Any Ideas???

[VM85]

So I work at an Assisted Living facility- where the residents are pretty independant. A problem I am having is that there is this resident who does not have very good sight, actually it is pretty bad. She feels her way around the facility and does ALOT of walking. So she has been gettin extremely aggitated lately and I understand why. She does not participate in activities as she can not see. She does not socialize because she can not even tell when a person is in front of her unless you say her name and she is a little HOH. She is pretty A&O and just seems like she has secluded herself. So I was talking to her the other night and she was pretty upset- I can tell she is very frustrated! So I began talking with her and basically she is just VERY VERY BORED! She does not use brail, her sight was fine at a prior time( Im not sure when- I am new to the facility and so is the other nurse). I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how I can make this residents life a little more productive and enriched- I want to be able to give her something to do. She will not go into the theater for the movie- since she can not see it, even though I told her she can listen....she does like music, but says she cant just sit there listening to it for hours. She likes to stay up late and walk around the building, but since its assisted living, she does go outside and I dont want her to wander off and not find her way back(and worse), especially in the dark, but I cant restrict her, its her right.....any one have any ideas?

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

What about audio books? I don't know if they are costly or not, but, maybe the activities director may know how to obtain some cheap ones that she may be interested in? Are there volunteers that can visit with her, maybe? I haven't worked in assisted living to know the set up or daily life, but I can understand her frustration, boredom and your desire to help her. I hope others with experience in this area can assist.

[Lexxie, LPN]

What about audio books? I don't know if they are costly or not, but, maybe the activities director may know how to obtain some cheap ones that she may be interested in?

The Blind Association in my area provides free books on tape to those who cannot see.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Perhaps this elderly lady is depressed due to her issues with poor eyesight and hearing. If she is depressed, then her underlying psychosocial issues need to be addressed, and maybe a psychiatric consult would be beneficial.

You can lead a depressed person to the activities room, but you cannot make him/her engage in the activities.