How To Encourage Activity Participation

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You just poured a ton of time and enthusiasm into planning what you believe is a terrific activity for your residents. Then hardly anybody shows up. Where did you go wrong? Check out these eight tips for boosting activity participation at your nursing home:

• Plan a series of activities centered on a theme.

Let’s say your theme is gardening. You might have a guest speaker one day, a trip to a garden center the next day, and a hands-on gardening project the following day. After residents take part in one activity, they look forward to what’s coming next.

• Encourage all staff to promote activities.

Sometimes we think finding meaningful and enjoyable activities for our residents is the sole responsibility of the activities department. Or caregivers feel like activities might get done if there’s extra time left after they finish the rest of their work.

Ideally, all staff should view activities as an automatic part of daily routines, like making a bed or serving a meal. I think you’ll find, too, that employees in all departments enjoy their jobs more if they get involved in activities.

1. Communicate daily activity options to all staff so they can remind residents and encourage them to attend.
2. During staff meetings, explain the many benefits of activity participation, and let each department know how they can help.
3. Encourage staff to involve residents in spontaneous activities. This could be as simple as a maintenance person inviting a resident to come along when they’re repairing something. Or a dietary staff member can lead residents in an impromptu song while they wait for a meal.
4. Provide easy access to information about the special interests and activity preferences of each resident.
5. Consider other aspects of the resident’s schedule, such as doctor visits, treatments, and rehab programs when planning activities. Communicate with other departments to ensure the resident’s day goes smoothly.

• Involve residents in brainstorming and planning.

Some activities are consistently enjoyable and meaningful to residents over the years, and you’ll want to keep them on the schedule. (I think we would have a mutiny if we ever dropped Bingo or chapel services at our nursing home!) However, be sure you always come up with new and creative activities to meet the needs of all of your residents.

Visit with residents—both individually and in groups—and ask for their input. I guarantee you they’ll come up with fun ideas that never occurred to anyone else. This is also an excellent way to identify residents who share similar interests. Then you can set up special interest groups that meet weekly or monthly.

• Don’t feel like every resident needs to attend every activity.

When my mom lived in a nursing home, she told me she was always glad when the weekend arrived. Then the activity staff wasn’t there to pester her about going to group activities. It’s not that Mom didn’t like the activity staff or the other residents. There were some group activities that she thoroughly enjoyed. Mom simply wanted to do a lot of solitary activities in her room.

If a resident enjoys reading, doing crossword puzzles, listening to radio programs, working on craft projects, or other independent activities, that’s okay. Certainly, if this represents a change from their regular routine or if we observe signs of isolation or depression, then this needs to be assessed. But some residents simply need more quiet time than others.

• Invite residents to help with an activity.

Many residents feel honored if you request their expertise in planning or presenting an activity. For example, let’s say you have a resident who planted a large garden at home every year. Ask them for advice and help in planning and caring for your courtyard garden.

A resident who worked as a gym teacher may enjoy leading a morning exercise class. Invite the former librarian to recommend books for the childcare center and to read to the children regularly. Be sure to express appreciation for the help your residents provide.

• Allow residents time to adjust.

You’ll find some residents dive right into the nursing home activities as soon as they arrive. But others might hesitate. Perhaps they feel like they won’t do a good enough job, or they won’t be able to keep up with the other residents. This is especially true when the illness that brought them there resulted in limitations in mobility or cognition.

Try inviting them to watch an activity at first, then gradually take part as they feel ready. It also helps to pair them up with another resident who provides encouragement and helps them understand the activity.

• Provide adaptive equipment as needed.

A resident might avoid an activity because they can’t hear or see well enough to participate actively. Or perhaps they feel embarrassed to attend an activity involving food because their hands shake.

There’s an enormous array of adaptive devices that help residents compensate for these deficits. A great resource is your rehab department where physical, occupational, and speech therapists can assess the situation and offer options.

• Invite family members to take part.

Be sure family members feel welcome to join their loved ones at activities. Especially when a resident is new, this will help them feel more comfortable and promote interactions with other residents. I notice that most family members not only help their own loved one during activities, but they help and encourage other residents, too.

Provide a means of keeping family members aware of each month’s activities. Also, ask them for input as to other activity ideas. You might even find family members eager to lead a special group or help with activities on holidays.

How do you encourage residents to take part in activities at your nursing home? I would love to see your ideas in the comment section!

 

Here’s another article I believe you’ll find helpful: How To Adapt Activities For Memory Care