[marjoriemac]

We have a relaxation room and cinema but our residents rarely use them as most are obsessed with losing their seat in the lounge. We do card making and they can play bingo. Some residents went to a pantomime this year and families can take them out. Apart from that you can never forget informal activities like watching a fav programme on tv or having a good chat. I suppose we have to remember that many of these folk at home would not play bingo every night!

[ltcconsultant]

In the summer of 2006, CMS significantly revised the activities rules and require a very detailed assessment and emphasis on individualized activities and a de-emphasis on groups. They are only now starting to really enforce it. With the new psychosocial outcomes severity guildelines, an improperly run activities department could result in a E or F level deficiency. It was initially stated that it could possibly result in immediate jeopardy, but CMS is now saying there is currently no conceivable situation in which that might occur. I have a copy of the training document issued to surveyors on this, but I have no idea how to post files. Either tell me or send me an email and I'll be happy to give you a copy.

[CapeCodMermaid]

Originally Posted by ltcconsultant

In the summer of 2006, CMS significantly revised the activities rules and require a very detailed assessment and emphasis on individualized activities and a de-emphasis on groups. They are only now starting to really enforce it. With the new psychosocial outcomes severity guildelines, an improperly run activities department could result in a E or F level deficiency. It was initially stated that it could possibly result in immediate jeopardy, but CMS is now saying there is currently no conceivable situation in which that might occur. I have a copy of the training document issued to surveyors on this, but I have no idea how to post files. Either tell me or send me an email and I'll be happy to give you a copy.

Yeah--we all got worried about getting a G tag because Mrs Maguilicutty couldn't play bingo!
Think about patient centered care. What works for one will not work for all. The short term residents don't want to be with the long term residents. The residents with dementia don't have the attention span for a lot of activities.
I asked a resident one day if she wanted to play bingo. She looked at me with disdain and said, "My dear, I am 98 years old and I have never played BINGO. I certainly am not going to start playing now. Besides...I'm a Methodist and everyone knows BINGO is for Catholics!!"

[pumpkin92356]

Bingo is big at my facility. Residents win candy and other stuff. Have to gear activities towards how alert they are.

[angelaQAICnurse]

Originally Posted by luvmyseniors

I have a little trouble getting several residents to participate in activities, they hae a million and one excuses. How have you been effective in changing their habit of staying in their rooms?

female resident- tea party in her room, make cute invitations for a tea party in this residents room. Invite a couple of active upbeat residents that do participate in activities. Our experience with this is the resident enjoys the interaction so much that they start attending activities on a regular basis.

[ohioln]

These activities sound nice. I used to work in a long term care facility and they had things like this also. They had moderate exercise too, if anybody wanted to join in. A lot of residents did.

[husker_rn]

I work in LTC too and while we have a variety of activies it seems like those with memory loss problems can't participate and get ost in the shuffle. Wish someone had good ideas for those folks.

[ohioln]

Some nursing homes have activities for people with short memory like a social where they have snacks and can socialize as much as they can, or an activity that is simple but fun. Even if an hour afterwards they don't remember, they still had some time of being with others and doing something, which helps them emotionally, even if they don't remeber the actual activity or get together. I know there are some people whose memory is that they must be fed and may not be able to talk anymore. Sometimes giving them something to hold that's soft or something like that helps them even if they don't actually mentally know much about what they are doing.
That's what they did in a few homes I've worked in. I hope thought they did this everywhere.