A Ground Hog's Day Activity

Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

For Ground Hogs Day
Play with shadows using your hands and a bright light. A portable lamp or a flashlight will do.

Shine the light on your hands or resident's hands so that the shadow of their hands falls on a smooth surface like a wall or table. Invite all to move their hand closer to the light and farther away from the light. Notice what happens to the shadow.

Have them turn their hands in different ways to see how the shape of the shadow changes

This can be a fun activity for those with dementia.

Birthdays in long term care

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter
The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

I think many of your residents like celebrating their birthday as well because it is a day that they are special and can be treated like a king or queen. Usually you have a monthly birthday party where residents young and old born in a particular month are recognized and honored. Everyone eats cake and ice cream because of them. Who doesn’t like cake and ice cream?

Here are some other ideas for a monthly birthday party for your residents. Every month has special days associated with it. I talk about these special days discussing facts about them and asking the residents questions about them. Of course, we cheer for those giving the correct answer. I also find songs related to the special days and alternate songs with discussions.

During the month I pass out homemade, resident made or computer generated cards about a particular subject occurring that month with several questions about the topic. I invite residents to answer the questions with space provided on the card. Then I and other staff members collect the cards. During the party I have several residents pick a winning card from those that have been turned in. The more residents that turn in the cards, the more prizes I give out. I also give out certificates to those who turned in a card but did not win a prize

I have a hanging pocket organizer hanging on a wall in a central location with these special cards and various other independent activities the residents can do when no activity staff is around.

Anyway back to the party. We always serve the cake and ice cream last because it seems like once the residents have something to eat, they want to leave.

I find that I can fill up an hour of time pretty easily with this strategy. I then can have entertainment on another day thus stretching my activity budget.

More about National Activity Professional's week

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

Don't Forget! National Activity Professionals Week. What are you doing?
2018 National Activity Professional Week

The National Association of Activity Professionals Celebrates

National Activity Professionals Week

January 21-27, 2018

The National Association of Activity Professionals

is proud to announce our theme:

People, Purpose, Passion

Name That Tune Facts

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two



Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

Activities directors, other healthcare professionals and caregivers, Name That Tune first aired in January. Here are some facts you can share with your loved one or clients with dementia.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Name That Tune was a television game show that put two contestants against each other to test their knowledge of songs.

Premiering in the United States in the early 1950s, the show was created and produced by Harry Salter and his wife, Roberta.

"Name That Tune" ran from 1953-1959 on NBC and CBS in prime time. The first hosts were Red Benson and later Bill Cullen, but George DeWitt became most identified with the show. DeWitt could sing well, which was vital to the show's success; Benson and Cullen did not possess such talents.[citation needed]

Richard Hayes also emceed a local edition from 1970-1971. However, the best-remembered syndicated version aired once a week (expanded to twice a week for its final season) from 1974-1981 with host Tom Kennedy. Another version aired weekdays during 1984 and 1985, hosted by Jim Lange; this version was heavily re-run on cable TV for almost a decade.

The orchestra was conducted by Bob Alberti (1974-1975), Tommy Oliver (1975-1979, and the entire run of the Lange version), and Stan Worth (1979-1981); a second band, Dan Sawyer and the Sound System, was also featured from 1978-1981. The 1976-1985 versions were both titled "The $100,000 Name That Tune".

NBC also aired two versions of Name That Tune in the 1970s. The first, hosted by Dennis James, ran from July 29, 1974 until January 3, 1975. NBC tried again from January 3 to June 10, 1977, with Kennedy at the helm. Essentially, both were lower-paying versions of the better-known night-time program. The NBC failures made Name That Tune distinctive for that era in that it represented a syndicated success that did not rely on a well-established concurrent run on a network.[citation needed]

Television producer Ralph Edwards packaged the versions between 1974 and 1981; Sandy Frank, who earlier syndicated the Edwards-packaged episodes, staged the one-season Lange version in the mid-1980s. John Harlan announced the show during the entirety of this period.

More Sensory Ideas for those with Dementia

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals.


Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire 

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be


Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two


Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

Here are some more ideas for residents who have dementia, especially those who are lower functioning


Sorted by type


Vision
Pretty Wrapping Paper & Florescent Papers
Animals such as Birds, Bird Feeders, Fish Tanks
Bubble Tubes
Colored Lights, Strings of Lights, Christmas Lights
Light Box
Rattles, Tambourines
Mirrors
Flashing lights & Strobe Lights
Wind Up Animals
Mobiles that are age appropriate
Wind Socks & Wind Chimes
Activity Boxes, Easy to Watch Videos
Relaxation Videos


Taste
Peanut Butter, Licorice
Jelly, Spices, Honey
Chocolate, Peppermint
Nutella (located with Peanut Butter)
Tea, Coffee, Milk Shakes, Sodas
Strong Smelling Soups
Yogurt, Ice cream, Ice Chips Flavored
Lifesavers, Pickles, Horseradish


Smell
Lavender and other oils. Use an Electric Aroma Fan
Pot Pouri, Sachets
Perfumes, Powders, Lotions
Sun Tan Lotions (Coconut)
Candles, Incense, Aromatherapy
Bath Oils, Bubble Baths, Bath Soaps
Spices
Powders, Talcum Powders, Pillows with Powders inside
Flowers, Shrubs with Scents, Flowering Trees
Bakery, Candle Shop, Candy Shop
Pet Shop, Fruit Stand
Licorice


Hearing / Sound
Water Sounds, Fountains, Bubbling Brooks, Sound of Waves
Faucet turned on, Waterfall
Washing Machine, Dishwasher
Music, Bag Pipers, Concerts
Wind Chimes
Ticking Clocks, Metronomes, Coco Clocks
Music Boxes, Whistles
Instruments- Maracas, Pianos, Tambourines, Rattles, Chimes, Electric Key Boards, Pianos, Drums


Touch
Fake Fur, Soft Ear Muffs
Pets, Horses, Cows
Outside-Leaves, Tree Bark, Roses
Snow, Sand, Shells, Sea Weed
Hard Items-Rocks, Tree Bark, Fences
Soft Items-Clay, Dirt, Play Dough
Cotton, Sheepskin, Feathers,
Pastas, Cereals, Spaghetti
Large Beads, Jewelry, Gaskets
Pat Mats, Activity Aprons & Activity Pillows
Body Pillows, Textured Fabrics
Massage, Silk Materials
Vibrators, Dryer vibration, blow dryers, washing machines

Why make apple butter

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two
Here are two cooking ideas using apples that can be easily modified to accommodate a variety of diets

Apple Butter
3 1/2 cups apple sauce,
sugar, (the formula is: sugar equal to half the amount of applesauce) Use sugar substitute for folks who are diabetic
A heaping tablespoon of cinnamon,
Half a teaspoon of cloves ( optional)
Cook it on low all day in a
crockpot!

This is especially good to make on a cold winter or early spring day. The aroma of it cooking is a true sensory experience.

Here is a treat for a warmer day

The Frosty Apple
Ingredients
1 pint vanilla ice cream(Use no sugar added ice cream for folks with diabetes)
1 quart naturally sweet apple cider (Use Healthy Balance Apple Drink or another low sugar apple beverage for folks with diabetes)
4-6 scoops vanilla ice cream (optional)
Freshly ground nutmeg

Let a pint of vanilla ice cream soften at room temperature or microwave it for 20 seconds. Put ice cream and cider into a blender or food processor and blend until frothy and well mixed.
Stir in nutmeg. Pour into tall glasses and top with a scoop of ice cream(optional). Remember to add the appropriate amount of thickening agent for those on nectar or honey thick liquids
Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Yield 6 one-cup servings.

Making apple smiles is an edible craft

Ingredients
Apples cut into eighths- wedge style
I put lemon juice on them so they do not turn brown
Peanut butter -use another sticky substance for those allergic to nuts
Mini marshmallows or small pieces of apples

Smear peanut butter or substitute on the apple wedge
Put marshmallows or substitute near the top.

When they are complete the finished product looks like a smile.

For those on ground diets, peel the apples, cut the apples and bake them so they are soft before use.

For those who are on a sugar restricted diet

For those on puree diets, put some yogurt or vanilla pudding on a dish of applesauce shaped like a smile.

Activity professionals week: The importance of activities

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information


Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,


Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire




Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be




Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two



Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

NAAP


Why do we do the activities that we do? Is it just for fun? No, everything we do has a therapeutic purpose.
Did you know???? Games like horseshoes, floor basketball, ring toss, bowling, bean bag toss, etc. improve
eye-hand coordination, improve mobility, increase socialization, allow for competition, help control emotional
tensions by reducing stress, improve muscle tone, improve circulation, enhance leisure skills, improve gross
motor skills, etc.
Did you know???? Something as simple as a singalong or musical activity enhances memory recall, encourages
socialization, helps identify feelings such as warmth, happy, sad, relieves spiritual needs, relieves depression,
allows for expression and creativity, stimulates ears, vocal cords and facial muscles, etc.Did you know???? Crafts and art activities provide opportunities for self-expression and creativity, improve
coordination and flexibility, build confidence, enhance leisure skills, promote knowledge for new interests,
provide a sense of achievement, relieve tensions, improve fine motor skills, etc.
Did you know???? Activities such as trivia, spelling bees, reminiscent groups, Jeopardy, Family Feud,
hangman, etc. stimulates the intellect, improves memory recall, increases long term memory, invokes feelings
from the past, stimulates conversation, increases socialization, increases knowledge, improves self-esteem,
etc.
Did you know???? Entertainment activities provide auditory and visual sensory stimulation, help relieve
depression, promote socialization, help control emotional tensions, etc.
Did you know???? Bingo encourages socialization and interaction, increases concentration levels, increases
eye-hand coordination, allows for competition, etc.
Did you know???? Religious programs relieve spiritual needs, invoke feelings from the past, promote
community integration, elevate emotional well-being, reduce anxiety, provide for socialization, provide
opportunities for reminiscence, etc.
Therapeutic activities…the benefits are endless:
Heightens self-awareness, sharpens cognitive skills, reduces heart and lung risks, increases short and long
term memory, decreases confusion, improves skills for coping, reduces stress, enhances self-control,
promotes adjustment to disability, enhances communication skills, increases life and leisure satisfaction,
prevents secondary health problems, prevents decline in health status, reduces long term hospital stays,
increases physical conditioning, expands support networks, learns acceptable behaviors, enhances
independent living skills, increases self-reliance, improves cardiovascular functioning, maintains productivity,
increases strength and endurance, expands range of motion, enhances decision making skills, and the list goes
on!
National Activity Professionals Week is January 21-27, 2018

department's job to plan celebrations, but in this case the activity professionals are the honorees, and
someone else should plan the celebration.
NAP Week was created by the National Association of Activity Professionals (NAAP) to provide a format
for facilities to honor and recognize the dedicated activity professionals who contribute significantly to the
residents’ quality of life. As activity professionals, we should use this week to provide education to the
interdisciplinary team, volunteers, and families about the role we play in the residents’ lives. This can be
done through in-services, speaking to the Family Council, designing fun activities for the interdisciplinary
team to participate in, hosting an activity-based "fair" similar to a health fair, etc.
One way to promote cooperation among the interdisciplinary team is to take this opportunity to have the
activity professionals distribute Hershey's "hugs and kisses" to everyone assisting with the activity
program and/or helping the residents pursue their leisure interests. Have your staff keep track of everyone
receiving the "hugs and kisses" and then make certificates for each helper, acknowledging them as an
"official member" of the activity team. Distribute the certificates at the end of the week during a special
social honoring the activity professionals.
Be sure to make this week special for yourself and your staff. You deserve it!January is:
Celebration of Life Month: With the New Year comes a "clean slate" – a new beginning, a new life for all

Martin Luther King JR Day Activity

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information


Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,


Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire




Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be




Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two



Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

Martin Luther King Day Word Search

Days to celebrate in January

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals,

Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

Base activities around them

January days There is something in everyday of January to celebrate. In fact, most days there is more than one thing, so pick and choose to your heart’s content and make every day a special one. Here are a few left over from yesterday’s post - Prune Breakfast Month, National Book Blitz Month, Bread Machine Baking Month, Egg Month, Reaching Your Potential Month, Senior Woman’s Travel Month.

January 1

New Years Day
Betsy Ross’s Birthday (1752)
French New Year (Le Jour de l’an)
Ellis Island Anniversary (opened 1892)
Paul Revere’s Birthday (1735)
Income Tax (the first U.S. income tax in effect, 1862)
Panama Canal (beginning of building it in 1880)
1st Tournament of Roses (Pasadena, CA, 1886)
Chattananooga Choo Choo #1 Song (Glenn Miller,1942)
Sixteen Tons #1 Song (Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1956)
The Sounds of Silence #1 Song (Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)
Time in a Bottle #1 Song (Jim Croce, 1974)

January 2

Drinking Straw was Patented (1888)
Boo Boo Bears Birthday (Yogi’s Buddy)
Run It up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes (throw an idea out and see what people think)
Brooklyn Bridge Construction (1870)
First Picture of the Moon (1839 by Louis Daguerre, France)
First Female White House Staffer (Alice Sanger, 1890)
Oil Reached $100 a Barrel (2008)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart #1 Song (Columbia Male Quartet, 1912)
The Tennessee Waltz #1 Song (Patti Page, 1951)
Are You Lonesome Tonight #1 Song (Elvis Presley, 1961)

January 3

Fruitcake Toss Day (do we need an explanation for this one?)
Festival of Sleep Day (catch a few extra winks)
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday (1892)
Mel Gibson’s Birthday (1956)
First U.S. Free Kindergarten (1876)
“Dragnet” Premiered (1952, TV with Jack Webb)
Alaska Admitted to U.S. (49th state, 1959)
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows #1 Song (Charles Harrison, 1919)
June in January #1 Song (Bing Crosby, 1935)
Your So Vain #1 Song (Carly Simon, 1973)

January 4

Isaac Newton’s Birthday (1642)
Trivia Day
Louis Braille’s Birthday (1809 - the Braille System)
Jakob Grimm’s Birthday (1785 - Grimm’s Fairy Tales)
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes #1 Song (Perry Como, 1953)
I Heard it Through the Grapevine #1 Song (Marvin Gaye, 1969)

January 5

National Bird Day
Diane Keaton’s Birthday (1946)
Robert Duvall’s Birthday (1931)
First Woman Governor Inaugurated (Wyoming - Nellie Ross - 1925)
Golden Gate Bridge (started in 1933)
“Mr. Ed” Debuts (1961)
“All My Children” Debuts (1970)
“The Wiz” Broadway (opened 1975)
Reggie Jackson Hall of Fame (1993)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight #1 Song (The Tokens, 1962)
Mr. Sandman #1 Song (The Chordettes, 1955)

January 6

Bean Day (make some 15 bean soup - yum)
Cuddle Up Day
Dia de Reyes (Mexican holiday)
Sherlock Holmes Birthday (1887 - author Arthur Conan Doyle)
Joan of Arc’s Birthday (1412)
New Mexico 47th U.S. State (1912)
Tiger Rag #1 Song (Mills Brothers, 1932)
At the Hop #1 Song (Danny & the Juniors, 1958)

January 7

Old Rock Day (time to make your own Pet Rock while listening to “old“ rock n roll music)
Kenny Loggin’s Brithday (1948)
Millard Filmore’s Birthday (1800)
“Flash Gordon” Comic Strip Debut (1934)
First Class U.S. Postage Raised to 5 Cents (1963)
I Will Always Love You #1 Song (Whitney Houston, 1993)
How Deep is Your Love #1 Song (Bee Gees, 1978)

January 8

Bubble Bath Day
Clean Off Your Desk Day
Elvis Presley’s Birthday (1935) (this one’s for you Susan)
David Bowie’s Birthday (1947)
National Man Watcher’s Day
Bobby Fisher Wins U.S. Chess Championship (at age 14, 1958)
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head #1 Song (B.J. Thomas, 1970)
Hello Goodbye #1 Song (Beetles, 1968)

January 9

National Apricot Day
National Static Electricity Day
Crystal Gayle’s Birthday (1951)
Bob Denver’s Birthday (1935)
Richard Nixon’s Birthday (1913)
Isle of Capri #1 Song (Ray Noble, 1935)
The Chipmunk Song #1 Song (Ray Seville, 1959)

January 10

First Meeting of the United Nations (London 1946)
Peculiar People Day (I knew they had a day for me)
Pat Benatar’s Birthday (1953)
George Foreman’s Birthday (1949)
Rod Stewart’s Birthday (1945)
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing #1 Song (Leo Sayer, 1977)
I’m a Believer #1 Song (Monkeys, 1967)

Continued in another post

January 4 is trivia day

Activities directors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals,here is some great information


Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,


Your residents will love the Amazon Kindle Fire




Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be




Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two



Follow alzheimersideas on twitter

The Dementia Caregiver's Little Book of Hope [Kindle Edition]

To all the readers of this blog who are eager to learn more about dementia, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy new year

Use this trivia as part of an activity


There are loads of sites on the internet where you can access trivia games for almost any subject you can think of by just Googling “Trivia.” However, I’ve come up with my own trivia questions. This is a great idea for a party game or for a “girls” lunch. Print these questions (and any you would like to add), make copies for everyone ahead of time with no name at the top. Cut them into strips and place them in a container. At the party or get-to-gather, for each question pulled have one person guess who’s answer it is. Keep score and have a prize for the person guessing the most correct answers.


(1) Where were you born?


(2) What is your favorite color?


(3) Do you have any tattoos? How many?


(4) What is your favorite all-time book?


(5) What is your favorite all-time movie?


(6) How many piercings do you have?


(7) What is your favorite TV Show?


(8) What is your favorite Dessert?


(9) Where did you do on your last vacation?


(10) What is the most obscure job you’ve ever had?


(11) Where have you lived that most don’t know about?


(12) If you had to choose one favorite food, what would it be?


(13) Where do you dream of going some day?


(14) What food do you hate the most?


(15) What is your favorite song of all times? Why?