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Try the ideas in this article

https://www.goldencarers.com/how-to-decrease-problem-behaviors/5056/

Hi Pauline, I am in a similar situation (started in October 18). I find with my residents that calls out that including her more helps. She needs to be with the group and kept busy. Picture Bingo was great for her. Engaging other residents with High Care needs has also been an issue but pet therapy is one of the things that always sparks them up. Delta Dogs are great. Otherwise anything they can touch/smell that feels or smells nice to engage their senses.

Good luck.

Thanks Susan and Karen. Karen, the issue that is occurring is that no amount of stimulation, one on one, diversion is of any benefit. She is included but disrupts the group that are actively engaging. This may last 5 or 10 minutes then the behaviour continues. The facility I am at is in the process of change and assessing resources, etc. Thanks for your advice.

Hi Pauline, welcome to the world of Lifestyle Therapy. We also have a resident that continually whistles very loudly. This can be distracting, especially at concerts, try to include her and direct acknowledgement to her. You may have to do this several times in an activity , but you have to continue your activity for the sake of the other residents. Your resident could be just attention seeking. For the other residents, can you get hold of some light switches, padlocks , hinges etc, get someone to fix them onto boards. Residents will fiddle with these for quite awhile. Have you tried leaving some old t- towels in a basket in a prominent spot, you may find the ladies may start folding. Good luck, enjoy what you do , don't stress too much and know that you are changing lives.

Hi Pauline,

It certainly is a challenge doing our job. I am in a similar position to yourself, I have done the job for two years now and find some people find group situations really distressing. Low noise, basic tasks like balloon bopping, aromatherapy hand massage is good if resident allows. Another good one if resident can use hands, a bowl of rice with colourful glitter, hidden within are beads or colourful balls, adapt the size of objects to the needs of resident. The texture of the rice seems to relax. Hope this is hrlpful, remember you are making a difference!

Hi Pauline,

Congratulations on your new position. It sounds as though we work in similar positions. Engaging everyone in the group could be difficult especially if you are on your own, however, I find that I often rely on the more outgoing or vocal individuals to keep the activity going while I work to engage the others in more non-verbal ways. For instance, the women that call out all of the time - you could try sitting next to her during the group and holding her hand or humming a sing-along tune - She may still call out but you are working with her and engaging her in a new way. It really is multi-tasking at its finest. Also, try adding smaller group activities like relaxation time or poetry reading. These quieter activities allow those who aren't as vocal engage simply by being in the room.

I have a few clip boards that have a poem on them and sometimes hand them out to the residents and ask them to circle, or mark with a highlighter a certain letter eg all the 'e's. Make sure it is a good size print. While they are busy doing that I can get other residents engaged in doing a puzzle or similar activity.