I need help please.

[adorblepuppy]

I am working at a small facilty that only has 8 residents. I am suppose to be in control of the activity director type thing. So i need some help with ideas of things to do with them. Five of the residents have some type of mental illness, one is mentally inpaired and blind, the other two are high functioning but have problems. So i am not sure of what all i can do with the people. So any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[leerachel38]

I spent a weekend at a camp for "other-abled" adults and we did so many fun things. We decorated cookies, we played bean bag games...indoors because of rain. We colored pictures of where they had been on vacation. We sang songs. I know that we did much more, but my memory fails me. Basically, do what you would do for fun...just modify for them. Hope this helps.

[NC Girl BSN]

i was an recreation therapist and activity director for over 10 years. do you have a budget?

here are some suggestions:

board games

simple trivia(set it up jeopardy style on dry erase board)

bingo

sittercise(exercise that you do sitting in the chair)you can make up your own exercises

painting birdhouses,big pictures

crafts

nail painting

deepbreathing activites, visual imagery

balloon volleyball(split in teams and hit balloon back at forth)

parachute play

ball toss(like hot potato, use music and pass the ball)

wine and cheese socials(using sparkling cider and cheese) discuss current events

icecream social(i used food alot to bring them together to make simple conversation)

simple cooking(cookies, making ice-cream)

pictionary(make up simple items and have them draw it and others can guess

cut out pictures in magazines that discribes their personality and have them to paste it on posterboard.

try to get people to bring in pets for therapy

sing-alongs

current events discussion

plant flowers in claypot

instument playing

i worked on an adult psych unit for 5 years and a nursing home for 5 years. we did alot of stuff. it helps if you have a budget. i missed it but the more i did the more management wanted me to do.

if you can order the magazine creative forcasting it is a lifesaver. they have great ideas and thing that happen in the month www.creativeforecasting.net. s & s crafts at www.ssww.com/ssworldwide. oriental trading company at www.orientaltrading.com

i got alot of my supplies and ideas at these companies. good luck to you! people don't realize how hard it is to be creative.pm me if you have anymore questions.