How to Conduct an Activities Survey

A Guide for Activity Coordinators working in Senior Care.

Activity Programs are central to Quality of Care

There are a number of characteristics that prospective residents and families will look at to get a feeling for the quality of care provided at a long term care facility. These include:

• the environment
• services offered
• living quarters
• appearance and demeanour of current residents

and of course…

• the Leisure / Activities Program

Lack of engagement is a common problem

Sometimes Activity Programs can become stale due to routine. Residents may lack interest and enthusiasm for the activities on offer. Don't be hard on yourself, this can happen to anyone in any type of business!

A lack of engagement in activities is a common problem Activity Coordinators face. This may be due to a number of factors:

• Clients may attend activities out of habit
• Clients may gather in the recreation area because it is the place to be not out of interest for the activities on offer
• Clients may be bored with activities (even if they do not express this to you)
• Too much importance is being placed on certain activities leaving others to wane
• Staff conducting activities may lack enthusiasm
• Common behavioural disturbances in clients (such as apathy) could be a contributing factor

Surveys can help you quickly gather important feedback

Activity Coordinators should consider conducting a survey of residents to seek feedback on the Activities Program annually or bi-annually.

Surveys can be extensive or concise depending on the data that is sought. In this instance, I am providing an example of a small survey that can be examined in record time (see below - Activity Program Survey). A more comprehensive survey is also provided (see below - Resident Lifestyle Survey).

Ponder over your Activity Program. Ask yourself if the activities on offer are still relevant to the needs of clients. It may be time for a makeover!

Conduct a survey and ask your clients for feedback regarding your Program and how to improve it. Some clients won't be able to take the survey on their own, so place a message in your newsletter to make relatives aware of the survey and assist their lover-ones with it.

We'd love to hear your feedback!
Have you run a survey in the past? Were you able to gather useful data from it?