The ACTIVITY DIRECTOR'S OFFICE
| DEBBIE'S ACTIVITY DIRECTOR TIPS |
| Dedicated to helping Activity Professionals with the daily operation of their department. |
| DEAR DEBBIE: Do you have an Activity Department question you'd like a professional consultant to answer? Why not ask Debbie? Question: I understand there are new guidelines in the federal regulations for Activity Directors. Are you aware of any changes taht are coming in the future. Answer: The actual regulations themselves are not changing but there are proposed changes to the interpretive guidelines which accompany the regulations for nursing homes. These interpretive guidelines assist surveyors to determine if the facility is meeting the regulations. A proposed draft was issued last Summer, with an open comment period. A date for the final release has not been given. My personal opinion is the additional interpretive guidelines (which were developed with input from professionals actually working in our field) will only help the surveyors truly assess our efforts and programs. The majority of surveyors are not trained activity or recreation professionals and they would benefit from more specific guidelines and standards to guide them in determining effectiveness of programs and interventions. Some of the additional guidelines focus on specific methods and techniques for individualized and interdisciplinary care planning. The guidelines emphasis the interdisciplinary model, involving all staff in promoting participation in activities and assisting to and from programs. Additional guidelines in evaluation of the program focus more specifically on activities which most good activity programs have in place, including community activities, outdoor programming, adaptive programs for all levels of functioning and culturally diverse activities. The new guidelines also some discussion of developing age appropriate activities and discouraging the use of children's toys. Finally, there will be more emphasis on the use of adaptive equipment which I think is important. The use of large print materials, stabilizers for craft work, and special equipment for games and leisure tasks are noted within the interpretive guidelines. As mentioned earlier, I welcome these more specific interpretive guidelines. They will support the work we already do and guide those departments needing to expand their services and approaches. The January and March issues of Creative Forecasting had very good articles on the changes. They offered some checklists which would assist your department in developing additional programs or simply checking what you are doing to the pending guidelines. Creative Forecasting can be subscribed through http://www.creativeforecasting.net/ But keep in mind - these interpretive guidelines are not final and may be revised again before the final rule. Read your professional publications or read your NAAP newsletter if you are member to remain informed as to the latest information. |
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| Adapting Activities for Success By Debbie Hommel, BA, CRA, ACC Executive Director of DH Special Services Adapting Activities for Success One of our goals as activity professionals is to offer our residents or clients an opportunity to continue life long interests and leisure pursuits. Unfortunately, most of our residents and clients arrive in our centers and facilities with a variety of limitations – both physical and cognitive. The activity/recreation profession has always taken a positive approach to this concern. While the medical profession focuses on the losses and disabilities – we tend to focus on what strengths are remaining and what they can still do. This is accomplished, in some cases, through adaptation or modification of the activity. In order to appropriately change activities to address the individual needs of each resident or client, we need to address two important areas prior to adapting the activity or program. The first area is knowing the resident or client’s strengths, abilities and skills are imperative when offering any therapeutic approach. Adaptation is one example of a therapeutic approach. A thorough assessment will assist the activity professional in understanding the client’s abilities as well as where they will need modification of the approach or activity to succeed. The second area is to know the activity well. There are many facets of each activity we conduct and being able to analyze the activity will allow breaking it down into specific parts for adaptation. There are four standard methods for adapting activities: -Materials : This is altering or changing the materials or supplies utilized in the activity. Using large print bingo cards, built up handles on brushes or pencils; and larger designs in crafts are examples of material adaptation. -Procedure or rules : Changing the rules or how you do the game in order to make it simpler or less complicated is considered Procedural adaptation. An example of procedural adaptation would be to take the direction cards out of a deck of Uno. This would make the game simpler and easier to follow for the cognitively impaired. Another example would be during Bowling games. Allowing the resident to stand closer to the pins and take as many throws as they need would be altering the game so the resident can succeed. -Skill sequencing : This process requires the activity professional to break the activity into smaller tasks or sections for completion. Residents would be grouped according to their ability or how much they could accomplish. This is commonly called “assembly line” adaptation – as the tasks are organized into an assembly line of sorts. Crafts, cooking and other task sequencing activities lend themselves well to this adaptation. -Lead up activity : This process is incorporated into the therapeutic process and allows the activity professional and the resident to work together to rebuild lost skills. The activity professional needs to determine one activity or action which would prepares the resident for a bigger or more complex activity or action. For example, certain exercise steps in exercise group prepare the for many ADL or ambulation programs. Finally, when modifying the activity, REMEMBER ...... - Keep the activity as close to the original form as possible -Modify only parts of the activity needing changing to adjust to a particular limitation in the resident/client -Individualize as much as possible. -Keep the project or approach as adult like as possible. Keep in mind – our overall goals are to allow for success, prevent sense of failure and maintain resident/client participation in tasks and activities of interest. |
| About Debbie Debbie Hommel, BA, CRA, ACC, is the Executive Director of DH Special Services. She is a Certified Activity Consultant on State and National level, with over twenty-seven years of experience in providing direct care and consultation to long term care, medical day care, assisted living, and ICF/MR facilities throughout New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. She is an experienced trainer and workshop presenter, conducting a variety of seminars throughout the Tri-State area for the Activity Professional, Administrator, and allied healthcare professional. Debbie Hommel is an active member of Activity Professional Associations on State and National levels. She is ACC certified through the NCCAP. She is a founding member of the New Jersey Activity Professionals' Association, serving terms as Vice President and President. She received the Weidner Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 and the Monmouth & Ocean County Activity Professionals Life Achievement Award in 1999. |
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