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9 Tips To Create An Amazing Talent Show

August 1, 2017 by Diane 2 Comments

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nursing home talent show

A few years ago we put together a talent show at our nursing home. It was so much fun, and the amount of hidden talent within our walls surprised everyone!

There was a huge variety of talent, too. Four nurses sang a quarter. One resident told jokes and another resident played the piano. A CNA twirled a baton, and an employee’s daughter performed a dance solo.

Although we held our talent show purely for fun, I believe it can also be an excellent fundraiser. Check out these tips to make your talent show a success:

Recruit an enthusiastic MC to share a little blurb about each participant and keep the talent show running smoothly.

Start and end with your best acts.

Start on time and don’t let the program run too long. We found 60-90 minutes was about right.

Dementia Friendly Communities

July 30, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

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dementia friendly communities

Earlier this summer I stopped by my bank to cash a check. As soon as I entered the lobby I heard an elderly man shouting at a cashier. “This bank is a bunch of crooks,” he yelled, demanding that the cashier give him all of his money and close the account. A petite woman, who I assumed was his wife, stood beside the man looking frustrated and embarrassed. I quickly realized this was a man living with some form of dementia.

As I stood there wondering if there was something I could do to help, a woman approached from a nearby office. That’s when I had the opportunity to witness a textbook-perfect example of how to communicate with a person living with dementia. With grace and patience, she reassured and redirected the man. Within a few minutes, he was calmly sitting in her office enjoying a cup of coffee and a cookie.

How Old Is Too Old For Romance?

July 27, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

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One day when my son was in middle school, he came home with an unusual assignment. He was to ask his parents to write a brief essay defining mature love. Having recently gone through a painful divorce, I certainly didn’t feel like an expert on love. This was going to be a tough assignment.

But as I pondered the definition of mature love, I realized I had a whole trove of experts right down the street at the nursing home where I worked as a nurse. There I found couples who still adored each other even if their appearance was no longer beautiful by society’s standards. Couples that chose to stick together in spite of a lifetime of challenges that pulled other people apart. Couples who remained best friends over many decades. Couples who still loved to spend time together just like the ones you’re about to see in this video.

Operation Christmas Child: Week 3

July 26, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

Operation Christmas Child

A friend sent me a link to this wonderful article about a nursing home that participates in Operation Christmas Child every year. Presbyterian Homes, with headquarters in Minnesota, has been packing shoeboxes for 21 years. Wow! I especially like how the residents make toys and also knit & crochet items for the children throughout the year.

I’ve removed the list of deals for this week since they are now expired. However, I’m leaving the link to this article in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. Watch for the new weekly deals on Wednesday!

Hospice Care In The Nursing Home

July 24, 2017 by Diane Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. Thank you for your support.

nursing home hospice care

We usually think of hospice care as something that’s provided in a person’s private home. But did you know that hospice care can also be a very helpful addition to care received in a nursing home?

These are some of the ways I found the addition of hospice services to be very helpful when I worked as an RN in the nursing home:

A hospice nurse is on-call 24/7. They can immediately initiate standing orders for symptom control. This means the resident often receives treatment more quickly than when a nurse needs to wait for a physician to return a call.

Hospice staff educates residents, families, and nursing home staff on what they can expect during the dying process.

The hospice program may provide some medications and supplies at little or no cost to the resident.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. Thank you for your support.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. Thank you for your support.

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