Owen

I could not agree more with the comments and suggestions. I found this in my case and I am now involved in many of the ideas to make me feel part of the residential gathering like saying grace before the meal, leading discussions, helping with ideas for the programme from Golden Carers which has lots of ideas, some of which I have even contributed. And as a keen photographer and former press journalist I enjoy taking pictures of the group's activities for our end of year pictorial record.
All this for my integration into to fold and personal satisfaction as well as enjoyment.
Owen

Well done Jenny, it is very important to get residents talking, even if it is by themselves or in teams. We find it is hard to get a word out of some of the residents because they are shy, don't want the others to hear them say something wrong, or just do not want to take part. Really, one of the reasons that they attend such a Senior Care facility is to get them out of themselves.
Good luck with your efforts,
Owen

Yes, I agree that it is good for our brains as well. Many would achieve improvement in their memory by taking notice of this remark too.
Get to be a "leftie".

Owen,
Life Member Scouts New Zealand

As a Scout I like to follow the lead of our founder Lord Baden-Powell and shake hands left-handed with other Scouts as well as using my left hand as far as I can for most normal activities. I am becoming better at using my left hand for many things like batting at playing cricket, golf, baseball, as well as throwing games like quoits, skittles, marbles, bowls and so on. Writing is one thing I have yet to master. But Baden-Powell was so ambi-dexterous he could write, draw, paint and do everything with both hands equally as well. It is really something to aim at in case you lose the use of your right hand through a stroke, an accident, or whatever. Plan ahead.
Owen,
Life Member, Scouts New Zealand.
.

Congratulations to Liza and Fernanda.
We do this one in Scouting. It is called Kim's Game and was invented by Baden-Powell from the work of Rudyard Kipling. If you read "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling Chapter 9 you will learn what Kim's Game is. Baden-Powell thought that it was a splendid game for developing observation in Boy Scouts. There are many forms and it can be developed for Seniors with memory deficits, even dementia. See any Scout manual and it will be part of a Scouting activity.

Owen
Life Member Scouts New Zealand

Here is a steal from The Scout Movement where the activity is called "Kim's Game. Baden-Powell was a great friend of Rudyard Kipling and if you read Kipling's book "Kim" you will learn what "Kim's Game" is and how developed the game for Scouts to develop their memories. It is a good game for Seniors to develop their memories, particularly for those with dementia. There are numerous forms of "Kim's Game" in Scouting books so perhaps Golden Carers Activity Team can come up with a similar activity for Seniors. I can help from my experience in Scouting if that would be of any assistance.
Owen
Life Member Scouts New Zealand

Quite a good alternative Sherry. All our residents were excited when each letter was uncovered one by one. But there are other alternatives, each one being exciting and fun for the oldies. Thanks for the comment.

Owen
Life Member Scouts New Zealand

Thanks for accepting the white board guess the word activity game I sent. I hope many groups will try it out on their residents and find it interesting as our group did. I will be interested to get all comments.
Owen

A new activity has been posted by a Golden Carers member: Guess the Word Game

Very interesting comments here. We had a Maori resident at The Redwood Club who said the grace before our midday meal always in the Maori language. He later left for care where he died and I took over his small contribution but not in Maori as I do not speak the language. However for Maori Language Week I researched a grace in Maori, printed off copies for all the residents and staff, reciting as best I could as a tribute to our own cultural heritage as well as competence. We could do this for other cultures among our residents as we have a Samoan, Pitcairn Islander, Dutch, Chinese, and two other Pacific Islanders in our small gathering. Let us do more for "Treating others the way they want to be treated" should be our guiding rule.