Activities directors at local senior centers strive to bring merriment
By MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Babies' tiny handprints symbolize the miracle of new life and the endless possibilities that lie ahead. But as childhood fades, we often stop making those treasured keepsakes.
Activities assistants at Moravian Manor retirement community in Lititz recently helped residents create equally priceless family heirlooms.
Some residents' hands aren't as strong as they once were, shaking as they roll out clay or struggling to press hard enough to leave an impression.
Decorated with ribbon, the handprints will make meaningful holiday gifts, telling stories of love, loss and life unfolding over decades.
Activities assistant Kerry Dering admires one woman's finished print. "That's a work of art right there," she says.
Age and declining health sometimes keep older adults from doing activities they once enjoyed, but that doesn't mean seniors have to sit in their rooms. Activities professionals bring opportunities for entertainment and social interaction directly to residents of local retirement communities.
Members of the Lancaster Activities Directors Association say they aim to engage older adults with activities
that go well beyond standards such as bingo. The handprint project was one of a half-dozen activities Moravian Manor offered within a five-hour span on a recent weekday. "We help (residents) really live," says Carol Gockley, a LADA member and recently retired activities director for a number of local communities. At the same time, the activities profession has come to a crossroads, LADA president Jackie Holzel says. In the difficult economy, activities programs and staff frequently are targeted for cuts, she says. But a vibrant activities program is crucial to residents' quality of life, says Holzel, Moravian Manor's therapeutic recreation supervisor. "When (residents) come in here, they've lost their house. Many times they've lost their spouse; they've lost their pets," she says. "Many times they can't do the things they used to do. Our mission is, how do we make this person whole again?" A full calendar The state Department of Health requires retirement communities to post monthly activities calendars. Activities must appeal to residents with varying interests and abilities, from those who are fairly independent to others who have dementia. "You have to be really creative in this job," Holzel says. "To me, it's a mission." Bingo has a place on Moravian Manor's December calendar. But residents also will find cooking classes and concerts. Visits from birds, babies and Boy Scouts. A puppet show, singalong, and wine and cheese social. Activities staff carefully avoid using the term "exercise." Call it "balloon volleyball," and residents will actually show up. Some activities are unexpected hits. LADA members have discovered that many older adults are surprisingly fond of squirt guns. Activities staff often must work around limitations brought on by age or poor health. Modifying activities can be as simple as building raised beds for a gardener with bad knees or locating a portable keyboard for a room-bound pianist. "It's rewarding to see people grow and be happy and do things they didn't think they could," Gockley says. At one community, she helped plan an annual beach day, when staff brought in sand and small pools, and piped in wave sounds. Residents built sandcastles and sipped "mocktails." But activities aren't all fun and games. Staff must regularly report on residents' participation to families, administrators and the state health department. If a Moravian Manor resident does not attend daily activities, the staff visits his or her room, offering devotionals, walks, hand massages or another favorite activity. "Our job is to lighten their world, to make them a little happier until they pass," says Sharon Krushinski, an activities assistant on the community's dementia unit. "What an opportunity." In a day's work Like other "caregiving" occupations, most activities staffs are dominated by women. Creativity, a positive attitude and a passion for working with older adults are essential. Entry-level hourly wages start as low as $9, Holzel says. Some states require certification through the National Certification Council for Activities Professionals. Pennsylvania does not. Many local activities professionals do choose to get certified, which requires continuing education, Holzel says. Dori Groff, life enrichment coordinator at Landis Homes, Lititz, says her first question of a job applicant is whether he or she can sing or play a musical instrument. "Music is so huge to the elderly, especially with dementia," Groff says. "I wouldn't hire someone if they couldn't at least sing 'Jesus Loves Me.' " The profession's physical demands include pushing wheelchairs and managing dementia patients' challenging behaviors. But the emotional demands can weigh even more heavily. Many activities professionals form close relationships with residents, especially those with no nearby family. "You literally give everything you have ... every day," says Groff, who has attended many residents' funerals. Activities staff don't assist in painful or intimate tasks, such as removing bandages or toileting. That lack of demands allows strong bonds to form. "They can trust us," Holzel says. "We have no side other than theirs." But LADA members say not everyone recognizes the value of activities programs. The economy has led some local retirement communities to trim activities budgets, they say. Many communities also have adopted "household" models, where instead of specializing in a single area, staff members perform many tasks, including dietary, nursing, housekeeping and activities. The household model has many benefits, LADA members say. But essentials like nutrition and toilet assistance must take priority, and activities might become as simple as watching TV or reading a newspaper. "When you have somebody with a million things to get done, (activities) doesn't get done," Groff says. 'We're the fun people' On a recent afternoon, Krushinski and fellow activities assistant Mike Treier visit rooms behind the locked doors of Moravian Manor's Herrnhut Community dementia unit. This month, the activities staff will bring candy canes, cocoa, trivia and birds on their visits to the 32-room unit, whose name translates to "the Lord's protective care" in German. Today Treier strums an acoustic guitar as he and Krushinski sing classic Christmas carols. "We're the fun people," Krushinski says. Some residents abandon naps and soap operas to welcome the visitors. Others show less interest. One woman sits quietly through the first carol. But she can't resist singing along to "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." After the room visits, Krushinski and a group of volunteers transport residents in wheelchairs to rehearsal for Moravian Manor's holiday show. A woman who agreed to practice yesterday flatly refuses to go today. Krushinski simply says "OK" and moves on. "You can't argue with dementia," she says. "We try to encourage." Krushinski and the volunteers arrange residents' wheelchairs in a semicircle at the front of the community's chapel. Accompanied by a volunteer on piano, the residents practice singing carols. During a spirited rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," one man stumbles on the words. But he quickly recovers, his strong, clear voice carrying all the way to the back of the chapel. mschweigert@lnpnews.com
that go well beyond standards such as bingo. The handprint project was one of a half-dozen activities Moravian Manor offered within a five-hour span on a recent weekday. "We help (residents) really live," says Carol Gockley, a LADA member and recently retired activities director for a number of local communities. At the same time, the activities profession has come to a crossroads, LADA president Jackie Holzel says. In the difficult economy, activities programs and staff frequently are targeted for cuts, she says. But a vibrant activities program is crucial to residents' quality of life, says Holzel, Moravian Manor's therapeutic recreation supervisor. "When (residents) come in here, they've lost their house. Many times they've lost their spouse; they've lost their pets," she says. "Many times they can't do the things they used to do. Our mission is, how do we make this person whole again?" A full calendar The state Department of Health requires retirement communities to post monthly activities calendars. Activities must appeal to residents with varying interests and abilities, from those who are fairly independent to others who have dementia. "You have to be really creative in this job," Holzel says. "To me, it's a mission." Bingo has a place on Moravian Manor's December calendar. But residents also will find cooking classes and concerts. Visits from birds, babies and Boy Scouts. A puppet show, singalong, and wine and cheese social. Activities staff carefully avoid using the term "exercise." Call it "balloon volleyball," and residents will actually show up. Some activities are unexpected hits. LADA members have discovered that many older adults are surprisingly fond of squirt guns. Activities staff often must work around limitations brought on by age or poor health. Modifying activities can be as simple as building raised beds for a gardener with bad knees or locating a portable keyboard for a room-bound pianist. "It's rewarding to see people grow and be happy and do things they didn't think they could," Gockley says. At one community, she helped plan an annual beach day, when staff brought in sand and small pools, and piped in wave sounds. Residents built sandcastles and sipped "mocktails." But activities aren't all fun and games. Staff must regularly report on residents' participation to families, administrators and the state health department. If a Moravian Manor resident does not attend daily activities, the staff visits his or her room, offering devotionals, walks, hand massages or another favorite activity. "Our job is to lighten their world, to make them a little happier until they pass," says Sharon Krushinski, an activities assistant on the community's dementia unit. "What an opportunity." In a day's work Like other "caregiving" occupations, most activities staffs are dominated by women. Creativity, a positive attitude and a passion for working with older adults are essential. Entry-level hourly wages start as low as $9, Holzel says. Some states require certification through the National Certification Council for Activities Professionals. Pennsylvania does not. Many local activities professionals do choose to get certified, which requires continuing education, Holzel says. Dori Groff, life enrichment coordinator at Landis Homes, Lititz, says her first question of a job applicant is whether he or she can sing or play a musical instrument. "Music is so huge to the elderly, especially with dementia," Groff says. "I wouldn't hire someone if they couldn't at least sing 'Jesus Loves Me.' " The profession's physical demands include pushing wheelchairs and managing dementia patients' challenging behaviors. But the emotional demands can weigh even more heavily. Many activities professionals form close relationships with residents, especially those with no nearby family. "You literally give everything you have ... every day," says Groff, who has attended many residents' funerals. Activities staff don't assist in painful or intimate tasks, such as removing bandages or toileting. That lack of demands allows strong bonds to form. "They can trust us," Holzel says. "We have no side other than theirs." But LADA members say not everyone recognizes the value of activities programs. The economy has led some local retirement communities to trim activities budgets, they say. Many communities also have adopted "household" models, where instead of specializing in a single area, staff members perform many tasks, including dietary, nursing, housekeeping and activities. The household model has many benefits, LADA members say. But essentials like nutrition and toilet assistance must take priority, and activities might become as simple as watching TV or reading a newspaper. "When you have somebody with a million things to get done, (activities) doesn't get done," Groff says. 'We're the fun people' On a recent afternoon, Krushinski and fellow activities assistant Mike Treier visit rooms behind the locked doors of Moravian Manor's Herrnhut Community dementia unit. This month, the activities staff will bring candy canes, cocoa, trivia and birds on their visits to the 32-room unit, whose name translates to "the Lord's protective care" in German. Today Treier strums an acoustic guitar as he and Krushinski sing classic Christmas carols. "We're the fun people," Krushinski says. Some residents abandon naps and soap operas to welcome the visitors. Others show less interest. One woman sits quietly through the first carol. But she can't resist singing along to "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." After the room visits, Krushinski and a group of volunteers transport residents in wheelchairs to rehearsal for Moravian Manor's holiday show. A woman who agreed to practice yesterday flatly refuses to go today. Krushinski simply says "OK" and moves on. "You can't argue with dementia," she says. "We try to encourage." Krushinski and the volunteers arrange residents' wheelchairs in a semicircle at the front of the community's chapel. Accompanied by a volunteer on piano, the residents practice singing carols. During a spirited rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," one man stumbles on the words. But he quickly recovers, his strong, clear voice carrying all the way to the back of the chapel. mschweigert@lnpnews.com
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