Free Activity Calendar for Seniors

Hi Philip!

When you say dropdown, do you mean the "Starts on" field? If so, this is just what day the month starts, when you download the calendar it should have all days of the week.

If I'm not understanding you correctly, can you please send a copy of your downloaded calendar to [email protected] so we can take a look?

Thanks :)

Hi Amy!

We have tested Google Docs compatibiltiy before, and it works surprisingly well with our standard plain calendars (even icons) if you change the page orientation to Landscape after importing it. But sadly Google Docs does not support background images or transparency.

I personally use Google Drive extensively and would love that kind of integration, especially the always online/cloud features, but until they can support those feature it's not feasible.

The only workable solution is to use the plain calendar, import it into Google Docs, anbd then go to File > Page Setup, then choose Landscape, and you can set a solid background color.

Hope that helps!

Hi Lidija!

The Portrait/Landscape options have been added back :)

Hi Ash!

We did some updates a couple months ago where we made some updates, and removed the remove weekends options as it seems very few people were using it.

We are woking on some improvents and will look at adding this back. :)

Hey Ash,

Quick update - We've added back the Portrait/Landscape option and Weekends Show/Not Show :)

Hey Kelly :)

Make sure to select the paper size "Tabloid", which is 11x17, before downloading the template. That'll stretch the background properly, and then you won't have to change it in word or fiddle with it.

Hope that helps!

Hi Karen!

Thanks for the suggestions - we haven't added that feature yet, but we are planning on some updates :)

I think a lot of people would find weekly (and other) calendars useful.

Hi Sam!

Yes it does :)

There are two versions, Word and PDF.

You will need Microsoft Word to use the Word verison, this is our recommendation and why we default to this option. PDFs a great because they work on most devices these days, but they are not as easy to edit, and you can't save changes from your browser. But if you have Acrobat Reader, it's another great option.

Let me know how you go, I hope that helps!

Hey!

Here are two options that might help

1. Print the largest format possible: The easiest option would be to print at either A3 (297 x 420 mm) or Tabloid (11 x 17 in). Use a larger font size, and that is usually a good size for most people.

2. Create a Mulit-Page Poster: Use the largest size available (A3/Tabloid), and create your Calendar. You can use either the Word or PDF option. The only extra step is if you're using Microsoft Word, you need to save it as a PDF when you're ready to print (File > Save As > PDF).

Next, open Acrobat Reader (a free PDF program most computers use). Go to File > Print, and then select "Poster". Set your "Tile %" to whatever size you want, you can make these as big as you want with any printer.

I've attached a screenshot and a Calendar example of this option for you. Here is an example of a calendar over 12 pages!
12-Page October 2020

We don't offer printing services sorry, but you can probably do what you need yourself! :)

Hi Mimi!

From what I can tell you're using the PDF version of the calendar.

When using the PDF version you need a PDF program, like Acrobat. You can't open it in Google Chrome, or any other browser, as any changes you make won't be saved.

I know it's annoying, and I wish they supported this, but right now you need to open it in a separate program to add your activities, save, and then be able to print it.

I generally recommend the Word version because most people have Word, and saving is never an issue.

I hope that helps!

Hi Suzanne!

That is strange - I can't see any calendar downloads on your account recently, could you have used another computer or not have been logged in when trying to do this?

The backgrounds only work if you're a member, otherwise it will use a white background. Please double check and try again, then let me know! Thanks :)

Hi Jennifer!

The daily schedule has now been adding back with a few adjustments, including more options for how many rows to add. :)

Hi Sandra!

For a blank calendar, just set the option "Events & Icons" to "Hide", and also make sure to use the "Plain" theme. That should give you an emapy white calendar to work from!

Whoops sorry Lyn, all fixed, my fault :)

Glad to hear it's been working well over the last year for you!

Thank you Maurice
This is exactly why I love Golden Carers.

Hi Hanh!

Portrait/Landscape mode is back, we were making some changes and this now also works with the PDF version :)

Hi Janice,

Congratulations on your new role!

The best place to start is the video on using these calendars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jfLkztqZ-s

Let us know if there is something we can help you with specifically/

Thanks Janice!

Hi Leigh-Ann, we did the same; font 10 for the calendar but then we printed it in A3 form and placed one copy in each seniors' bedroom. This way it made it easier for them to read and inform their relatives and friends when visiting.

Hi Leigh-ann!

I'm curious, could you attach an example one of your calendars? And do you have any examples of previous calendars? Did they all fit in your previous template? I'd love to see an example.

Here are some ideas you can try with these templates?

1. Paper Size: One option is to select the largest paper size you're able to print. In a lot of cases, this is A3 / Tabloid. The more space on the page, the less cluttered the calendar report will be!

2. DOC Multi-Page: In a lot of cases, the Word Document version of the calendar is better for complex calendars as it gives you options to easily edit the content later.

3. Multi-Page PDF: If you're using the PDF option, make sure you click the "Multi-Page PDF" option. This will stop the system from trying to squeeze everything on to one page, and instead let it print onto multiple pages!

4. Font Size: Changing font size is an option for the Word Doc version, however, to get it working with PDFs you have to check the Multi-Page PDF described above!

5. Hide Weekends: If you don't schedule activities on weekends, you can actually hide them and just print a 5-day calendar!

6. Change Orientation: Sometimes printing in portrait mode (instead of landscape) can provide a cleaner calendar, especially when combined with Hide Weekends and Large Paper Size!

Let me know how you go :)

Thanks for the reply. We print it on Tabloid, so it it big paper but it is still in 10 font which makes it hard for the residents to see... is there any way of making it bigger font but still on 1 page?

Did you receive my attachments ?

Thank you for sending through screenshots Leigh-ann, we will reply to you privately and post again on this thread to notify everyone when the next update is rolled our for the calendar.

Hi Taylor,

We really do need to add this feature! It's been on our todo list for a while, I'll see what we can do :)

Technically this is possible to DIY with the Word Document version, however, it's a bit fiddly playing with backgrounds. I'll try to build it into this calendar system directly to make it easy!

Hi Nichole!

That sounds strange, can you tell me what month, paper size, and font size you've selected?

Also, do you have Microsoft Word installed, or are you using another program?

The two types of calendars available are for DOCX (Word) and PDF, have you tried them both? Any change? We provide two versions so that if you don't have one of the programs you can always use the other.

If you're still having issues please send a copy of your file to [email protected] so we can take a look!

Let me know how you go.

Hi Alison,

You can setup events to repeat as frequently as you need them to - daily, weekly, monthly etc. This saves you from having to re-enter them each time.

Hope this helps!
Talita

Hi Linda,

Could you please try again and make sure 2020 is selected?

If you're still having issues, please email our support with a screenshot of the issue so we can see if we can re-create it:
https://www.goldencarers.com/contact/

Thanks!

Hi Rebekah!

There is a paper size opiton for "Tabloid", which is 11 x 17 inches, which should be the same as Ledger. Let me know how you go :)

Hello!

What format are you not finding? To the best of my knowledge, we've always had Word Document and PDF versions, which are both still available.

The only difference in the last few years is we now have far more options, you can generate calendars with different page sizes, colourful backgrounds, and much more!

We also have calendar software which is free for Golden Carers members:
https://toolkit.goldencarers.com/

I hope that helps :)

Hi Rick,

That's an interesting use of the calendars!

I'm not sure I understand the issue though. Slideshow mode on a 16:9 screen should just add black bars left and right. I believe powerpoint has a 16:9 screen mode, so you could drag the JPG into that and re-export if you want an all-white display.

The issue with providing a 16:9 equivalent for each paper size is how vertically short that size is, it would almost always spill onto 2 pages or scale the font to be very small.

If you send a photo of the issue to [email protected] I can take a look!

Hey Jonathan!

Sorry about this, our fault. An update over the weekend broke the "Tabloid" paper size, but it's now working again :)

Hi Raafa!

The easiest way is always to print on larger paper, more room gives you the ability to increase the font size and include more activities. Smaller paper means less room and smaller font sizes.

Our templates already use the minimum recommended page margins, they're quite narrow. The plain templates also give you slightly more room because the table dividers are very small.

Toolkit, our professional activity management platform, is worth looking at for a better approach to managing calendars:
https://toolkit.goldencarers.com/

Hope that helps!

Hi Raafa,

We have the same problem, so our solution is old-school. We cut & paste, literally!
We print it on 2 pages, then cut the extra week off Pg 2 & glue it to the bottom of Pg1, then scan & print from there!
We don't want to go smaller than Font size 10, but some days we need more than 4 lines for activities, so this is what we came up with.

Linda :)

Hi Linda,

I would love to see a photo if you could take one! You can upload here, or send to [email protected] if that's easier. :)

Novel ways of using the calendars is great to see and can help us make improvements.

Hi Raquel!

The best place to start is the video on using these calendars :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jfLkztqZ-s

Once you've tested them out, let me know if you have any specific questions, happy to help.

Welcome to Golden Carers Raquel! Go to 'What's New' and then 'Calendar'; click on the month that you are interested in and choose the activity that suits you best.

Hi Adele,

We've just added the new backgrounds which were updated on Toolkit, so you can start using them with these downloadable templates too :)

Thanks for your feedback Gillian!

Thank you so much for your feedback Shirley, it means a lot to us!

Hi Sharon!

We will be updating this soon so the days are a little transparent, then you can see more of the background image :)

Hi Susan!

We don't have a Weekly Calendar download yet for Golden Carers, but we do have a professional activity and client management system which has Daily, Weekly, and Monthly calendar downloads called Golden Care Tools:
https://www.goldencaretools.com/

Hope that helps :)

Hi Susan!

There isn't weekly option yet for the Golden Carers printable calendars, but we do provide weekly calendars if you use Toolkit:

https://toolkit.goldencarers.com/

Toolkit is a professional online system for managing clients, attendance, and activities. If you have an active Golden Carers membership there is a free plan available if all you need to manage are activites:

https://toolkit.goldencarers.com/plans/

Hope that helps!

Hi. I'd love to use this but wonder if there Is any way this can be linked to an existing electronic calendar, e.g. microsoft outlook? I use an calendar on Outlook specifically for my Care Home activities but this would be a real improvement.

Hi Theresa!

The calendar automatically breaks onto a new page if there is too much content to display it all on one. Some solutions:

1. If you delete some of the events from March 1st and 21st (which have 5 activities each!) it will then automatically collapse onto 1 page

2. If you can print on an A3 printer then you'll have much more room available and it will print on 1 page

3. You can drop the font size down to 8pt, which will then give you enough space for 1 page

4. You can remove the automatic Golden Carers events, and the blank calendar ready for your own activities will fit onto 1 page

I hope that helps! :)

Hi Sandra!

If you print blank calendars they will always fit onto 1 page. As you start adding events, activities, and daily schedules, they will start to expand and will eventually break onto a new page.

You can prevent extra pages by either reducing font sizes, or increasing page size like A3.

Hope that helps!

Hi Connie! Interesting suggestion, would you mind attaching a photo of your creation? I don't see why we couldn't add a feature to be able to type a custom heading in the future :)

Hi Janet!

Have you tried some of the larger font sizes, particularly 16pt / 18pt / 20pt? The "Microsoft Word" version will give you more flexibility, as you can always change the font size after generating it.

PDFs aren't editable files so they can't be changed afterwards.

We've also recently added a "Tabloid" printing option, this is an 11" by 17" page, so if you can print at that size it gives you far more room to increase the font size and it will be easier for your residents to see the activities.

Lastly, if you don't have weekend activities, you could use the 5-Day option in Portrait mode.

If you have any other suggestions please let us know, we're always looking to improve!

Hi Tonya!

We do have a custom background image feature in the works :)

Clipart can always be added using the Microsoft Word version, as this is a feature built directly into the program.

We've added a simple "Icon" feature which will automatically add nice clean icons to each Golden Carers event, however, if you want full control I'd suggest using Word to add your own.

Hope that helps!

We have the same problem, needing 6 lines some days.
You can't get more than 4 lines unless you go lower in font size than 10, which is too small for our residents.
So what we do is print it on 2 pages, then cut the 2nd page out & stick it on the bottom of the first page. Kind of old school, but it works!

Great to hear your solution Linda! Another idea is to print on a larger paper size, like A3 or Tabloid, and then switch to Portrait mode. That will give you far more room vertically and it may just onto 1 page depending on the number of activities. :)

Thanks so much Gillian! I'm so glad it is helpful for you!

Hey Donna! Are you still having trouble? We've moved the full 12-month download to the top of the "Months" section, the option was a little hidden. You can download the full 2019 calendar anytime you like :)

Thank you SO Much for your feedback Alison! We appreciate it so much! x

Hi Susan!

The Calendars on Golden Carers (above) are designed in a way that people can download the templates and use them however they like. It's fully up to them to add, remove, update, and plan their calendars on a monthly basis.

The Golden Care Tools (https://www.goldencaretools.com) system is a far more sophisticated online program that is designed as a professional service. Generally, a facility or workplace will pay for Golden Care Tools directly, as it lets you add and manage clients, schedule activities, and then allows detailed reports to be created for and use for accreditation and government audits.

You can see a quick overview of the features here:
https://www.goldencaretools.com/features/

The Quickstart video is a great place to see exactly how the system works:
https://www.goldencaretools.com/quickstart/

I hope that helps answer you question!

Hey Kayleigh!

We'll take a look and see how easy this is to setup.

Do you use Portrait calendars often? Is there any particular reason you choose them over the more known Landscape version?

Hi Maurice,
It's easier for me to use portrait when I'm working on my newsletter. In publisher, you aren't able to use portrait on one page and landscape on another, they all have to be the same format.
Also, it's uploaded to a resident website, and they prefer for it to be in portrait view as well. Thanks for the response!

Hi Kayleigh!

Good news, we've just released two new Calendar features:

1. 7-Day Week and 5-Day Week Calendars
2. Landscape and Portrait Mode

I can recommend the 5-Day week layout in Portrait mode with a larger page size and a background image, it works really well :)

Let me know how you go!

Hi Linda!

There are a couple things you can do if reducing the font size isn't giving you enough room:

1. Let it spill over two pages: When entering information if you run out of space the word document will automatically spill onto a new page,

2. Print a larger page size; If you have an A3 Printer, or print can print on two A4 pieces of paper and stick them together, you'll have a lot more room to enter information.

I hope that helps!

Thanks so much for your feedback Shearee! Let me get back to you on this one!

Hi Shearee!

Ahh that's lovely to hear, thanks for the feedback!

We removed the yearly printing option as it didn't seem very useful when using backgrounds as they all end up being the same. However I can see how it would be useful for plain calendars.

We'll take a look and see if we can add the option :)

Yearly calendars have been added, you can now download entire years in one click! :)

Hey Kelly!

We're launching new calendars very soon, I think they might do exactly what you're after :)

Hey Teri!

The Word Documents should already be Legal paper size, which is 8.5 by 11 inches. So you're good to go :)

If anyone else reading ever needs to change to A4, A3, or another size, all you do is click the Layout tab, then the Size button, and finally select whichever paper size you need.

Hope it helps.

Hi Kathie!

We've recently completely upgraded our Activity Calendar system. You can now do everything you asked for (and much more) with a few simple clicks :)

Hi Heidi, you can add clipart if you download the Word Document version!

Hi Fiona, we have had a number of requests for this. We will be releasing the 2018 calendar in September and will make sure this is scheduled in earlier for 2019! I'll let you know as soon as it's out.

Thanks for your feedback Pam! The calendar is now available starting from Sunday or Monday, just select which tab is relevant to you. Cheers!

Thanks so much for your feedback Mary! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

Hi Vanessa, early dementia symptoms vary from person to person, which is why it is important to offer meaningful activities based on individual tastes as much as possible. If that is not practical you may try activities that stir the memory, improve motor skills, promote creativity, and make them feel included and needed. Most activities in Golden Carers are suitable for early dementia. You will be the judge as to whether activities need to be modified for safety and practicality. Activities such as puzzles, singing, painting, colouring, carpet bowling, cooking, collage, gardening and many others are a good starting point. Best wishes.

Here is a category dedicated to dementia on the website:
https://www.goldencarers.com/dementia/

Here is a good article to get started with:
https://www.goldencarers.com/sensory-stimulation-for-dementia-care/4184/

All the best Vanessa.