Forum Discussion

Hi michelle.

It is really hard. Im my facility we have 45. My attendance for activities ranges from 8 to 32! It really depends on what im doing, if the activity is in the morning or the afternoon and how the residents are feeling. My most successful recently has been bingo of a morning and i held an old time record morning. Generally craft is attended by the same people. I have started inviting people in a different way. I ask them if they would like to come and have a look at we are doing and just have a chat. This seems to be working!
Good luck!

Hi Michelle, do you have a range of activities on the calendar? Our facility started making 2:00 pm activities specifically for "lower functioning" residents and we would hold group relaxation or Montessori activities. I found staff was more inclined to get these residents out of bed or out of their rooms if they knew these activities were explicitly for these residents.

Thank you for your replies , I think sometimes I am to hard on myself as well but I really want to make my job work . I do think I need to learn about the different stages of dementia and specific activities for these residents x

Can anyone direct me on how to get more attendance? I have about 55 residents, but they very greatly in abilities. My highest attendance is bingo, but even then I only get less than 10. I have been trying alot of different things, but i have many people who just dont want to do anything. My job is in jeopardy because of it. I have sat down and spoken to the residents to get ideas and they dont have any. Any 8deas are welcome. Thank you.

Try and have a theme day once every month, Like .... come dressed red day and get the carers involved and then have red velvet cake or cookies with red icing, and incorporate red into your activities. Or a high tea or milkshake morning. Music and memories day playing song from back in there era. just a couple of ideas . hope it helps

This article on golden Carers may help you
https://www.goldencarers.com/10-ways-to-increase-activity-participation/4133/

This article on golden Carers may help you talk to your boss
https://www.goldencarers.com/the-health-benefits-of-silence-in-senior-care/5841/

Hi Christine, my heart goes out to you as I know how hard it can be sometimes. How long have you been in the job or rather how long has your facility been offering activities? I have 43 residents, was the first activities person there so prior to that everyone sat and did nothing. They get used to that and I found it really hard to get them to a point where they now find activities the normal, thing to do. It has taken me 2 full years to change the culture. Prior to this I had highs and lows as we worked our way through the week. We have 90% dementia and my top activities now are Pet Therapy, Balloon fun when we just bop a balloon around and a Friday morning sing along. In between that I will have 3 or 4 people doing a craft or doing a bit of gardening. I have a lot of support from management and that has made my job so much easier. Hang on in there if you can as once your program starts to take shape the rewards are huge. Contact me if you need support.

Hi Christine, have you tried having more than one activity going? You could plan for next time to have a volunteer. He/she could read a short story or lead a singalong/Finish the Proverbs with a smaller group, say six or seven residents or more. You could also print activities and make them into booklets for loners to do at their discretion. The booklets would consist of different activities like Fun Riddles, Word Search, Maths Quizzes, Spot the Differences, Hidden Objects Game, Famous Pairs, and more. This way you would have another possibly 15 to 20 people busy with meaningful activities of their choices. All these activities are available for printing in Golden Carers. And don’t forget, sometimes even with lots of encouragement residents decline to participate. Ultimately, they are entitled to keep to themselves if they wish to do so. As long as they are happy doing that there is no harm.