Details
Course Objectives
By the end of this course participants will be able to:
- Develop activity assessments by gathering important information.
- Identify residents who are at-risk for social isolation and develop useful techniques to lower the risk.
- Understand how to affectively interview a resident.
- Organize activity timing and scheduling.
- Discuss ways to connect residents with other residents and staff in the care Community.
- Develop activities with a purpose.
- Identify successful ways to motivate residents and get the resident involved.
Course Outcomes
Hour One
- Activity Assessments
- Discuss the benefits of activity assessments:
- Helps to familiarize new staff with the resident
- Helps with activity planning
- Review with your staff the activity assessment forms/tools used in your facility:
- Resident appraisals
- Specialized activity assessment tools
- Resident interviews
- Sources of information about activity preferences:
- Chart
- Resident
- Family
- Staff
- Direct observation
- The activity assessment should start with a conversation
- Do not focus on your form, focus on the resident and the conversation
- Resident preferences may change over time
- Could be related to disease conditions (such as Alzheimer’s)
- Getting to Know Residents, Family, and Staff
- Connect residents with persons who have like interests
- May be another resident, or a staff member
- At-Risk Residents
- Some residents have an increased risk of social isolation
- Residents may isolate to his/her room because his/her things are more familiar
- Moving out to other areas of a large setting can be intimidating
- Reasons for social isolation may include:
- Change in condition
- Depression
- “Transfer trauma”
- Sign of an at-risk resident
- Prefers to stay in room
- Avoids interactions with other residents
- Doesn’t like to participate in activities
- Doesn’t like eating in the dining room
- Interviewing Residents
- Start a conversation
- Search for a common thread
- Common interests, common backgrounds, etc.
- Link their interests to activities going on in the facility
- Request permission to return later for another conversation
- Activity Timing and Scheduling
- Activities should be available during “windows of opportunity” throughout the day
- An activity “window of opportunity” is approximately 1 hour long
- Both residents AND staff must be available to create a “window of opportunity”
- Review the typical daily schedule in your facility. How many “windows of opportunity” are available in your typical day?
- Linking Relationships
- Not all staff members are the best match for every resident
- Look for common interests between residents and staff members
- Discuss your current residents and the relationships they have formed (or could form) with other residents or staff members.
- Social patterns
- Some residents prefer one-on-one interactions, other benefit more from group activities
- Find each resident’s comfort zone
- Past and present social patterns can influence this
- Motivating Residents: Activities With A Purpose
- Activities should have value and purpose
- Destination stations
- Workshops
- Community projects
- Activity Interventions
- Residents will be excited about an activity if you are excited about it as well
- Be:
- Optimistic
- Energetic
- Luring
- Interested
- Positive
- Smile!
- Understanding Barriers to Resident Participation
- Participation Factors
Instructor: Josh Allen, RN
Josh Allen is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years of experience in senior living. As the Director of InTouch at Home, Josh oversees all aspects of business development, care, services, and operations for the organization. As a part of the SRG Senior Living family of companies, InTouch at Home delivers personalized care and services to clients living in senior living communities as well as private residences across three states.
Josh also serves on the board of the American Assisted Living Nurses Association, and represents AALNA on the boards of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living and Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations. Josh has previously served as President and CEO of Care and Compliance Group, a leading training solutions provider.