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Activity programs are a vital component of providing quality care to seniors in long-term care facilities.
Prospective residents and their families often evaluate the quality of care based on various factors, including the facility's environment, services, living quarters, the demeanor of current residents, and, crucially, the Activities Program.
Addressing Lack of Engagement
One of the common challenges faced by Activity Coordinators is the lack of engagement among residents in the activities provided. This issue can arise due to several reasons:
Habitual Participation: Some residents might attend activities out of habit rather than genuine interest.
Social Gathering: Residents may congregate in recreation areas simply because it's a social hub, not necessarily because they are enthusiastic about the activities.
Boredom: Even if residents don't express it openly, they may be feeling bored with the existing activities.
Activity Imbalance: Giving too much importance to specific activities can lead to a decline in interest in others.
Lack of Enthusiasm: Staff conducting activities must display enthusiasm and energy to engage residents effectively.
Behavioral Factors: Behavioral disturbances in clients, such as apathy, can contribute to reduced engagement.
The Power of Surveys in Improving Activities
To address these issues and improve the quality of your Activity Program, consider conducting regular surveys of your residents. Annual or bi-annual surveys can provide valuable insights into resident preferences and needs. Two template surveys have been provided.
Activity Program Survey: A brief survey that can be quickly examined to gather essential feedback regarding the current activities.
Resident Lifestyle Survey: A more comprehensive survey that delves into various aspects of residents' lifestyles and preferences.
Optimizing Your Survey Process
Self-Reflection: Before conducting surveys, evaluate the relevance of your current activities to the needs of your clients. It might be time for a program makeover.
Client Involvement: Encourage resident involvement in the survey process. Relatives can assist their loved ones in providing feedback.
Survey Distribution: Disseminate the surveys through various channels, including in-person distribution, online forms, or through the facility newsletter.
Anonymity: Ensure that residents can provide feedback anonymously if they wish. This can lead to more honest responses.
Feedback Analysis: Carefully analyze the survey results to identify trends, areas for improvement, and resident preferences.
Action Plan: Develop an action plan based on the survey findings. Consider implementing changes and new activities that align with residents' interests and needs.
Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and adapt your Activity Program based on ongoing feedback and changing resident preferences.
Resident Involvement is Key
By actively involving residents in shaping the activities they engage in, you can create a more vibrant and engaging environment in your senior care facility.
Remember, the goal is to enhance the quality of life for your residents, and their input is invaluable in achieving that aim.
We'd love to hear your feedback!
Have you run a survey in the past? Were you able to gather useful data from it?
Print Downloads:
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Comments Post a Comment
Antoinette
Not many people have participated in events so this survey will be a great help to get their input.
Thank you.
28th Apr 2022
Activity Director
Have you thought about having a resident council meeting where Activities they want to do the primary topic
Giving them a choice of two or three items usually is good
You are so may want to do one to one especially with the student not usually participate
Here are some ideas how to get residence to participate
https://www.goldencarers.com/search/?search_tag=Forum&search=Reluctant%20residence
7th Apr 2021
Activity Director
It is a good idea to do the survey before starting activities to see what your residents are thinking
7th Apr 2021
Director Of Activities
24th Mar 2021
Activity Director
Thank you for your kind words
29th Mar 2021
18th Feb 2020
Activity Director
Here is an activity evaluation form
https://www.goldencarers.com/activity-evaluation-form/5165/
This is a wonderful tool!
Thank you,
Brenda
26th Aug 2019
Recreation Therapist
Thank in advance
27th Aug 2019
Activity Director
Ask about what they enjoyed about planning the trip
The bus ride or transportation over there to the park
Their favorite activities at the park
The fun they had with their friends
Did they meet new friends
Did they have anything to eat what was their favorite
Did they see any children
What did they think the children were doing and what did the children have fun doing
I am sure if you think about the trip and each part of it that you can figure out more questions to ask if this is not enough
Let me know if you need more help
Thanks..
12th Aug 2019
12th Mar 2019
Senior Ministry Director
17th Mar 2019
You can open the word document and make any changes you require and then save it as a pdf document. (File > Save As > and then select type 'pdf').
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks so much! Karen in Sitka, Alaska
8th Oct 2018
22nd Aug 2018
Activities Director
26th Aug 2018
3rd Aug 2017
Activities
we are in the process of preparing our annual survey of our respite clients and their carers and these templates have generated further thinking and provided lots more ideas and options.
Much appreciated!
23rd Jul 2017
3rd May 2017
Care
Can someone show me how to record an activity session
Ger
29th Mar 2017
Life Style Officer
Thank you
3rd Apr 2017
29th Dec 2016
Recreational activity officer
1st Jan 2017
1st Oct 2016
Recreation Director
3rd Oct 2016
23rd Aug 2016
22nd Aug 2016
Student
16th Aug 2016
Recreation and Rehab Manager
23rd Aug 2016
16th Aug 2016
Activities Coordinator
16th Aug 2016
16th Aug 2016
Lifestyle
16th Aug 2016
18th Feb 2017
recreation
Could I get a copy of your annual survey for residents? And yes I would include the lifestyle survey it is very good!
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I truly appreciate this wonderful resource, it never fails to provide something meaningful to add to our activity schedule every month. I love to share our activities too in the hope of sharing the joy! Thank you!
Lou Stockley
Head of Wellbeing
England
Can be difficult to get everyone involved
It is great that you are thinking of all your residents
First you need to know what the residents like to do and what they are capable of doing
I like to do one to one within a group or a mixed group
This article will be a big help to you
https://www.goldencarers.com/how-to-support-mentally-alert-clients-in-mixed-group-environments/4992/
I also like music activities for a mixed group
https://www.goldencarers.com/music/
Here are some more things to try
ave you tried these
https://www.goldencarers.com/dementia/
https://www.goldencarers.com/reminiscing-activities-for-seniors/3184/
https://www.goldencarers.com/sensory-stimulation-for-dementia-care/4184/
https://www.goldencarers.com/20-practical-activities-for-people-living-with-alzheimers-disease/3778/
If so, do you need help adapting and modifying them to your particular group?
Here are some other ideas
I always had one to one interactions within a group activity. With such a diverse group, it is hard to have everyone participate unless you
walk around the group making eye contact so you get each person's attention
address each person by name
have an activity that most everyone can participate in like a sing along
but what I usually do is play name that tune and here is how
After the group is assembled, make sure to greet everyone. Tell your audience how happy you are that they are there. Greet each person by name. Remember you need to be enthusiastic about what you are doing
Now you are ready to start the activity
Instead of playing one or two notes or playing the game like hangman, (You could play these ways as well), you say the first word of the song title. See if anyone can finish the title. If not, say the second word of the title and so on until someone gets the title. If they are having a hard time, give other hints. To allow the meek resident a chance, ask the other members in the group to give the meek person a chance to name the song. Even if someone else shouts out the title, still ask the shy individual to say the title of the song. Be extremely complimentary to this person, as well, to boost his/her confidence.
After the song title is guessed, ask, who can sing it. Sometimes we only sing the first line. Sometimes we butcher the song, but then we have a good laugh.
Continue playing the game in this manner, singing the familiar songs, or singing them with a CD, for the allotted time period. I usually do it for about an hour
Throw in a little trivia if there is a lull in the action. For example, if the song is about summer, I ask the participants to tell me their favorite season and why they like that season. I always tell the story of how I hate winter.
If they are nonverbal, you can say the answer for them. However before saying the title, say, I can tell by (name of participant)’s smile that she thinks the title is (whatever the song title is). or you can ask a higher functioning resident what he thinks the non verbal resident is thinking
Then you might want to gently squeeze this person’s hand or give him/her a hug
I just go with the flow. Thus, the group is different every time.
Another good game is a dice game called one
We have played a similar game using just one die.
Each person gets a turn rolling the die until he gets a one or chooses to stop
We add up the numbers rolled each person gets
If you want to have a winner, the one with the most points at the end of the round wins.
What is so good about this game is, that it is good for a group with mixed mental and physical abilities. You can have some group members help other group members.
It is great as a long or short activity