You're in charge of arranging activities for residents in a care home. What are you going to plan? Unusual ideas welcomed

[AlpacaAPicnic]

This is a private retirement village with a very healthy budget for activities. They do all the usual things you might imagine - flower arranging, crafting, baking, rambling for those who are able, various talks arranged and various evening dos

But what can I suggest that's outside the box? They're very good at having some excellent ideas and have recently had therapy penguins (yes really), Caribbean evenings, barbershop quartets etc

It's my new role and I wondered if you could suggest something that might work. Of course I've got my own ideas but wondered if there was anything you'd like an older relative to experience

A mix of independent folk, those with dementia and those with care needs. We can do individual activities and tailor them to all residents

What about recording some resident stories? They probably have a bunch of anecdotes about the local area and local characters. It might be worthwhile digging up some old historical photos of the town and asking people what their memories were.
You could also compile a recipe book of favourite family recipes. A lot of this information is getting lost. My mum told me her mother had to put newspaper in her shoes because they had holes, and how the government rationed dummies for kids and her and her sister had to share one as babies. It’s all random information that I had no idea about, I think it would be fun to record this sort of stuff for future generations to read

OMG I need a therapy penguin!!
Bingo
Beetle Drive
"old time" karaoke
tea dance
learn a language
book club
if you have a local parkrun / junior parkrun they're always looking for volunteers if they've a means of getting there and are ok standing up
Bridge night
Board games
Life drawing art class ;)
grow some veg

Set up a choir
Murder mystery nights
Current affairs club - the men at my dad’s place love this. They sit around pontificating about the news.
Is there a local issue they’d campaign on? Putting in a new crossing or similar. This was hours of fun for the people at my dads. Big letter writing campaign. Spending hours sitting at windows counting cars going past for “evidence”!

A fashion show from a local boutique, showcasing attractive practical clothes, nightwear or undies but not too “ old wifey”

Sounds like a lovely place to "end your days" :)
How about linking up with your local primary school. Buddy up the able residents with a child as a kind of mentor/surrogate grand parent.

Then you can get the children to "interview" their mentor - get them asking about "the old days" anything interesting the elderly resident has done in the past. When the children go on holidays or even day trips they can send postcards back to their mentor. The children can come in for some of your other activities to help or the residents can go out to the school when they have performances or they can just listen to the children read?

I saw this on a local news programme once. The residents LOVED having the children around - especially those without family of their own. And the children benefitted from the extra learning and again - gaining experience from a totally different age group.

Might be a bit of work to set up as you'd have to find a willing school and presumably relevant safety checks done etc but remember when I saw it I thought it was a fabulous idea.

Tech updates / scam protection? Could probably get someone in to go through the current versions of scams (esp. romance ones?), how to have successful video calls with nearest and dearest etc.. - I remember there was a documentary on just after COVID, and Princess Anne was having to show the Queen how to use Zoom. (!) It made me wonder if we all expect every generation to just "know" how to do it?

Don’t know how old the residents are but music wise just be aware that an 80+ year old now would’ve been in their twenties in the 60s so may be more in to listening to the Beatles, Rolling Stones ect and not Daisy Daisy on a bicycle made for two ect !!

Film night? Get a projector set up vote on different film each time so suits all ages of resudents. and someone cone round with popcorn can get traditional over shoulder trays etc make own pick a mix. Toffees etc

Agree with previous poster about different theme good night tasting night etc different good of the world can cook the components for them and residents put together like greek wraps or greek salad or pasta/pizza etc

But even as basic as a resident this is my life type. Opportunity share memories and where grew up, jobs etc bet the other residents would get to know more about each other too and involves the dementia residents and doesant single anybody out.

Few things my nans home did.

You can buy murder mystery kits.....

OMG I need a therapy penguin!!

I think everyone needs a therapy penguin (especially me).

Horse and carriage rides
Visit to open air swimming pool
Crazy golf

Cinema evenings for lots of different eras of film. My Nana is in a care home and she'd love a 50s film night I think.

My Dad loved it when his care home arranged for eagles and owls etc to visit. He was mesmerised by them, talked about it for weeks. He loved theatre and cinema outings, day trips to NT places etc. A local primary school would visit, the children would do a little concert of songs they knew, that was always popular. Also lectures by residents who had something interesting in their background.

This, a 100 times over! I’ve been looking at care homes and day centres recently for my dad. There are a LOT of places still doing war song singalongs etc. My dad was a Stones fan in his teens and he likes Neil Young, U2, REM… he doesn’t want to sing war songs! Many people now going into care homes are too young to remember the war - it ended almost 80 years ago.

OP, your place sounds great - if it’s in the north west, please let me know where!

This is what I came to say…1940s tea dances…. People in their 80s now were only being born in the 1940s!

See if a local student band will come to play old time songs for a singalong. Not particularly original, but singing releases happy hormones and even those with dementia will remember old favourites
If you contact the schools ( maybe check private ad they tend to have loads of bands) this is something they might be very happy to do.

I'm 72, not yet ready for care but there's some good ideas here (please no entertainers singing We'll meet again, that's one of my nightmares)
Love the murder club idea.
Lots of 'unsolved case files on Amazon. (We've done a few of these with three generations, great fun and they get everyone involved. )

Here's the timetable for my local U3A. A mix of active and more sedentary pursuits, might give some more ideas. u3abeacon.org.uk/u3acalendar.php?u3a=751&sc=PFQB#

Mini Woodstock Festival !

Look up this guy on Instagram - he has the best games Joel Kruissenbrink on Upworthy

Any kind of history-themed guest speakers - so there might be a local history society who could offer speakers; or a local museum.

If they don't mind a bit of controversy, invite local politicians in to speak about issues of importance?

Make a connection with local secondary schools. The kids may come in to perform plays of concerts, or run a bingo? (I have taken secondary school age kids in to retirement homes to do this previously).

Any sort of arts and crafts.

Book club, and if possible get the author to visit? (Many do this to schools, so why not a retirement village as well). Could even include creative writing opportunities?

Any kind of cooking or baking course.

Wine tasting?

If they like animals, might be possible to get ferrets in to do ferret agility - I did this in a school once and it was amazing!

Any kind of musician might come and perform, or local choir, local amateur dramatics group etc.

A medium to come and give psychic readings?

Any kind of massage, beauty treatments etc......

If there is a call for it, Anne Summers party? (Sex doesn't end at seventy.....)

Are you just looking for things that can take place in the retirement village, or can you take the residents on day trips, even residential?

I want a therapy penguin.

Other, less exciting, ideas:
Beer tasting
Art lessons
Ballroom dancing
Owls/hawks/falcons
Book club
Pottery making
Bridge club

Agree with murder mystery suggestions.

When my dc went to primary school they had a link with the local nursing home. It worked nothing ways so the people in the home would talk to the children about history/their lives/how the local area had changed, would go to the school for Christmas dinner and watch the nativity.
The children would visit the home and put on a carol concert, take Christmas/Easter gifts, write letters to them etc.
It worked very well.

How about desert island discs - you or one keen resident could interview another as they pick say 5 of their favourite songs and choose a book and a luxury etc, could draw names from a hat for next time.

Another music idea could be a “listen through” of an album, again taking turns to pick the album - then serve some drinks and things during - encourage people to chat about their memories of that album or artist. Could be a real mix of genres from punk to opera.

love the idea of current affairs club!

Some amazing ideas! Jotted loads down and going to consider them all

Ive even come up with one of my own that could work! My daughter owns ragdolls, and one in particular is extremely soft and stupid. So we have therapy dogs - but surely some residents would love to see a therapy CAT?!! He's adorable to look at too and zero chance of any scratching so, for a short time only (45 mins) and in an enclosed room, he could be perfect!

My nans home did portraits of the residents. Nans hair was done, some lippy and mascara. Strangely though, a company came in with animals and accessories. Nan had a pink feather boa around her neck, a sparkly tiara and a pigeon, yes, a pigeon sitting on her shoulder! Its was the loveliest pic of my nan, but also the weirdest on so many levels!

I too was going to suggest some sort of gardening activity. Bulbs for spring or fast growing crops like raddish, lettuce etc.

Do you have a bird feeder in the garden? Make fat balls for the birds?

Painting- oil, water or acrylic. A life drawing class. Sketching. Paint by number or provide large sheets with a pre-printed outline stencil on there- for those less able to just do it free hand.

I don't know about the legality of bringing home cooked food in, but are the staff from a range of countries? Each bring a plate of something from their home country for residents to try. Multi-national day with flags and different foods. 1 activity could be making the flags the week before for the event. Or if residents are from different nations, they could dress in something from their country, or a select few stand up and talk about something unique about their home country.

Masseuse. Not for a full body thing, but seated and on their neck/shoulders, or hands and feet etc.

Silent disco with lights, glow sicks etc

Show and tell. Each resident presents and object and explains to the other residents why it has meaning/how to use it etc

Is there a garden? Get a few night vision cameras, put out water and cat/hedgehog food and if you capture any animals, have a film night or blow up the pics to show around

And (this might sound obvious but it's easy to forget when you are in the throws of organising things) don't forget to ask them what they want! You could do a survey with suggestions they can tick, and also a box for "other". Maybe even have a"working party" type meeting of residents who would like to get involved in the planning? That might be nice for those who are used to having an organisational role when they used to work, etc....