a piano recital or orchestral event. National Hispanic Heritage Month Take time to allow your Hispanic residents and staff to speak about their heritage. Where their ancestors came from...how they got here...traditions they practice, etc. National Honey Month Everybody likes the taste of honey. Invite in a local beekeeper to give a demonstration of how honey is collected and processed for sale. National Piano Month to play while the residents eat. Or you can simply play piano music for the meals. It is a great time for a piano concert. Take a small electric keyboard from room to room and play a melody for the resident. Schedule a recital for an evening (contact a local piano teacher for assistance). National Rice Month My favorite rice is brown rice. Use rice as a craft item. Serve rice as a treat. Think... spanish, Chinese, New Orleans, etc. National Sewing Month A sewing club would be an excellent addition to the activity choices in your facility. Many of the women (and the men, too) have experience sewing. Material and patterns can be donated. Perhaps you could schedule mending days for the residents. As you know, there is always room for a good seamstress in a nursing facility. Newspaper Month Do your residents read the newspaper? Make sure a local newspaper is available for all to access each day. Also, reading from the local newspaper makes a good room to room activity. If possible, invite to local press in to talk about the newspaper process from reporting to distribution. Organic Foods/Harvest Month Samples, samples, samples. Famous Weeks in September.. Week 1 Self-University Week Week 2 Mental Health Worker's Week Honor your local Mental Health worker. Invite them in to speak...have a small reception. Award them a "special recognition" certificate (be sure to frame the certificate). National Assisted Living Week National Health Care Housekeeping Honor your Housekeeping staff by sending them a card signed by the residents. Invite them to share in an activity that honors them. Week 3 Hearing Aid Awareness Week Check everybody's hearing aide's and make sure they are working. National 5-A-Day Week National Adult Day Services Week You can recognize the work of various services supported by your local Area Agency on Aging (like Adult Day Care, Senior Citizen's Center, Meals on Wheels, etc.) Cards and kind words work wonders (and are excellent marketing tools). National Laundry Worker's Week without honoring laundry workers. (See National Health Care Housekeeping Month for ideas). National Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration Week Here's an opportunity for your in-house therapy departments to address the residents. Encourage rehab and its benefits. Week 4 Constitution Week residents know about this week. Licensed Practical Nurses' Week Honor your LPN's this week (and don't say LPN stands for "little play nurse"). As you know, you need all the PR help you can get to keep on the good side of nursing. How about a button that says "The Activity Department Loves LPN's"...or something to that effect. National Singles Week (Sorry...I have no idea what to do!) |