Dr. David Thomas, founder of the Eden Alternative, describes three plagues that account for the majority of suffering among our Elders: loneliness, helplessness and boredom. “Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health,” Dr. Thomas asserts. We need to create opportunities for our Elders to give as well as receive care and to perform meaningful activities (www.edenalt.com/10.htm).
The role of a healthy recreation department is to provide opportunities for residents to continue a meaningful and purposeful life in spite of many losses. We must create a sense of normalcy, excitement, and even adventure. If we are successful in doing so our elders won’t feel patronized and useless. On the contrary, they will maintain a sense of self worth by having something to give and something to look forward to.
A dynamic recreation program will find a way to tap into the many years of experience and wisdom of our elderly residents and to help them to apply their talents in a meaningful way. By showing our residents how to celebrate this new stage in their lives as a time in which they can continue to teach and contribute, we provide them with a sense of purpose and a reason to get up in the morning.
One example of meaningful recreation that we recently conducted at one of our assisted living residences was the building of a parade float for a local parade. We held meetings with residents to get input for ideas and suggestions on what kind of float we should make and how we should go about building it. This type of program is what I call an ongoing program, that is, a project that we started talking about in March, planned in May, and started building in June. The culmination of all this work ended in July with a larger-than-life parade float that won second place in one of the largest parades in the local area. While making the float the residents had something to look forward to, a reason to get up each day and know that they were needed. There was a pressing project that depended on them and their input. Our residents worked and felt needed during their entire lives: lack of a sense of purpose at their advanced age is often devastating and causes them to focus more on their many losses. By involving them in a project such as float building, we have an opportunity to greatly improve their emotional health.
On parade day the residents were taken by our chauffeur to Main Street in Williamsville, New York, the site of the parade. They watched the scout troops, marching bands, and clowns, and finally got to see their work parading down the street. It was a very emotional experience because they had worked so hard on their creation and were so happy to show it off in the community. Staff members who participated in the project also caught the sense of pride and excitement that had been building up for several months.
A similar type of project was a play that we put on for Christmas. We began planning at Thanksgiving time. Our residents were not only the actors in the play, but also helped make props and costumes and managed the lighting and sound systems. They were very proud and excited to invite their children and grandchildren to see them star in a play. One 90-year old resident commented that she never thought she’d be staring in plays at her age! Another important aspect of this project was its timing: this type of upbeat project helps many residents through a period in which they can experience depression and difficulties dealing with the absence or loss of loved ones.
Another essential feature of a meaningful recreation program is the creation of opportunities to give care. When you invite children’s groups, such as scout troops, youth artists, or dancing groups, the residents should take on the role of hosts. They can perform a gardening project with the children during which they can teach about plants. They can show the young visitors how to bake a pie or fix a bicycle, or they can help serve refreshments. The possibilities are endless. Our senior citizens may not be as mobile as they were in their forties, but they still have a lot to give. Doing so makes them feel useful and alive.
Developing a recreation program should be driven by customer interest and input. There will always be some constants on the calendar, but the director must be open to courageous moves of changing things around to keep recreation interesting, stimulating and imaginative.
This will take a bit of creativity and thinking outside of the bingo box. Those who develop recreation programs must have a passion for seeing residents thrive and succeed instead of just exist. The result of their passion will be a vibrant and healthy recreation program that will enhance the mood and feeling of the entire residence, affecting staff members, visitors, and residents alike.
Brompton Heights (Williamsville, NY), Orchard Heights (Orchard Park, New York), and Heather Heights (Pittsford, New York) Assisted Living Residences offer the very best in luxury senior housing and assisted living for the elderly in New York State. We maintain a professional and caring nursing staff, available 24/7. Our residents enjoy a family-like atmosphere with all of the comforts of home: meals prepared by our award-winning chef, an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor where residents can meet with each other and loved ones, a full-service beauty shop, in-house laundry, and housekeeping.
We offer a wide variety of recreational activities, such as group excursions, live music and dancing, computer classes, garden club meetings, sports parties, special projects, and visits by therapy dogs.
Web Sites of Our New York Assisted Living Facilities:
Brompton Heights Assisted Living Residence in Williamsville, NY
Orchard Heights Assisted Living Residence in Orchard Park, NY
Heather Heights Assisted Living Residence in Pittsford, NY |
