Activities Team at Salem Circle of Care
Our Activities Team’s philosophy is to build an activities calendar that improves our residents’ lives psychologically, socially, spiritually, and physically. Our mission is to help improve the quality of life for the residents. These activities in a skilled nursing home facility help build bonds between residents and between residents and staff.
Psychological Impact of Nursing Home Activities:
The psychological health of the resident impacts their lives in such a big way. If residents are feeling emotionally ill, it can lead to physical illness. Being with a group of people can forge vital friendships and support systems and promote mental and physical health. We encourage group activities with co-residents and activities staff to give our residents the feeling of emotional belonging. We understand that safety is first and have adapted activities as needed. We include staff members and management to participate in games and activities throughout the hallways with residents when it is necessary for infection control purposes.
When residents cannot attend group activities, we provide one-on-one activities in the residents’ room based on their interests and preferences.
Social Impact of Nursing Home Activities
Promoting social interactions helps improve mental health for our residents. Activities give structure to the day for a resident, which provides them with a sense of safety, helps with passing time, and gives meaning to their lives. There is a need for those in care to retain, regain and even develop new skills to continue having a good quality of life. At Salem Circle of Care, “quality” of care should be based on how residents feel and the quality of their lives, not just the food and décor.
Spiritual Activities and Holiday Planning
The Circle of Care respects all religious and spiritual beliefs of our residents. We celebrate with our residents based on preferences. Some of our recent religious celebrations include Ash Wednesday, Hanukah, and Ramadan. The activities department works closely with dietary to adapt meal preferences as needed to support religious traditions.
Personal Activity Programing
The facility must provide ongoing programs to support residents in their choice of activities, both facility-sponsored group and individual activities and independent activities, designed to meet each resident’s interests and support the physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident, encouraging both independence and interaction in the community.
We encourage our residents to get up and move! Scarf stretching, balloon passing, and foot dancing are a few fun ways to promote our residents’ range of motion. Residents also have access to therapy equipment such as the bicycle and weights.
Senior Living and Community Involvement
Maintaining contact and interaction with the community is an essential aspect of a person’s well-being and facilitates feelings of connectedness and self-esteem. Involvement in the community includes assisting the resident in maintaining his/her ability to independently shop, attend the community theater, local concerts, library, and participate in community groups.
What else does the Activity Team do?
The activity team is responsible for holiday decorating, planning/prepping, and hosting -events for residents/staff/families/community, creating the monthly newsletter, passing out in-house and mailing to family members, scheduling outings, employee of the month, and much more!
It is imperative to have a strong relationship with all of the facility departments; after all, the team is here for the resident’s well-being. The activity team is one of the residents’ most prominent advocates, taking care of the resident council and any concerns or grievances.
For more information about activities during the Coronavirus Pandemic, check out our COVID-19 Activities post on our blog!