Long Term Care Activities Department

my moms assisted living has a lot of activities. probably common AL activities. I think most family members know they can always be involved if they want to. its hard to plan ONE activity and expect family members to ALL be there. since some work or have other responsibilities. when ever I visit my mom. whatever is going on...from bingo to crafts. (they just made a craft to submit to county fair.) to ice cream on the patio. trivia, music, balloon ball. bowling(easy), group walks. I go and help out. but Im retired. so im available. I know other family would love to be there. they just cant be there. don't live in town or work etc.

But otherwise any activity you can involve/participate yourself, AL welcomes your help. So to your question what types of activities...all kinds. And whether family wants to GET involved(or able to) is up to them.

I used to visit as a volunteer at an assisted living place that had a great music program. Something always seemed to be going on, with different types of music and everybody encouraged to sing along or even dance a little. In good weather, they'd have it out on the patio. People -- guests and residents -- seemed to really enjoy these concerts.

There's something about music that seems able to reach people even through dementia, depression, etc. I would definitely look into tapping into that power if I were running an activities program.

None for family members unless it was on a Holiday.

My Mom was in a NH and I loved that they tried to get everyone involved. My Mom was in the latter stages of Dementia. She couldn't enjoy games where you had to concentrate, like Bingo and cards. I asked that she not be left alone in her room. She enjoyed watching if she couldn't participate. One game everyone seemed to be able to do was taking the pool noodles and cutting them in thirds. Giving each resident a third. Then a balloon was thrown in the middle of the table and they hit it back and forth. This Mom could do.

My daughter crocheted Twiddle Muffs. You can find them on the internet. You have different things that residents in late stages of Dementia can play with. You can make them personal. They can be sewn or knitted.

Seems to me that you would need primary sources like directly from the nursing homes and assisted living places themselves. A lot of people here are taking care of loved ones in their homes. Some are in assisted living or nursing homes, but I'm not sure how much research you will get done here since this is a support site for caregivers.