Forum Discussion

Hi Kiaharnie, you could try balloon playing, music quizzes, Memory games, Reminiscing activities, gentle exercises, reading short stories and poems. Depending on clients skills you could also try, matching games, Complete the songs. Best wishes.
https://www.goldencarers.com/i-went-to-market-game/4003/
https://www.goldencarers.com/read-aloud-activities-for-the-elderly/4858/
https://www.goldencarers.com/match-pictures-with-shows/4885/

Hi Kiaharnie

Here are some ideas that you maybe able to do with your residents.

Hand Clinic/hand pamper
Tai Chi/Yoga
Meditation
Sing-a-long
Ball Sports
May be a Happy Hour
Music appreciation
Poetry reading

Hoping these ideas will help you

Cheers Dee

Hi Katherine,
Try Balloon volleyball with a net, they sell them for inside and lower for wheelchairs. Our residents love it.

They also love simple crafts we just cut out cardboard heart shapes and folded up/crumpled tissue paper and pasted it on. It was really successful.

We also play pokeno

We brought heaps of silk flowers and second hand vases from op shops or ask families for donations and hold flower arranging classes and then display them on the residents tables in the dinning room

Can you do a cooking demo for them.keep it simple and short.cookies etc are good.

Cooking is great l do pike lets or pancakes with all the trimmings always a big hit a great sensory and reminiscing activity

We have Yahtzee tables, Brain Games, Anagrams games, You be the Judge, Spelling Bees, Noodle Hockey - pool noodles & they play hockey against each other, Dice Games, Penny Ante, Deck of Cards Bingo, Giant Crossword puzzles, Crafting groups, religious groups, Painting & Craft Classes, Happy Hour, Trivia, Story Making & telling, Nail pampering, Order in dinner groups, Wii Games, Bowling, Bean Bags, Name 5 (you name random subjects & they name 5 things of that subject), Sudoku, Boggle, Reminiscing, Name that Tune, Sensory Groups, Whack it Volleyball - cut pool noodles into short pieces & that is what they hit a giant balloon over the net with, Shopping Station - set up items from Dollar store - manned by Volunteer, all items are $1 residents can pay in cash or charge if they have money in an account.

Hello Kiaharnie,
In a high care area, I provide the following therapies:

Pet therapy visits (one to one)

Breadmaker Baking - where the smells can be comforting, safer to leave unattended.

Aromatherapy with old scents, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, black licorice, essential
oils (peppermint, tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, citrus), Irish spring men's soap, old spice men's soap, rose water women's scent.

Quiet music, dim lights, and warm hand lotion (hospital supply).

Shaped wooden objects unfinished. birds, trees, deer, ect. We sand them to smooth, then varnish with olive oil and black tea(stain) and apply with cheesecloth. All safe and non toxic. One of our male volunteers has a supply of pine and he shapes them at home on his band saw and router tools.

Sing A-Capella with a small group. Just pick up some tunes and start to sing. Older songs that all know well. ( I use song book to remember some of the older tunes). This idea even works in the middle of a reading program, stop or break for a song or two.

And bocce ball ( lightweight) works with a small group, or even large foam dice with pips (#) marked on each side. From Flaghouse PE & Rec Supply Catalogue. In a small group, we throw them to the floor in center and shout out the count together. Releases tension, the group can count (no pressure to answer if forgotten how) , and it gives you, as a therapist, an indication of the domains your residents' are meeting. Do they need cueing? Can they follow independently? who does the counting - and accurately? How long are they able to play?

Another game with the large throwing dice is adapted Yahtzee, We have a scoreboard to mark the score. Each player gets 3 throws (as in Yahtzee) and the best choice is scored, ie full house, three of a kind + count, Yahtzee, small straight, and chance, ect.

For most game winnings, I do not offer prizes, but a head pamper massage for the winner. This provides human touch, and expertise is not required. I wash my hands after each head pamper. The residents seem to like this winning reward.

A small men's group blackjack game with coffee and specialty creamer (ie Bailey's Irish Cream). This works well for men's group. I bring quarters from home. This is an adapted blackjack game, and we generally throw the quarters back in the pot for the next Saturday morning. It's different than Bingo and builds a bond.

I am finding simpler is better for high care unit (mostly ambulatory men). And I gear the activities towards men's former careers or occupations. Amazon. CA or .COM has great adult coloring books for pictures and storytelling. We do color or watercolor paint, while looking at the pics and reminiscing. Fishing, Exploring the country, old farming life, ect.

Hope some of them are helpful.

Darla

hey thanks for all the ideas next month we have a lot of those ideas for the resident and we have heaps of floor games like ten pin bowling and snakes and ladders we also have reminiscing, sensory cooking, singalong, and we are doing st patricks day celebration