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Everybody wins with this program: Residents | Nursing Homes | Family & Friends
Description of  Letters  |  Mail Board | Volunteer Visitors of NH residents
     8-Step Campaign to bring more visitors to nursing home residents.

   

  All of us at MLI

   wish to extend

   our heartfelt

  thanks and deep

  appreciation

    

     TO:

 

Families & Friends

   of Residents

   Volunteers

    Nurses

NH Staff Members

  Administrators

 Activity Directors

    Residents

     Writers

    Editors

   Researchers

    Financiers

  ______

 

 

 Each of you

 stepped up to

 the plate with

 your talents,

   advice,

  suggestions

   and ideas,

   to make

 this program a

   reality.

 

 

  May you always

 carry with you the

   knowledge that

  years into the

  future, residents

   will be smiling

    laughing and

  singing because

  of the work you

  have done here.

 

 

 

 

 

   Back to

nursing homes activities home

       page

 

 

HOW TO BUILD NURSING HOME ACTIVITIES FOR NURSING HOMES AND NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

About us by Shannon Fire

  • The need = Activities and entertainment for nursing home residents

  • The idea = a nursing home activities program

  • The creation = an enormous variety of activities

  • The result = THE MLI ACTIVITIES MAIL BOARD

For more than 20 years, I have been a volunteer visitor to nursing home residents. Though I have no performance talents, I have considered my visits to be entertainment. The residents and I  read stories, played games, had wheel chair dances, sing-alongs, and even had tall tales contests. But mostly we’ve laughed. While taking joy and friendship to them, I have always been absolutely immersed in the fun and love they have given to me. Each, in his or her own individual way, has been my host, a jewel in my life, and my friend.

 

Yet when my mother moved into her local nursing home, 1,000 miles from my home, we both understood that I couldn’t visit her often. She said “I wouldn’t be so lonely, if I could just get mail. I’d even appreciate junk mail.” We both laughed because she had always complained about junk mail. I promised to write.

 

I wrote letters that would be fun and entertaining to her, included puzzles and games, cards that would make her laugh and stories that would sharpen her imagination. By editing, summarizing or rewriting newspaper articles, I could direct them specifically to her abilities to enjoy them.

 

Being very generous, kind and out-going, it was her beautiful nature to share her mail with others, so it wasn’t surprising to learn that she was reading my letters to her fellow residents. She said, “They don’t get mail. They like my letters.”

 

Since she had always enjoyed singing around the house, I sent the words to songs she had forgotten.  She set about teaching the songs to the residents and staff as well as any visitors she could corner for a sing-along. She even had the honor of singing over the intercom, much to the enjoyment of the entire home.

 

As I created and collected more material, I put together activity packets to use during my volunteer visits. I began giving them to families of residents, so they could add these enjoyable activities to their visits, with their loved ones. These packets were so successful in adding joy to their visits that they began telling others about them, who told others and soon I was getting more requests for activity packets than I could provide.

 

It became apparent that the best, most effective way to help the residents have a good time was  to make the activities available to them, inside  their perspective homes, with the people who live,  work, care for them and about them every day. Give possession of the material to the residents, allowing them access to the activities, at all times, and giving them the continual opportunity of being the hosts of play.

 

This pioneering effort would require thoughtful choices and careful consideration of  material, design and presentation criteria.

 

So began a 4-year research and development project that would include the help, sacrifice, hard work, financial support, talents and expertise of many, many wonderful people who shared a vision.   We were committed to building an entertainment and activity program that would charm residents, families, visitors and staff into smiling a lot, and we made sure that it would be simple and easy for  nursing homes to  implement and maintain.

 

We talked with Administrators, Activities Directors, Staff members, families and volunteers. They welcomed our questions, were supportive with suggestions, and cooperative in guiding us to build a well-designed program with a well-organized delivery system. 

 

Turning to the Internet broadened our variety of material. Young and old, city and country, poor and wealthy people wrote letters, submitted suggestions and helped develop ideas for projects that they felt residents would enjoy. Collecting letters, pictures, poetry,  games, riddles, songs, meditations, self image enhancing projects.

 

We read every piece of mail that was submitted to us, choose the ones with the most potential, edited them and then assigned each one into a category, according to the type of activity it provided.

 

We forward this mail to the residents by making a slot for each category on our custom made MAIL BOARD. This board is then hung on an easily accessible, prominent wall in your favorite nursing home for residents, staff and visitors to share and enjoy. New mail is posted every week.

 

All mail is presented in a fashion, to encourage ideas which open doors for conversation, activities and creativity. Visitors can share laughter, singing, learning, meditations, and exercise. They can read letters together, tell stories and relate their own life experiences, enjoy impromptu one-on-one or group sing-alongs while learning about the remarkable qualities of one another.  The variety of possibilities is unlimited, since the mail stimulates residents and visitors to nurture and share their own individual interests and talents. 

 

The result a turnkey entertainment and activities program specifically organized to work within the necessary framework of nursing homes. 

 

The best part is that no resident need ever be left out again.

 

We hope all of you enjoy sharing our Mail Board as much as we have enjoyed creating it for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Click on the links below for full descriptions of Activity Categories:

Record Your Memories Say hi or send a card  For your Delight  Jobs for Residents 

Let's Get Strong  Share A Song  Letters And Stuff  Learning Page  Armchair Vacation  Bridge For Pals 

Getting To Know You includes Loven Bloom Greeting Cards - Favorite States Posters - About Me Posters - Birthday Posters Birthday Badges - Name Badges - Star Goal Awards 

We also have packages available for:

Assisted Living Centers, Adult Day Care, Hospitals,

Hospices, Retirement Centers, Special Service Group homes

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