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

I like this idea, plus with a small group or even one to one, get them to bring a photo along which is connected to a happy memory and other people can ask questions especially good for ones with early onset dementia.

I have an aunt in a care home for people with dementia and I always ask the residents questions about themselves and they love talking about their families and where they grew up etc.

Arseholes, you say? 🙄

Twister (sorry, couldn’t help it!)

September/October - make blackberry or sloe gin for Christmas 😂

I'm loving this post, it's like an antidote to all the horrible things in the news.

You could have a Brucey night with old style tv gameshows. It sounds like you have a budget so you could get a comedian to run it and do play your cards right, you could grab any couples out of the 'audience' and get them to do a generation game version of a dance, wherl of fortune etc .

A Greek night- break plates and dance.

A glamour night- get them to dress up and have glamorous men and women serve drinks. Give them funny awards.

Go round the world in a week/month. Every so many days do a non alcoholic cocktail, an alcoholic cocktail/ drink, meal, decorations, films, get staff to dress up and the residents too, language lessons etc.

I saw a video where residents in a home played hungry hippos with laundry baskets and light weight footballs with people in wheelchairs. Looked like loads of fun. Not sure how politically correct but everyone seemed to have an amazing time.

Speed dating... why not?

Get them to start a business and decide how to spend any earnings. Get them involved with it with local press etc and push it at local fairs/ car boots/ second hand shows.

My ds volunteered as a teenager for doe talking to old people. I know a lot of people have mentioned babies and primary children but secondary children can be lots of fun and both the residents and yp would benefit in a similar way. Obviously work with the schools on who would be sent etc.

You could have youth language lessons- I bet this would be really amusing. Translate the colloquial language used today for the residents with some young people (a-levels/hnc/hnd/degree).

A hemp class - legal products but let them try and see.

A burlesque show - old people aren't dead and why not likewise Anne summers etc.

Do any of the residents have any interests in certain types of vehicles or any special ones? Could you organise a day where vintage cars/ motorbikes etc attend.

See if any local businesses want reviews by older people or photo ops (glam them up and print it out when online or published).

I've got a good idea who you work for. Follow your counterparts on LinkedIn and see what they're doing.

Speak to your residents too, you'll discover some amazing stories that will get them involved in leading sessions based on their expertise. Looking at world events calendars is a good idea as well, Australia Day is a whole theme for example.

Star gazing ?

I was going to mention this. We have ROH & Ballet screenings at our community centre, and Flicks in the Sticks. Both sold out every time.

https://www.rbo.org.uk/stream?tab=explore

https://www.artsalive.co.uk/about-us/become-a-promoter/

Also look into VR entertainment. You can hire or buy the headsets, joysticks, etc. Content ranges from exciting driving adventures, through sports like ski-ing, to country walks & so on. I've never seen an old person not be wildly impressed by them, though I've seen plenty too scared to try it 😅

How about seeing if there's any resident interest in structured courses? Could be language learning, needlecraft, mechanics, maths, astronomy, art history ...anything you can get a certificate in.

Trash fashion show? Lots of plastic bags, binbags, waste paper, old newspapers and magazines, sellotape and masking tape. You can give them a theme (superheroes is good - capes are easy!) or just let them loose. Prize for the winner and get those who can do wear them on the catwalk.

A shared reading group? I go to one at our library. The leader chooses a short story from her vast collection and makes photocopies for the group. We read aloud around the group, a couple of pages each. No pressure for those who don’t want to read aloud. After the story we have a brew and cake and chat about the story. Sometimes add a poem in to on the same theme as the story.
Lately we have all bought the same book of short stories to read which saves on copying costs. This is one of the most enjoyable things that I do!

Ask them where they would like to go on visits. So often I it seems that the visit is to a particular thing but my Gran just liked being taken around the roads (particularly the back roads) near where she grew up as it brought back memories.
Can you link them up with some charity work in some way? If any of them knit, perhaps making preemie hats for the local NICU? Or perhaps making sensory mats for residents with dementia, whether in this home or at another home.

Pin the tail on the donkey

There is a Facebook page called carehome activity coordinators. This is UK wide and members share ideas and experiences. Might be worth joining it OP x

Amateur Dramatic groups would probably put on a show.

The group I was in did various things, including a special performance of our big shows just for the residents of a care home. We put on an extra night before the opening night. We also had a short review show that we could take out to care homes for those who couldn't travel.

If you have lots of more active people you could set up your own am dram group. Lots of non-acting roles as well for those who aren't that way inclined.

My mums care home is brilliant. They do themed days eg Greek day with flags up, big Greek lunch with baklava and traditional sweets, bouzouki music playing, and a quiz all about facts from Greece. They do a dog day where the staff bring their dogs and they have a show in the garden with prizes for scruffiest dog, most beautiful eyes etc and ice creams all round including for the dogs🤣, they celebrate every day going (st Patrick’s day, international women’s day, pancake day), they did a musical theatre day where some singers came in and they had a video quiz with clips from old musical movies and everyone got to wear a hat inspired by a musical…. It goes on and on. I am totally amazed by the events woman, she is a total marvel…
board game teas
trips to pizza express to make pizzas, garden centres, museums,
Local school kids doing concerts
making miniature gardens with moss and mosaics and tin foil and flowers

etc etc

Host a games session for a local.pre-school once a month?

My Mum's WI group do a local litter pick a few times a year. They all get involved and it is really popular.

They have fashion shows too where they can buy the clothes they see.

You could try talking to local youth organisations like Scouts/Guides to see if there is scope for joint events.

This used to be my job at charity, one of the ones that went down well was paranormal hunt.

African drumming workshop? I went to one as a corporate event and it was great fun, and imagine it would be a good community-building experience. I've seen them run locally to me aimed at children of various ages, so think the complexity can be adjusted according to ability of participants.

Actually grown up lego club would be awesome. Great for dexterity and exercising the mind in the same way as jigsaws. You can have the technical stuff for those who can manage it and some simpler sets for those who need it.

Learn to play instruments.
ukulele
drums

noisy, yes, but good for the brain and relatively simple to pick up

Grown up bouncy castle?

I went to a 90th Birthday party with a bouncy castle, it was brilliant. At one point there were three sisters with a combined age of over 250 on the bouncy castle together

Afternoon tea with vintage china.

Children performing nativity in December.

Children singing Xmas carols.

Origami demonstration workshop.

Line dancing.

Tea dance.

Cup cake icing into flowers.

You do realise that some one who was, say, 20 in the 1950s would be 90 now?

Haven’t read the full thread, but please consider offering some inter-generational activities. My Grandmothers care home don’t offer any (I have asked), and won’t help facilitate… and it is become increasingly difficult to visit with my LO - even if we could use the communal areas, they’re not safe realistically with other residents wandering around, and there is no privacy outside the room - which isn’t exactly child friendly despite best efforts…