Member Profile:
Haley
Recreation Therapist And Writer
From Illinois, United States 
About Haley: Activity professional with a passion to connect to family members in crisis. Writer committed to giving senior caregivers resources they need to succeed. Wife to a handsome Principal, Mama to an 8 year old little boy who makes my heart swell. Wannabe yogi and devoted lover of brownies.
36 Articles Write for Us
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15 Virtual Activities for Residents in Isolation
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed your activity calendar, and you might be struggling to find new ways to connect with your residents. If you have technology readily available in your community, you can begin to spice up your programming by using virtual activities.
Articles Coronavirus: Covid-19 1628 05 Comments New Member Activity
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COVID-19: Taking Care of Your Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic is downright stressful and overwhelming. Taking care of yourself is probably low on your priority list right now, but you won’t be able to take care of your residents if you are struggling. Here are a few easy ways to be gentle with yourself and focus on self-care during these trying times
Articles Coronavirus: Covid-19 474 1New Member Activity
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How to Support Residents in Lockdown
COVID-19 has drastically changed life inside of senior living communities throughout the globe. Here is how to maintain a sense of calm as well as how to connect with residents during this time.
Articles Coronavirus: Covid-19 2927 28 Comments New Member Activity
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How to Communicate with Volunteers
Effective communication is key to improving volunteer retention and satisfaction. Create your own communication framework to make the most of your volunteer program!
Volunteering 563 33 Comments Member Activity
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12 Ways to Support Visually Impaired Seniors
Many of your residents likely have some type of vision challenge, which can decrease leisure participation. Learn how to give them the tools and opportunities they need to enjoy activities.
Articles 1021 4Member Activity
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7 Ways To Spice Up Your Newsletter
Your community newsletter is a key part of communication between your department, the residents, family members, and staff. While you may have a system for getting it complete and distributed monthly, you may also notice that the content is a bit of the “same old, same old”. Here are fun things to add that could spice up your next edition.
Articles 1118 52 Comments Member Activity
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Your Role in Discharge Planning
When a resident leaves your community to head home, you can play an important role in setting them up for social success. Learn how here.
Articles 398 62 Comments Member Activity
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15 Goals for Your Activity Program
It’s never too early or too late to create a New Year resolution for your activity department. Find inspiration for your department here.
Articles 1408 74 Comments Member Activity
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How to Train Your Staff For Public Health Visits
When regulatory surveyors or accreditation teams walk into your door, everyone gets nervous. However, you can help your activities staff be confident by training them to be prepared.
Articles 629 8Member Activity
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Five Ways to Spice Up Your Exercise Program
Group exercise and movement is a crucial staple of a well-rounded activity program. It offers the opportunity for residents to move intentionally, working on fine and large motor skills, as well as improving strength, flexibility, endurance, and range of motion.
Articles Exercise 2655 94 Comments Member Activity
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8 Interventions for Culturally Diverse Seniors
Seniors from multicultural backgrounds are common in residential care communities. Language barriers and cultural differences can make care and daily life a challenge. Here’s how to honor differences and improve quality of life for seniors from multicultural backgrounds.
Articles Multicultural 564 102 Comments Member Activity
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How to Improve the Dining Experience for Seniors
Nutrition can get a bit tricky with age-related complications and conditions. Discover best practices to improve the dining experience for your residents.
Articles 1201 116 Comments Member Activity
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How to Setup a Pet Visiting Program
Pets can bring joy and comfort into the lives of our residents. However, it can feel overwhelming to set up a successful pet visiting program. Here’s how to do it at your community.
Articles Pet Therapy 759 124 Comments Member Activity
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How to Acknowledge Mistakes and Apologize
We do our best to provide quality programs and interactions for residents. However, mistakes are bound to happen. Learn how to acknowledge your mistakes and appropriately apologize, while making plans to assure your mistakes don't happen over and over.
Articles 700 132 Comments Member Activity
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Sifting and Sorting Bins for Dementia Care
Sorting and sifting bins are a wonderful staple to include in easy-to-grab areas for caregivers, family members, and residents to enjoy together. Here are inspiration and instruction to get you started.
Alzheimer's & Dementia Articles 2374 146 Comments Member Activity
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15 Evening Trip Destinations
Outings are essential for a healthy and engaging activity program. However, you don’t have to rely on daytime hours for successful outings! Instead, challenge yourself to add at least one evening trip to your program each quarter. Residents will love the new opportunities and you’ll realize it is worth the extra planning.
Articles Day Trips 924 152 Comments Member Activity
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Brain Games for Senior Care: What is Neurobics?
Your morning exercise program helps residents gain strength and weekly yoga classes help them increase their range of motion. But do you have a brain exercise program in place? Brain exercises are just as important as physical exercise for our residents. Learn a bit more about neurobics and why these interventions are key to keeping brains fit!
Articles 1334 163 Comments Member Activity
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Are You Using Your Local Library Enough?
Your local library is a haven for free activity supplies, easy activity ideas, 1:1 interventions, and endless inspiration for your busy community. Learn how to utilize this community resource even more than you already are.
Articles 564 178 Comments Member Activity
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Loneliness and Isolation in Nursing Homes
If a resident prefers to be alone, are they lonely? It can make us feel nervous when we don’t see residents at group activities. However, not all residents appear to want to create a social connection.
Articles Alzheimer's & Dementia 1737 181 Comment Member Activity
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13 Ways to Incorporate Math Into Your Activity Calendar
Math might not be everyone's favorite subject, but its foundations are in daily tasks like grocery shopping or in more complex tasks like construction. Using these daily and familiar operations, you can give the seniors you serve the chance to use their brain in a different way.
Articles Math 1461 198 Comments Member Activity
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6 Spring Art Activities Your Residents Will Love
New seasons bring new energy to your community and to the seniors you serve. Take advantage of new creativity by welcoming spring with some art offerings on your activity calendar!
Articles Spring (Northern Hemisphere) Spring (Southern Hemisphere) 1191 20Member Activity
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Tips for Working With a Challenging Supervisor
We have all encountered a challenging supervisor at least once in our careers. Whether you feel your supervisor is mean, unrealistic, or demanding, going into work can start to feel like a major chore. Learn how to work together by following a few of our tips, and make going to work fun (or at least tolerable) again.
Articles 1252 211 Comment Member Activity
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Bringing Art to Life in Your Community
Contrary to some beliefs, everyone is indeed an artist. Learn how to foster a love of all types of art in your senior care community, and how to create a showcase that will quickly become a favorite annual event.
Articles Craft Hobby Clubs 2298 222 Comments Member Activity
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8 Ways to Provide Armchair Travel Experiences
While your residents may not be able to explore different parts of the world in person, you can give them the next best thing - a full travel experience without leaving the activity room!
Articles Sensory Armchair Travel 2821 231 Comment Member Activity
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The Health Benefits of Silence in Senior Care
Have you ever left an event feeling exhausted and overstimulated? Our residents are often shuffled from one group activity to another, with little time for recuperating in between.
Articles 1471 249 Comments Member Activity
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The Magic of Being Silly
You know how you feel after a great laugh? The residents you serve don’t get the chance to laugh like that much in their senior years. Bring some playfulness and giggles to your community by giving yourself permission to be a bit silly.
Articles 3260 2513 Comments Member Activity
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5 Ways to Honor Residents by Validating Their Past
Make your residents feel special by honoring their pasts and talents with these activity ideas.
Articles 1817 265 Comments Member Activity
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How to Start a New Resident Welcome Program
New residents are a part of life for an Activity Professional. These new folks come through the doors feeling worried, dealing with serious pain, confusion, and other challenges. Here’s what you need to know to make sure everyone feels welcome and wanted.
Articles 2206 275 Comments Member Activity
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Portable Activity Ideas to Reach Every Resident, Everyday
Not every resident attends group activities, and it can be a serious struggle to find ways to get them engaged with recreation. Intentionally curated carts and baskets can increase your reach and keep your residents happily active.
Articles One-on-One 4903 2819 Comments Member Activity
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16 Ways to Promote Social Inclusion in Senior Care
Seniors who live in assisted living communities can struggle to feel connected and make friends. Activity Professionals play an important role in keeping residents socially connected by encouraging participation in creative ways.
Articles One-on-One 2468 295 Comments Member Activity
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How to Plan a Festival Of Lights Family Night
Planning a Family Night event right in the middle of the holiday season can feel extra stressful. However, you can pull off a beautiful Festival of Lights celebration by using some of these ideas. Take and adapt what works best for you and your seniors, making your event tailor-made for your community.
Articles Theme Days Christmas 1273 305 Comments Member Activity
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15 Ways to Practise Self Care and Avoid Burnout
You spend your workday caring for others. In between all that, you complete paperwork, make staff schedules and decorate the community room for the next party. Then, you head home to care for your family. One important question - who takes care of you?
Articles 1363 3111 Comments Member Activity
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15+ Ways to Find Intergenerational Partners
Have you ever wondered why you get calls from parents to bring in groups of kids caroling during Christmas time, but never again? Where do all the children volunteers go from January to November?
Articles Intergenerational 1065 323 Comments Member Activity
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How to Seek Calm In Your Busy Day
Make a commitment to take care of yourself throughout the day and week so that you have the energy to avoid burnout!
Articles 1257 333 Comments Member Activity
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20 Ways to Honor Loss in Your Community
Seniors experience loss of all kinds at a much higher rate than we do. Instead of shying away from addressing loss with your residents, honor it. Your residents will appreciate it, as will your staff members, and visitors.
Articles 1126 343 Comments Member Activity
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How to Plan a Successful Family Night
Help residents to connect with family members in a fun and pleasant way by planning a quarterly family night that everyone will love! Family nights give everyone the chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Articles 1148 355 Comments Member Activity
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21st Nov 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
How to Improve the Dining Experience for Seniors
1st Aug 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
1st Aug 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
1st Aug 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
10th Jul 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
Are You Using Your Local Library Enough?
10th Jul 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
Are You Using Your Local Library Enough?
5th Jul 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
Are You Using Your Local Library Enough?
29th May 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
27th May 2019
Recreation Therapist And Writer
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I have been using your site constantly over the last few weeks as I was allocated a client with young on-set dementia. Your strategies, games and ideas have been brilliant. Thanks again!
Anne Campbell
Behaviour Support Practitioner
Australia
How to Improve the Dining Experience for Seniors