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.
45 Articles Write for Us
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Pies and Cobblers Sensory Kit
For most of our residents, a homemade pie or cobbler was a part of their summer experience. You can recreate those memories by stimulating the senses by building a sensory kit to use during small groups or during 1:1 interactions.
Sensory Summer (Southern Hemisphere) Summer (Northern Hemisphere) 249 0New Member Activity
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How to Start a Read Aloud Program for Seniors
Reading is a popular leisure activity among people of all ages. However, reading aloud is often something we reserve for school-aged children. Learn how making a Read Aloud program can positively impact your residents, staff, and the entire community.
World Read Aloud Day 872 11 Comment Member Activity
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How to Manage Conflict Within Your Activity Department
Conflict between team members is common, especially in high-stress environments like a senior living community. However, conflict without a resolution can lead to grumpy staff members, increased turnover, and lots of drama. Here’s how to handle it appropriately.
Articles 1078 26 Comments Member Activity
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19 Ways for Residents to Socialize in Isolation
Social events don’t exactly meet social distancing guidelines, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still create a feeling of community with your residents. Here are ideas on how to share events without sharing contact.
Coronavirus: Covid-19 Articles 3333 314 Comments Member Activity
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30 Spiritual Activity Ideas
Spiritual pursuit can be especially important for some of your residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a quick roundup of ideas that could benefit your community.
Coronavirus: Covid-19 Articles 2726 45 Comments Member Activity
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17 Easy Arts and Craft Kits
Now is the perfect time to encourage creativity among your residents. You don’t need a lot of fancy supplies or even a group setting to make it happen. Create your own arts & craft to-go packs using ziplock bags for residents to enjoy in their rooms!
Coronavirus: Covid-19 Articles 3981 53 Comments Member Activity
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26 Ways to Rally Your Greater Community
The global COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our day to day duties with residents. However, there is a bright side to get you through these tough times: people really want to help.
Coronavirus: Covid-19 Articles 1975 62 Comments Member Activity
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15 Exercise Program Alternatives for Senior Care
Daily exercise groups are an activity department staple, but with most communities discouraging group activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be wondering how to keep it up. Here are a few ideas to get everyone up and moving together (while separate).
Coronavirus: Covid-19 Articles 3571 79 Comments Member Activity
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Coronavirus: 18 Activities for Dementia Care
If you are working as an Activity Professional in a memory care neighborhood right now, you are facing even more unique challenges in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping a calm and peaceful atmosphere, including activities, can feel overwhelming. Here are a few ideas to keep you and your residents engaged.
Articles Coronavirus: Covid-19 4589 812 Comments Member Activity
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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 5286 912 Comments 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 1800 107 Comments 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 4508 1113 Comments 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 636 124 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 1139 131 Comment Member 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 1252 143 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 420 153 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 1485 165 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 688 171 Comment Member 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 3057 185 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 635 193 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 1258 207 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 815 215 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 721 223 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 2909 237 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 991 243 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 1467 254 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 576 268 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 1980 272 Comments 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 1653 289 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) 1411 291 Comment Member 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 1293 302 Comments 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 2535 312 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 3162 321 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 1578 339 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 3533 3413 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 1871 355 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 2677 366 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 Coronavirus: Covid-19 6823 3725 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 2651 385 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 1342 395 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 Coronavirus: Covid-19 1611 4011 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 1086 413 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 1388 423 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 1155 433 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 1163 445 Comments Member Activity
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68 Comments
11th May 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
How to Manage Conflict Within Your Activity Department
20th Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
19 Ways for Residents to Socialize in Isolation
15th Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
14th Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
9th Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
26 Ways to Rally Your Greater Community
6th Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
15 Exercise Program Alternatives for Senior Care
2nd Apr 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
Coronavirus: 18 Activities for Dementia Care
19th Mar 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
How to Support Residents in Lockdown
19th Mar 2020
Recreation Therapist And Writer
COVID-19: Taking Care of Your Mental Health
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I truly am so grateful I have found this group. I am looking forward to your emails everyday and it feels like it has given me a new lease on my working life as I went through a rough patch for a while. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do!
Saskia Badenhorst
Activities Coordinator
South Africa
How to Start a Read Aloud Program for Seniors