Here are some wonderful Nursing Home Activities sent in by site visitors. Check them out, try them, let us know how they worked for you and please send us MORE activity ideas too!
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 (new and used) 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 (not to mention all of the fun we will have!). 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 (it looks just like a huge banana boat).”
submitted by Linda Elmendorf
Rainbow Theme
“We used a Rainbow Theme with each day focused on a different color. We planned events related to each color and we created snack items in that color – for example, on Red Day, we had jello jigglers cut in squares and circles. We involved many departments by creating Teams to plan each day. The Therapeutic Recreation coordinated the week and planned and led Friday’s Rainbow Day. On Rainbow Day we painted t-shirts in our second floor lobby providing needed assistance to residents so they could join in the fun.”
submitted by Carol Shultis
Theme Days
“We have an opening ceremony on Monday with a special blessing and balloon release with the residents and staff. Each day of the week a department picks a theme and everyone dresses for the day and we have activities for that theme.
This year the business office is doing Baseball Day. We wear team jerseys, have snacks like peanuts and popcorn, and will have a ‘baseball’ game with the residents. Tuesday is Hippie Day sponsored by nursing, dressed in tie die, beads or other hippie attire. There will be 60’s and 70’s music. Wednesday is Tropical Paradise day, dress Tropical. We party with tropical drinks and entertainment playing the ukulele, and we play beach ball volleyball. Thursday is Western Day with the dietary unit. Southern barbeque to eat and horseshoes to play. Friday is the finale sponsored by Housekeeping and Laundry. It is Fiesta Day with Mariachis and Mexican Food.
Each day the dining room is decorated for the theme. It is a lot of fun!”
submitted by Carole
Wheelchair Derby
“Every year during Nursing Home Week we hold a Wheelchair Derby. Staff members work in teams of 4 to get a baton from one end of the “race course” to the other. The team with the fastest time earns the right to display a coveted trophy until the next Derby rolls around (pun intended!) Our residents LOVE to see their caregivers careening down the hallways in wheelchairs! It is a lot of fun. We provide residents and visitors with noisemakers and signs with which to cheer. Everyone looks forward to this all year long, and many start practicing months ahead of time. The straight-a-ways are OK, but the curves’ll get ya’ every time!!!”
submitted by Margie
Penny Drop
“During National N.H. week Magnolia Manor Nursing Center has been having a fun & exciting way to raise money & raise self esteem amongst the residents and it promotes fun & friendly competition among staff, family & residents. We crown a King & Queen every year during National N.H. Week but this is an excellent way to raise money for activities. We call it the “Penny Drop”.
Each unit (we have 5) nominates a nominee for King & Queen. Once the names are counted for each unit we have a total. We announce the nominee’s for each unit and each unit gets a large canister and the contest begins. Which ever unit collects the most pennies has the new King & Queen.
It’s been such a wonderful way to celebrate National N.H. week in our facility because everyone gets involved. The residents all wear foil crowns while encouraging families, staff, and other residents to donate a penny to their canister. Yes, we do accept more than pennies, a dollar!”
submitted by Missy
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