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Editor Kimberly Grandal BA, CTRS, ACC/EDU Executive Director |
Inside This Issue *Activity Professionals Week *Kim’s Corner *Oh Baby It’s Cold Outside Theme By Christine’s Jennings *A+ Activities *Raffle Extravaganza *After Holiday Special |
Every day, Activity Professionals greatly improve the lives of the elderly in a variety of settings. Many of you work in Long Term Care, Adult Medical Day centers, Assisted Living facilities, Retirement centers, and recreation programs. You dedicate your talents, skills, knowledge and compassion to these individuals and by doing so, provide enhanced quality of life as well as the promotion of physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual well-being. Well, you know all that already. This issue of The Rec-Room is dedicated to the Activity Professionals who continuously share their talents, creativity, spirit, enthusiasm, energy, love and compassion. Activity Professionals truly are the heartbeat of each and every facility. This is your week! Don’t let it pass by unnoticed. The following are some great resources, ideas, and products to help you celebrate! If you have any ideas you’d like to share, contact Kim Grandal. HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY ACTIVITY PROFESSIONALS WEEK!
Life. Be in it! Kim |
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NAP Week Resources, Products and Ideas Check out the Re-Creative Resources National Activity Professionals Week Webpage when you're done going through all of this! FREE contact hours from NCCAP throughout the month of January Gifts for Activity Professionals *Activity Director Today Gifts *Other ideas: Buy inexpensive fragrant candles, candies, flowers, lotions, soaps, etc. *Give certificates to all Activity personnel Articles to read *The Most Comprehensive Manager *Knowledge + Power=Activity Professional *Be the Best Activity Professional You Can Be *The Image-Enhancing Role of an Activities Program *Saying Goodbye to Bingo: Nursing Homes Undergo Makeover, redefine activities for seniors *Modify It, Move it, Make it Work Get Inspired *Treat yourself to this amazing book by Danny Pettry. After reading Discover Hidden Secret Wisdom, I wanted to go out and change the world. For information, visit www.hiddensecretwisdom.com
*Download Magical Spellbinding Quotes compiled by Danny Pettry-it’s free! *Download Anne Stewart’s Tips for Helping-this is free too! *Download, New You in a New Year, an e-book by Danny Pettry. This is awesome. Did I mention? It’s FREE?! Thank you Danny! *Simple Truths has great inspirational books for you or your staff. Gather the Activity Dept. each day to watch these movies on-line for FREE *Download Recreation and Leisure Quotes *Get out the popcorn and watch some great movies about quality of life. Range of Motion starring Rebecca DeMornay Patch Adams starring Robin Williams When You Remember Me starring Fred Savage (have a box of tissues nearby) * Treat yourself or staff to a magazine subscription *Show the Re-Creative Resources Inc. video, "Activity Professionals Who Need a Boost" and Motivation for the Motivators."
Join a professional organization *NAAP Get Certified *Check out NCCAP *Contact a state rep for help Educate, Educate, Educate *Create storyboard tri-folds. Paste on pictures, news clips, articles, and poems, such as *Provide a Quality Life In-Service *Host an Activity Fair-see article *Hold a panel discussion. Have several Activity staff on the panel to answer questions and discuss the role of activities. Invite staff, family, residents, etc. *Show the Re-Creative Resources Inc. video, "Activity FUN-damentals" *Fun Activity training games *Recreation DocumentationJeopardy *Activity Word Puzzle(free)
Promote, Promote, Promote *Write a press release-Read: An ImPRESSIVE Press Release *Organize an Activity Department Webpage for your facility. *Announce in facility newsletter *Let department heads and corporate headquarters know *Your state activity organization can write an article or letter regarding NAPW and either send it to facility administrators or have it published in the state administrator organization newsletter. *Mail letters to family members *Announce at Resident Council *Put up flyers and posters *Decorate a bulletin board *Make photo albums and scrapbooks and put on display in lobby *Ask residents what they like about Activities and post their comments in the newsletter or on a bulletin board *Get a proclamation. Contact your state officials and ask that a proclamation be issued. * Make sure your state Activity Association is listed on important local websites i.e. your state administrator organization *Display your digital photos in a digital photo frame in a prominent location like the front desk in the lobby. A picture is worth a thousand words! *Show the Re-Creative Resources Inc. video, "Activity Professionals in ACTion". *Create a mini-movie using photos and/or a video of residents engaging in activities. You probably have windows Movie Maker on your computer and don’t even know it. It’s time consuming, but easy to use. Click here to learn more about Windows Movie Maker. Have your videos and/or movies on display in various locations or at scheduled events/in-services. *Post your movie on You-Tube to heighten awareness of our profession! Be sure to get photo consents!
Promote Teamwork Develop a theme for the Activity Department and have T-shirts made from a local printing company. Have Activity staff wear their shirts all week or on a designated day. This really promotes unity and the staff love it. Some themes I’ve used in the past include: *Activities: More Than Just Bingo *Activities: The Other Best Medicine *Therapeutic Recreation: Re-Creating, Mind, Body and Spirit *Lynne Wilksman from Abescon Manor in NJ, coined the phrase: *Activities is my Therapy. Be creative. Turn it into a contest. Ask residents, staff, etc. to develop a theme and the winner receives a free t-shirt! You can also buy themed shirts from the gifts section mentioned above.
Other Fun Stuff *Host a breakfast, luncheon, or dinner for the Activity Dept. *Bring Activity Staff out for a meal *Have a surprise party *Have a Guess Who Baby Picture Contest *Have a Who’s Who in the Activity Dept. Contest *Have a Department Heads Facilitate Activities Day *Have a “Best Theme Event Contest”. Invite staff, residents, and family to offer ideas for theme events. The contestants must give ideas for decorations, food, costumes/apparel, music, etc. Winner receives a prize and the chance to plan/facilitate the event. *Have residents vote and give awards or certificates for various categories such as: *Most Creative Activity Professional *Most Energetic Activity Professional *Most Compassionate Activity Professional *Activity Professional Who Smiles the Most *Funniest Activity Professional |
Lisa Williams, ADC, CALA Recreation Director NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland |
Webinar Schedule The 2010 winter webinar schedule should be posted soon. In the meantime, please remember that webinar inservices and private sessions are available all year long for your group or facility. Please contact Kim for details.
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Documentation Seminar in New Jersey Wednesday, February, 2010 Taking the Write Path: Recreation Documentation for Quality of Life Parker at Stonegate Assisted Living Highland Park, NJ Tired of taking the wrong documentation path? Well, join us for a fun all day documentation seminar that will help put you on the “write path”! This session is designed to provide an educational opportunity for Activity/Recreation Professionals and Creative Arts Therapists in long-term care facilities to learn and utilize documentation techniques, which will enhance the quality of life of the residents. This is an intense and comprehensive workshop that meets the documentation component of NCCAP’s Track 5 for Activity Director Certified. Participants will engage in group exercises and fun games! Topics include: assessment, care planning (traditional and I care plans), RAPs, MDS 2.0 and MDS 3.0 update, progress notes, and attendance records) To learn more or to register for these seminars, click here
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Products, Services & Info. *Recreation Department Review Manual *Interdisciplinary Approach to Quality of Life In-Service *Free Forms and Materials (over 30) *Guest Book (Please say hi!) *Activity Swap Meet (cool ideas) |
Contact Kimberly Grandal *Phone: 732-340-1210 *Email: kimgrandal@aol.com |
The Rec Room Published Monthly by Re-Creative Resources Inc. January, 2010 Volume 4 Number 1 |
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Happy National Activity Professionals Week January 17-22, 2010 - "Caring By Design" Raffle Extravaganza Below! Over $3,000 worth of prizes! Activity Professionals Week Special (New as of January 6th) |
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A+ Activities Featured below are extraordinary activity programs and special events. Thank you to these activity professionals for providing such innovative programs and for sharing their creative ideas with us.
By Stephanie Zilinski, TRD, PhD CT Baptist Homes
Throughout the month of October, the CT. Baptist Homes welcomed the staff and residents to Silver City’s Ghost Town. On our visit to the Wild Wild West month, we wore our western-style clothing and took our pardners to Bronco Bingo. Our residents wore bandannas and cowboy hats to Bingo. Residents won a bronco with a saddle (horsefigurine) and some chink (money) at this Western Style Bingo, Yeeeeeee Haaaw!One day we had history lesson of the ole’ Railroad from the editor of the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum’s newsletter ‘The Ghost Train’ - Robert A. LaMay! READ MORE
By Lisa Williams, ADC, CALA NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland
The NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland went to the NJ Motorsports Park and asked the Porche Club to take the residents on laps around the track. We were able to take 20 residents and put them in cars and the drivers took them on the speedway...the 94 year old in the yellow convertible went 90mph around the track and kept asking the driver to go faster! After the laps, we toured pit row and had lunch with the drivers.
By Lisa Williams, ADC, CALA NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland
The Horse and sleigh ride was recently offered at the NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland. I tried it last year at the Veterans Home and it was a huge success and a big morale booster for staff too. I found a local company that does carriage rides for weddings and special occasions and asked them to come to our facility for a few hours. I had to pay a nominal fee for their driver (very affordable). The sleigh was low enough that we were able to transfer wheelchair residents with little difficulty and the CNA's were told if they came to help, they would ride with their residents too. READ MORE
By Kathleen "Mimi" Taylor Good Shepherd Nursing Home
Residents love to reminisce. Staff love to have dress down days. It was our challenge this year to come with a week of activities that would bring out the best in everyone, and provide opportunities for wide smiles, laughter and community building for residents, families, friends and staff. That is how the Blue Ribbon County Fair came to be. The week included such events as: Pickles and Preserves Day, Down on the Farm Day, Craft Day, Tractor Day, booths of all kinds, and dog show. READ MORE
By Stephanie Zilinski, TRD, PhD CT Baptist Homes
One of the canine highlights of the year is the dog show at CT. Baptist Homes in Meriden. When it comes to pet therapy, the reaction is usually all over enjoyment and vibrancy. Fun for anyone who enjoys dogs, it's a fun event which is held annually during the month of April at 292 Thorpe Avenue, and includes a wide variety of dog breeds, Canine Good Citizen Awards, and Doggie Thank You bags filled with treats from “Bark” Bars to Fortune Fetch Balls and Tiny Tuggers. Residents Judge our Canine contestants for the dog with waggiest tale to the most stylish. READ MORE |
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Author of Christine’s Column and The Rec-Room
Listen and learn – What was the coldest recorded winter in your area? Google your home town or contact your local newspaper to get the five coldest winters in your area. Present the information to the residents and ask them if they remember the recorded winters. Ask them what they did to keep warm or if they remember something special they would like to share with the group. If you have residents that are from other states make an effort to find out what the past winters were like in their area. They will appreciate your efforts (even if they don’t tell you so, they will) and it will help them to participate in the discussion. Game – Fill two boxes with clothes that are for both cold and warm weather. Hats, gloves, boots, mittens, swimsuits, shorts, coats, tank tops…etc, now divide the residents into teams and let them have a race to dress one of their team mates for cold weather. Each resident will need to take a turn reaching in their team’s box and pulling out one piece of clothing that feels like it would be for cold weather. The first team to dress their team mate wins. Exercise – Bowling for Penguins – Decorate your bowling pins to look like penguins. Then let the residents see how many penguins they can take out. To make it interesting spread them out in different positions other than the normal bowling pin layout. If you don’t want to bowl for exercise time, then do some of the following to change the exercise time to fit today’s theme.
Food – Make a warm apple cobbler. Residents can help with peeling, slicing and putting together the cobble. If you make several you could serve them during the Winter Social along with decaf coffee, hot tea, or milk. Craft – Recycle old sweaters to make warm mittens for residents. This project is very simple and the residents can help with the simple pattern and those that can still use sewing machines can help sew since it is very simple. You will find complete instructions on craftbits.com, enter in site search window “Recycled Sweater Mittens” and clink on title. This gives you a list of materials and step by step pictures with instructions. This also has a four star rating at the time I found it. Game – Inside snow fight – Use marshmallows, or rolled up white sock. Give each resident and staff members that want to participate. Give each a cup of marshmallows or a couple of rolled up white socks to represent snowballs. Once the fight begins they can catch any snowballs thrown at them to throw back. OR Let the resident throw their snowball at a moving staff members (like dodge ball style). Movie/Social – Movie suggestion “March of the Penguins” or have a winter social serving the apple cobbler with hot drinks to warm their tummies. You can also have open mike night letting the resident try singing a few winter songs such as “Baby it’s cold outside”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Let it Snow Song”, or “Auld Lang Syne”. These are known as Christmas songs; however they have no reference of Christmas in the songs and would work well for the theme. You can find the lyrics for these songs and a little history of the writers on Christmas-lyrics.org and click on the song title for words. For more great January programming ideas and other theme-related activities, visit Christine’s Column. Do you enjoy these free activity themes? Please take a moment to share your comments with Christine |
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2nd Annual Raffle Extravaganza
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Check us out around the web |
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Western Month 
Race Day
Horse and Sleigh Ride
The Blue Ribbon County Fair
It’s Show Day 
Oh Baby It’s Cold Outside
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Re-Creative Resources on You Tube Check out our great videos for and about Activity/Recreation Professionals |
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