February Fun

activities Directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers visit this site for ideas for February activities.

For dementia information, click here

For Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

BENEVOLENT BALLET-FALL PREVENTION FOR THE ELDERLY

BENEVOLENT BALLET-FALL PREVENTION FOR THE ELDERLY

Activities Directors
This looks like a great program
Seewhat you think

Engage residents of assisted living and long term care facilities with this innovative exercise program designed to reduce falls by improving posture, balance, range of movement,coordination.and kinesthetic awareness. When implemented regularly fall rates are drastically reduced and quality of life improves.

Engage the elderly with a person centered care approach that restores dignity, self-esteem and improves mood. Improved mood and self esteem may also reduce inappropriate behavior. In turn, need for restrainsts may be reduced.

Engage and inspire even residents with Alzheimer's Disease or other dementias with empathic engagement.......read it all

For more dementia information, click here

For more Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

Must Have Educational links for Caregivers

Here are some handy links for staff and family members who are caregivers.

Are you a family member of a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, a related dementia,or another ailment? Do you need to know more about caregiving?
Click on the Caring for Mom Button

Does your staff need easy training solutions?
Here are all kinds of training options for caregivers and staff

Do you or your staff need an easy way to earn CEUs?
click on the EasyCEU button

For dementia information,click here

For Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

Local activity director celebrates National Activity Professionals Week

Saturday, January 24, 2009
By Nancy Malcom - Nevada Daily Mail
The week was started by the The National Association of Activity Professionals, the only national group that represents activity professionals in geriatric settings exclusively.

The NAAP is recognized as the voice of the activity profession on national issues concerning long-term care facilities, retirement living, assisted living, adult day services, and senior citizen centers.

This week was created to give honor and recognition to those dedicated individuals who contribute so significantly to a resident's quality of life. Although many might think playing bingo, cards or chasing balloons all day seems more like play than work, any activity director would quickly disagree and explain that their real "job" is making the work seem like a game.

Activity directors have to offer activities that include physical exercise, mental stimulation and more than a few smiles, grins and belly laughs.
Click here to read more as wellas activity suggestions


For more dementia information,click here

For Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

National Activity Professionals Week

Alzheimer's Activities Expert

How did things go for you during National Activity Professionals Week?

Our residents really enjoyed the activities I planned
You can see them by clicking here

However the administrator and other managers were oblivious as to the significance of the week.

I guess sometimes Activities Directors and the Activities Department get ignored especially if you run a quality program that the Department of Public Health finds adequete or better

Anyway onto more activities for the end of January and February

For dementia information, click here

Activity’s call is one most extraordinary

Dementia Expert

More reasons why Activity Professionals and others providing ACTIVITIES are so important.

First we try to figure out
What it is a resident’s truly about-
Involving the body, the mind, and the soul
We fill the assessment, develop a goal
We look at the person
and not the dis-ease
We don’t want to label
we want to perceive
In the calm of the storm
one can usually see
what a person can manifest.........read the whole post

For Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

An Activity Poem

Dementia Expert

Activities Directors:

Here is a great poem about Activities.

Activity’s purpose is not to kill time,

but to make time live,

not to keep a person occupied,

but to keep him refreshed,

not to offer..... click here

For Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

Activities, Martin Luther King Day and Dementia

Dementia Expert

Even folks with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will remember Martin Luther King Jr.

It is an excellent opportunity for you the caregiver, Activities Director, or other help care professional, to engage these dementia folks in a reminiscing activity about Martin Luther King Day and the importance of judging persons by their character.

Here is some great information
Celebrating Martin Luther King JR Day

Do not forget it is National Activity Professionals Week

For more Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

Happy Activity Professionals Week

Dementia Expert

For the next week I am going to focus on activities.
First of all, it is National Activity Professionals Week.
Second activities improve the quality of life of those with Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, those with physical disabilities, those with developmental disabilities, all those living in long term care and actually for anyone.

Here are

Top Ten Reasons For Residents to Attend Activities

click here to read what they are

Do you need caregiver training?
then click here

For more activities ideas, click here

Are activities important for those with dementia?

Dementia Expert

Activities directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers if you have been following this blog, you know that activities are extremely important for those with Alzheimer’s disease,related dementias, and all others residing at long term care facilities. In fact you know activities are important for all people in general when it comes to staving off memory loss and preventing us from getting Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. At least activities will delay the onset of these diseases and will slow down the progression of dementia.

Many experts say that.....read the whole post

For relavent Alzheimer's and dementia activities, click here

Another great dementia activity(part 2)

Alzheimer's Activities Expert

We are discussing the game “What Baby Photograph Do I Have?” You actually can give the game any name you want.

Now that you have seen some of the pictures, as I said yesterday, it is probably a good......read the whole post

Visit this award winning blog

Best ways to adapt a late stage dementia activity

Alzheimer's Activities Expert

Here is some useful information for Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers.

By engaging those with late stage Alzheimer’s disease or other late stage dementias, is a bit more challenging. However it is critical.

One thing you must remember reactions to an activity are subtle. You might see a smile on someone’s face. He/she might try to hold your hand or try to verbalize.
Please watch closely for responses.
By far the best type of activities focus on the senses. Try to use those senses that seem to get the most positive response.
“What are the senses?”, you ask
The sense of sight- Unfortunately, many with late stage dementia or Alzheimer’s have poor vision. Thus you have to be their eyes
Now what......read another portion of this strategy

For more dementia information, click here

Another great dementia activity

You as Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals, or caregivers will be interested in this activity

Alzheimer's Activities Expert

This is another ideal activity to be done with the flash cards, “Adorable Photographs of Our Baby”

Before the actual beginning of the game, it is probably best to discuss all the different things babies do. There are fourteen baby photograph cards, so gear your discussion towards what is on the photographs. Here is a list of what the babies are doing:

Two babies are kissing
The baby is playing with bright colorful toys in his crib.
The baby is eating. The baby is sweeping.
The baby is cooking
The baby is taking a bath.
The baby is drying off...................read the whole post

For more dementia information, click here

Need activity ideas for the last part of January?

You as an Activities Director,other healthcare professional, or caregiver will be interested in these late January potential activities
The Times They Are A Changing

Click here to see what they are

Here is a place with more activity ideas from an Alzheimer's activities expert

For more about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, click here

Snowflake activity ideas

Gardendiva

Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals, and caregivers, here is an interesting idea about snowflakes. Also there are some other great ideas

To grt to them, click here

For more dementia activities, click here
For dementia information, click here

Are you familiar with this activity for those with Alzheimer's

You as an activities director, other healthcare professional or caregiver will be interested in this activity
Alzheimer's Activities Expert
Hi Neighbor, An Extraordinary Activity for Those With Dementia.
This activity offers a great opportunity to make people with dementia and other long term care residents, feel good

Start this activity by putting folks in a circle so that all can see what is going on. For a small group or for a one to one encounter, this is not necessary.

Begin by singing a greeting song such as: “The More We Get Together”

Ask if everyone is happy. The usual answer is “Yes”.

Go around the circle and ask the participants what they do when they are happy No matter what the response(most do say that they are happy), I say, Let’s get happy and show others that we are happy by singing this song. Then I lead the group in the song, If You’re Happy and You Know It. I ask the participants what they do when they are happy. Then we sing the song with....read the whole post

Have you seen this two time award winning blog about dementia

What is an activity for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia?

Alzheimer's Activities Expert
As an Activities Director, other healthcare professional, or caregiver, do you know what an Alzheimer's activity is?
Think of an activity as any encounter with a person who has Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.

Why is this the case?

It is because for some with these diseases, especially those who are in the middle to late stages of the disease process, all you get are moments to connect.

That is why it is oh so important to make these moments matter

How do you make meaningful moments with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias?.....read the whole post

Click here to see the two time award winning blog called dementia expert

Alzheimer’s cooking activity (part 1)

Alzheimer's Activities Expert
Making a sweet treat with cocoa We are going to deviate from the plan and talk about a great treat for those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
We are going to talk about making cocoa. However, this is not ordinary cocoa.This is healthy cocoa
Here are the ingredients
2 heaping teaspoons per 5 ounce cup(standard Styrofoam coffee cup)
a little more or less depending on how much the participant likes chocolate.
1 packet of sugar or sugar substitute
5 ounces or less ,hot water*actually, you can use cool water if you prefer
Optional milk substituted for all or some of the hot water.
By using just a few......read the whole post and more

Make sure to read all the parts to this cooking activity. It is especially good for those with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

For dementia information, click here