Most residents in nursing homes had full lives before they needed nursing care. In order to provide the best quality of life possible for the residents, nursing homes are required to have activities for them. Most activities directors in nursing homes have education and training to work with geriatric patients and their special needs. Their goal is to bring some fun into the residents' lives, provide reality orientation and keep them motivated to participate.
Reality Orientation
When people are put into an institutional setting, they often lose track of what is going on in the world, the day of the week and what time it is. Some of the activities in nursing homes should include subtle methods to keep the residents oriented to reality and give them a sense of normalcy.
Have enough subscriptions to the newspaper for the residents who are still able to read to see what is going on in the world. Afterward, have discussion groups so they can discuss current events. In order to prevent heated political debates from getting out of control, this group should be moderated.
Since some of the residents may have some form of dementia, have activities that will help them exercise their brains. Match games and trivia games that require memory are good for stimulating their minds.
The residents can have their own newsletter with a volunteer staff. Their jobs are to inform and report the events at the home.
Daily Living
A nursing home should provide as many opportunities as possible for residents to perform normal daily living activities. This may involve cooking, tending gardens and caring for pets.
A good cooking activity that doesn't require too much preparation is a tea party. Bring all the interested residents together to make sandwiches, decorate and arrange cookies and prepare tea for a party. Afterward, they can invite other residents to be their guests at the tea party.
Have a cookout. Include staff, residents and families. If allowed, eat outdoors for a fun, festive picnic feeling.
Some of the residents may have been avid gardeners before they moved into the nursing home. If the facility has a small plot, a patio or a sunny window, have a garden club. Being responsible for a garden can bring normalcy into the residents' lives if this is something they've always done before.
If possible, enable the residents to have animals. Cats and dogs may require too much care, so get an aquarium and stock it with fish. Have a committee of residents to care for the fish, and post a feeding and cleaning schedule for them to check off when they've fulfilled their daily duty.
Recreation
Residents need some activities that are simply to have fun. Bring in volunteers from the outside to perform, ask employees to participate and utilize some of the talent the residents may have. Have a game night with Bingo, cards and board games.
Sponsor a carnival and encourage residents to man booths for short shifts. Some of the prizes may be small, donated items from local businesses, churches and volunteer groups. Carnival booths may include a fishing booth, fortune telling, karaoke booths, cake walks that will accommodate wheelchairs, and ring toss. Encourage the residents to come up with ideas of their own.
Celebrate all holidays and birthdays. Encourage the residents to participate in a decorating committee to get them actively involved. Leave the decorations up until the next holiday celebration. Have a cake and punch party once a month for everyone whose birthday occurs during that month.
Have daily exercise classes. Encourage everyone to attend---even those in wheelchairs. The main goal is for everyone to keep their muscles in motion.
