Learn About The Concerns Of Senior Citizens
Use August 21st to learn about concerns of senior citizens on a national and state level. Visit AARPs website to familiarize yourself with proposed bills that would support older Americans.
If there are bills you think would have an impact contact your federal or state representatives to get them to support it.
Encourage Others On Social Media To Do Something Nice For A Senior Citizen That Day
Think of all the silly things you post on your social media accounts. Instead of sharing another silly video, let them know National Senior Citizen Day is approaching. Encourage them to do something nice for a senior citizen.
You could even include this article to give your friends ideas on what they can do.
How To Celebrate Nurses Week And Other Healthcare Professional Holidays
This year it is more important than ever to find ways to celebrate Nurses Week and other healthcare professional holidays for your staff and volunteers. Honoring Healthcare Heroes during nationally recognized observances isnt just another item on your administrative to-do list it can produce important results for your organization, like increased employee retention, improved patient outcomes, and a positive brand impression for your most important audience: your patients. First lets take a minute to review all of the upcoming healthcare professional holidays where you have an opportunity to honor your team.
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Things To Do For National Assisted Living Week
Take a moment and reflect on how you would define family. Your definition may go beyond those you are related to by bloodline or share a last name. Perhaps your friend or neighbor came to mind. Poet Maya Angelou once said, Family isnt always blood, its the people in your life who want you in theirs: the ones who accept you for who you are, the ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what. National Assisted Living Week is September 10 16, and encourages assisted living communities across the country to celebrate the strong connections and friendships between family, residents, staff, community members, and volunteers.
Here are some activities to help celebrate this years theme, Family is Forever, with the people who mean the most.
Healthcare Recognition Dates: Everything You Need To Know
It is the time of year that HR professionals start planning for 2022. Savvy HR leaders know that recognition is important enough that early planning and budgeting are important.
This is the most comprehensive list that we have developed to date. Many general health awareness dates have been included for two reasons: HR professionals use them in employee wellness communications, and I have discovered many healthcare marketing departments are using our list as well.
Since everybody gets recognized by someone at some point, I am sure there are omissions. Contact me and we will verify your submission and add it to the list.
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A Spark Of Creativity This Year’s National Assisted Living Week Theme
National Assisted Living Week was established in 1995 to recognize the role assisted living has in caring for Americas seniors and disabled individuals. Organized by the National Center for Assisted Living, this annual practice brings together residents, their families, staff and volunteers, as well as their surrounding communities all over the country to partake in events,activities and celebrations of the individuals they care for while enlightening the public about the field.
This year, NALWs theme is A Spark of Creativity and it will place from September 8 to September 14, Sunday to Saturday. The theme is hoped to inspire residents to awaken their creative side through various activities, from the arts to other activities that keep seniors sharp.
Art therapy is one of the themes focuses. The method has been shown to have many benefits for the elderly, from improving or maintaining cognitive and sensory-motor capabilities, to nurturing self-esteem and self-awareness, encouraging socialization amongst each other, and helping meet their emotional needs. As the National Institute on Aging puts it: participating in the arts creates paths to healthy aging. These benefits are why we practice art therapy here in ComForCare.
Ways To Celebrate National Assisted Living Week
National Assisted Living Week is an annual holiday in which we take a week during the month of September to honor the residents in assisted living, as well as recognize the value our assisted living staff provides, not only to the residents for whom they are caring, but to the community as a whole. Each year the week has a different theme, and this year, the theme is Compassion, Community, Caring.
Because National Assisted Living Week is an opportunity to celebrate both assisted living staff and the residents they serve, we thought this would be a great opportunity to share some ideas about how you can celebrate National Assisted Living Week with both staff and residents of your local assisted living community.
Adopt a Resident
Many residents of assisted living communities have either lost touch with their family members or even outlived them, which can leave them feeling lonely and isolated. One of the best ways to celebrate National Assisted Living Week is to adopt a resident in your local assisted living community and visit them regularly so they have someone to talk to and they do not have to feel so isolated.
Remember to take some time to show your appreciation for the staff who are taking care of your adopted resident. It could be a small gift or treat, or just a sincere thank you when you come for your visits.
Create Art Together
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Baby Shower Games To Help Local Teen Pregnancy Center
This year based on the National Nursing Home week Theme about Nurturing, we will be starting our week long celebration on Mothers Day with a croissant luncheon. Following this wonderful lunch, we have planned a Community Service Project that reaches out to our future, Our facility is hosting a baby shower for the local teen pregnancy center. Our residents will be playing many fun baby shower games, and unwrapping baby gifts, when this fun event ends all of the gifts will be donated to the center. This was a great way for our elderly to be a part of the community and to be able to continue to nurture! This event allows the residents to feel as if they are still able to help, and promotes quality of life and usefulness . It is also a great sensory activity for the residents who are in need of increased stimulation, reminisce, and life skills.
We have also planned an american idol based event with staff and residents entertaining through out the week- with the finale on Friday- the American idol winner will not necessarily be the one with the most talent- it will be the one that is the most memorable with the most votes we are also making a ten foot banana split . We will be preparing this in a sanitized new rain gutter .
submitted by Linda Elmendorf
The Role Of Assisted Living Communities Today
Assisted living is part of a continuum of long-term care services that provides a combination of housing, personal care services, and healthcare, Crunk says. Typically, they serve individuals who need help with certain everyday activities and some healthcare services but do not require 24-hour skilled nursing care services for extended periods of time. The goal of assisted living is to maximize and maintain resident independence for as long as possible. Assisted living offers residents a unique mix of companionship, autonomy, privacy, and security in a home-like setting.
Typical services at an assisted living community may include supervision, housekeeping and maintenance, meals and dining services, medication management, transportation, and exercise, health, and wellness programs. Some assisted living communities may also specialize in serving individuals with very specific needs, such as Alzheimers disease or Parkinsons disease.
Regardless of the setting or specialization, assisted living communities are centered around the concept of person-centered care, where the services and care are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each resident.
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The Future Of Assisted
As Americas population ages, assisted living communities will play a larger and larger role within the long-term care continuum. The 14,000-strong membership of the American Health Care Association and NCAL continues to advocate for the long-term care profession. And now more than ever, its crucial to raise awareness around the work theyve done and continue to do.
The past year has been the most challenging in our professions history, but I believe a brighter future lies ahead, Crunk says. Assisted living will continue to grow and innovate while remaining rooted in how to best serve each unique resident. We are dedicated to learning from this pandemic, renewing our commitment to our seniors, and offering solutions that will improve the quality of care in assisted living for many generations to come. There has never been a more crucial, rewarding time to join the assisted living profession and serve our nations most vulnerable.
Matt Zbrog
Matt Zbrog is a writer and freelancer who has been living abroad since 2016. His nonfiction has been published by Euromaidan Press, Cirrus Gallery, and Our Thursday. Both his writing and his experience abroad are shaped by seeking out alternative lifestyles and counterculture movements, especially in developing nations. You can follow his travels through Eastern Europe and Central Asia on Instagram at . Hes recently finished his second novel, and is in no hurry to publish it.
National Assisted Living Week
Established in 1995 by the National Center for Assisted Living , National Assisted Living Week® provides a unique opportunity for residents, their loved ones, staff, volunteers, and local communities to recognize the role of assisted living in caring for Americas seniors and individuals with disabilities. This year, COVID has been an enormous, unforeseen challenge that has resulted in every person working in long term care to step up and go above and beyond expectations. At a time when the entire profession is doing so much, this years NALW theme, Caring is Essential, reflects the hard work and dedication of all the essential caregivers in assisted living facilities across the country. While it is more important than ever to celebrate NALW and recognize the staff and residents in assisted living communities, it can be challenging to determine how best to do so. Current social distancing rules and the inability of friends and family to enter the buildings due to COVID restrictions has changed much of the day-to-day life of the staff and the residents for the time being. Despite these hurdles, staff continue to play a critical role in caring for residents in senior living and should be honored for the incredible work they do every day.
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Ideas To Honor Staff For National Assisted Living Week
National Assisted Living Week is next week, September 13-19, 2020. Established by the National Center for Assisted Living in 1995, National Assisted Living Week® provides a unique opportunity to recognize the role staff play in caring for Americas seniors and individuals with disabilities. Below we share some things to consider as well as 20 ideas on how to celebrate.
Staff Luncheons: Keep infection control in mind when deciding what to order and how to host. Arrange staggered arrival times, set up outdoor picnics, or smaller luncheon cohorts to limit the potential to spread germs. Consider restaurants that can package each lunch individually to avoid communal serving dishes.
Prizes and giftbags: Provide door prizes throughout the week or in special recognition of a job well done. Involve residents in voting to award prizes for outstanding service . Consider gift certificates to restaurants, Visa gift cards, new scrubs, hand moisturizer/sanitizer, lip balm, pre-packaged treats, picture frames, craft kits, etc. If budget allows, consider a gift bag for each staff member. Dont overlook the inexpensive gift bag options from dollar stores and party supply retailers .
20 Ideas to Honor Staff for National Assisted Living Week
Thank The Senior Citizens You Know For Their Contributions
Think about the older adults that you know. Some of them are veterans. They may have fought bravely for our country. Some were teachers who may have assisted you during your formative years.
Regardless of their careers, some older people played an essential role in your childhood. Thank them for it. Tell them about the difference they made in your life.
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Improved Safety And Security
Assisted living communities are aware of the unique safety risks that older adults face and are designed with these in mind. For example, older adults are prone to falling, which can be life-threatening. Because of this, these communities have preventive measures in place such as assistive handrails, zero-entry showers, resident GPS-monitored personal alert buttons, and clutter-free policies to mitigate risk.
Assisted living communities also have protocols in place to protect residents in the face of emergencies such as natural disasters and safety threats.
What A Wonderful World
“What a Wonderful World” is a classic “old” song that’s very familiar to young and old. It’s one of those songs that’s timeless, that can bring young and old together very effectively. You can do this activity with residents on their own, or in an intergenerational group with family members or young friends.
Play Louis Armstrong’s version of the song. How does the song make you feel? What does it make you think about?
What do you think is wonderful about the world? What do you have to be thankful for?
As an extension, talk about people’s other favorite songs and what memories they associate with them.
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Assisted Living Week Activities
This is one of many free activities.
The 2020 theme for Assisted Living Week, which runs September 13-19 in America, is Caring Is EssentiAL. We love this theme as it reminds all of us that our roles in senior care are essential and crucial everyday, but especially during the days of COVID-19.
Here are just a few ways you can celebrate your entire team and community, giving everyone a much needed mood boost.
1. Make Care Packages for StaffCreate care packages for staff members, packed with a sweet treat and a handwritten note from a resident.
2. Write Handwritten NotesInvite family members to write notes or emails about what staff members have meant to them during this difficult time print these out to post throughout your community as well as read a few during your next event.
3. Make Homemade ButtonsPass out homemade I Am EssentiAL buttons to staff members.
4. Create Tie-Dye MasksHost a mask tie-dying party where residents and staff members can create a colorful pattern on a cotton mask.
5. Hide Kindness RocksPaint Kindness Rocks with residents that have encouraging or thankful sayings. Then, hide them throughout the community, grounds, and parking lot.
6. Invite Everyone for LunchOrder lunch in for your activity team from a favorite restaurant.
7. Eat Ice Cream TogetherCall a community ice cream truck, shaved ice truck, or food truck for staff members to enjoy in the parking lot.
Keeping Connected: National Assisted Living Week
National Assisted Living Week is an opportunity to celebrate those serve in assisted living and educate the public about long-term care. This years Assisted Living Week, September 11-17, had a Keeping Connected theme to recognize the expanding and exciting opportunities technology offers to residents and staff. Belmont Village communities across the nation celebrated the week and its Keeping Connected theme, acknowledging both technology and human connections.
Keeping Connected Through TechnologyYounger generations are growing up with technology thats much different from what our residents experienced as children. However, todays innovations play a big role for all generations.
Belmont Village Geneva Road celebrated technologys influence on everyday life by dedicating each day of the week to a different technological breakthrough. Starting with email, the week kicked off with a Grandparent Memories essay contest. Grandchildren wrote in to instantly share their favorite memories and at the end of the day, we have to say that all of our residents were winners! Each subsequent day included a how to activity to teach residents the ins and outs of tech gadgets like iPhones, FitBits and Wii. Residents, families and staff finished the week by using technology to give back with a bike-a-thon benefiting the Alzheimers Association. They took turns riding Belmonts stationary bikes for more than 12 continuous hours and raised $800!
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Volunteer At A Local Senior Citizen Center
Most communities have senior citizen centers that offer services and support to older adults. Contact the staff of these centers and ask how you can be of help in your local community.
Perhaps they will encourage you to volunteer with the Meals on Wheels program. Or maybe they will ask that you create toiletry kits to distribute to seniors in need. They might ask you to use your knowledge to teach a class to older people in your community. You can make a difference in a senior citizens life in many ways.
Thank The Senior Citizens Who Volunteer In Your Community
There are plenty of seniors who are using their free time to volunteer in your community. They are reading to kids at local schools, serving meals at funerals, and watering trees in public parks.
Take a moment to say thank you to those people who are making the most out of their retirement. They have worked hard all their lives and could be spending each day on the golf course. Instead, they are giving back to the community.
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Ask For Their Feedback
Sometimes the best way to show that you care is to open up and ask people whats on their minds. Take this time to reach out to each member of your team individually or send an anonymous survey to find out what keeps them around and what would motivate them to leave your organization. Form a list of the most common responses whether thats more opportunities for career growth or flexible hours and pledge to address them.