Thanks for your feedback Karen, we'd love to hear how it goes!
Margaret
16th Oct 2018
Senior Recreational Therapist
Hi there everyone, We have started to do this exercise but we use fly swats and balloons. It is a great form of exercise and everyone in our day rooms enjoy it immensely. Actually some of our residents have gotten quite competitive. Works really well and very inexpensive to set up.
We have played this game in our memory care unit for several years. We love it. It is amazing how competitive memory care folks can get. The end of summer pool noodles can be found for a dollar each. We use the slender noodles as they are easier to hold on to. 10.00$'s invested in 10 noodles and you end up with 20 noodles (each noodle cut in half). It's a 10.00$ investment that will last you for years!
Because we have a resident that is afraid of balloons and breaking balloons, we use a beach ball with the noodles and call it "Whack a ball." We sit along two 8 foot rectangular tables and some residents' family members come and help because the beach ball always goes off the table at the end I'm not at. It's a wonderful moving, shaking and exercising game.
We use Mylar balloons for this activity. These type of balloons can be found at the Dollar Store, and are blown up with a straw. The can re-refilled as the air leaks out, but a straw will re-fill. We switched to Mylar because staff are allergic to latex in our facilities. Have Fun!
We also do this at our facility, we call it seated hockey, the residents sit each team on one side facing each other, with one team aiming to score on the opposite end, the residents love it, they just become so energetic.
I co-own and operate a small assisted living home in Pittsfield, NH (U.S.A.). We consistently seek ways to improve upon our senior activity program, providing a diversified balance of a purposeful and enjoyable time of recreation, crafting, exercise and others to reach all of our residents. I must say, it's been a challenge. This past October I began researching options online and came across your site, subscribing for a year to see what you were all about. Let me tell you, you have not disappointed! Your site is a priceless resource that we are extremely thankful for. We find a significant increase in resident participation and look forward to the new ideas that each month brings. Our residents love the changes!