This is a challenging time for our Activities and Life Enrichment teams as well as our caregivers/frontline healthcare workers. In an effort to assist with preventing isolation, maintaining activity pursuits and preventing boredom, here are a few ideas to get some fun and energy back in our days!

• Hallway Bingo – set residents up in their doorways in chairs/wheelchairs with overbed tables and have a staff member stationed at the end of the hallway or readily available to assist residents as needed. Staff member calls out numbers and each resident plays bingo independently.
• Have staff do a dance line down the hallway and allow residents to vote on the best dancer(s)
• Play music over the house speakers or on a small speaker and talk about the artist and other songs; reminisce
• Have signs or ask residents to pick songs for Karaoke and have staff and/or residents perform them (be sure to sanitizer the microphone between use)
• Hallway Chair Yoga – assist residents to sit in chairs in their doorway and have staff lead them through some morning chair yoga stretches
• Hold church services on the television or streaming device when church services are offered
• Play trivia games with the residents
• Set up technology meeting times where staff can sit with the resident and assist them in video chatting with family members
• Set up a facility email address where friends and family can send thoughts, prayers, pictures etc.
• Adapt yard games: bean bag toss, ring toss, basketball shootouts (use a clean garbage can as the basket and a beach ball). Be sure all items being handled are able to be sanitized
• Read stories, scripture to individual residents who may need some comfort
• Ask about what provides comfort to them when they are “blue.” Then try to introduce items into the facility to make it more calming for those residents
• Print various pictures and provide large pieces of cardboard and let residents make collages of things they like; these can be in portable containers that can be wiped down in between use. Then they can be taken to residents that are in isolation.
• Care packages. Request that families and friends leave “care packages” to share with all residents at the front door. The care package can include festive decorations, party favors, trinkety items (candy, random toys etc.), non-perishable snacks etc. Then management gathers the residents each day and opens a new box!
• Complete crossword puzzles, word searches, puzzles, board games or card games
• Host a movie night with popcorn and other snacks
• Implement spirit days with applicable activities; for example, a luau, sport day
• Have residents make creative and colorful signs to hang in the windows; encouraging passersby to drive through, beep and wave!
• Place painter’s tape on the windows and provide wipe off markers or washable window paint to the residents. They can color/paint on the windows, then pull the tape off and you have stain glass windows!  

What are you doing with your team and residents? We would love to hear from you!

RiskManagement@healthcapusa.com

Take care & stay healthy!