Times change and so do the needs of our senior citizens. From skilled nursing facilities to assisted living to Continued Care Retirement Communities like ours, it’s important to be person centered. Person Centered is all about understanding each individual resident and doing your best trying to come up with activities that benefit everyone. If you couple this with a “Less is Better” approach, then it leads to more life enriching experiences with all activities residents sign up for.
You don’t have to delve too much into “Person Centered” but I will use myself as an example. I lost most of my hearing during my late 20’s and became a cochlear implant recipient several years later, so, I’m not one to sit and socialize for long periods of time if the crowd is large. Similar to hearing loss, there are those who have English as their second language (ESS). Just like a person with hearing loss, ESS residents are trying to process conversation and keep up with the changing topics. Being mindful of these factors is crucial. That is why it’s good to have an activity within an activity on some occasions.
It goes well beyond syntax. More and more senior citizens are accepting and understanding their personality types. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How about the extroverted Introvert? All of this plays a role in how we organize, plan and execute certain activities. Think about your own experiences with family events. You may be sitting under a pavilion chatting away while your spouse is next to you playing cards or playing horseshoes nearby. They can enter and exit the conversation, interject with a joke as needed all while having fun with a separate activity.
I had all the above in mind when we ordered a mini golf putter that can be set up in seconds. Was it a big hit? In my eyes it was. If you have 15 residents at a coffee social and two come up to play then that’s a success. It served its purpose, and it gave residents options. As we move through time, I will think of other side distractions to further ensure social events are even more inclusive.
David Seaman
Life Enrichment Manager