Darlene

This sounds really exciting. I just got nine computers donated and we are planning to start a senior computer literacy program. Participating in this pen pal program could be a wonderful way to launch our senior computer program. Could you kindly send me the details as well? I would like to discuss it with management and staff.

Thanks for the feedback Lyn. Sounds like you have a system that works well for you. I'll see how much the kitchen staff can order. Recently I've asked them to help ordering fresh/local produce from local farmers ( tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, plantains, yams, breadfruit). I gave them petty cash (US$50) and they order and pay for the produce and bring me the receipts. What I still need to streamline is a process for ordering larger bulk orders, as well as keeping track of inventory so we are not running out of things and rushing to the store last minute.

Thanks for the tips Solange. I am not so concerned about the shopping time. What I am more concerned about is setting up a system/structure for shopping and inventory control. For instance setting up weekly ( or monthly) menus, and compiling the shopping list around those menus and then keeping track of smaller items when they run out. The kitchen staff has a major role to play, but I am looking for a practical way of systematizing things as much as possible. For instance, is it better to do weekly menu planning, or is it better to plan 6-8 weeks of meals that rotate every 8 weeks?

I am looking for an efficient and organized way to do shopping ( grocery, office supplies, etc) and inventory control at my facility. I am planning to address this issue with the cooking staff at our center next week. Any ideas, resources, or practical tips you can share to streamline the process would be most welcome.

Thanks for the boys activities Solange. I like the idea of stick figure drawing. Thanks for the great list.

Hi Solange, Just got back to my desk. The meeting with the school principal went superbly well. She loves the idea and can see how it would benefit the senior, the youngsters and the community at large. She will discuss proposal with the teachers today and will confirm back to me tomorrow. She loves my proposal to have the elementary classes visit our senior facility on a structured basis, once per month. So grade 1 this month,grade 2 April, Grade 3 May etc. We would plan activities appropriate to the age of the visiting group. Preschoolers can color and draw with our senior citizens, older kids may do arts and crafts work. One thing we discussed is finding male oriented activities for the boys to do with our senior men at the center. The principal suggested Kite making. I like that idea, but it can't be done in one visit, (45 minutes). Any ideas on your end for specific inter-generational activities for senior men and boys? Once I get a good rotation in place with the elementary school, I plan to visit the principal of the secondary school ( high school) to discuss computer related inter-generational activities! THANKS again. :-)

I am looking for an efficient and organized way to do shopping ( grocery, office supplies, etc) and inventory control at my facility. I am planning to address this issue with the cooking staff at our center next week. Any ideas or practical tips you can share to streamline the process would be most welcome.

I used these ideas to organize a fun day for women's day at my facility this week. It was a HUGE hit. I invited a well known women in the community to give a talk/chat/discussion reminiscing on the old days when women did not have washers, driers, and refrigerators. We even had an old scrubbing board and old hand sewing machines, old irons. I found a nice video clip on youtube with two famous women. Oprah Winfrey interviewing Maya Angelou. That triggered a great discussion on aging with grace and how gratitude helps us live longer. I am getting LOTS of positive remarks about how much fun the entire day was, and we even got coverage in the local newspaper. THANKS so much for making the planning and executing of this women's day event so doable!

I customized this to make it a list of FIRSTS for women in my country. It was a HUGE hit this week for women's day....the women ( and MEN) at my facility loved it and they had a lot of fun guessing the answers! They knew most of the answers, but the discussions and comments that were triggered was great. The clients even corrected me, insisting that some of the answers on my list were wrong. :-)

Just an update to let you know I have my first meeting with the principal of an elementary school tomorrow to organize an inter-generational activity for world meteorological day. If this goes well, I plan to role out a series of scheduled inter-generational activities various elementary and secondary schools on a rotation basis. Stay tuned and THANKS again for the ideas.