Putting the ‘Act’ into Activities

By Teresa D. Johnson, BS, & Alyson Johnson-Sawyer, BA

 

It has been said that behind every face is a drama.  When we take the time to discover who the people attending adult day centers really are, we set the stage for a wealth of creativity!  With a little creativity, a few props and a lot of energy, the sum of skills and experiences of staff and participants in adult day centers can be molded into phenomenal activity programs.

 

Many centers probably already use drama in their programs during holidays without giving it much thought.  Examples include reenacting the first Thanksgiving, the Christmas story, signing the Declaration of Independence, etc.  Patriotic celebrations that depict the original meaning of the holiday can trigger memories for participants and attract great media coverage for the center.

 

Memorial Day is a holiday that sadly seems to have become known as the beginning of summer, the end of school and an event for great sales.  The creativity of staff and participants at Total Life Center in Cary, NC, in a program presented for Memorial Day one year promoted reminiscence, honored fallen soldiers, gained loads of media attention and boosted the participants’ self-esteem.   The participants presented their remembrances of the war years in a special production, “Keep the Home Fires Burning.”  The production centered around the reminiscence of a husband and wife and featured old letters and old photos shown on an overhead slide projector and skits.

 

The activity was full of vivid scenes—young men in training learning how to march with wheat and straw to distinguish their right from left, dancing at the USO, a radio comedy skit and plenty of music.  The wheelchair of one woman—a former railroad worker and amputee—was camouflaged as a tank, and she was rolled in front of the audience between scenes holding up scene cards.   In “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” music, dance, drama, skits and history were combined to create a program where caregivers were proud to be family members.  Participants experienced pride and success, something they don’t often get a chance to do anymore. 

 

Sometimes the purpose of activities is not as obvious to participants as it is to staff.  In an effort to find activities that had an obvious purpose to the participants, staff at Mountain CARE in Asheville, NC, started putting together “shows” with the participants.  These activities served as ongoing projects throughout the year—preparations spanned from writing scripts, planning rehearsals and prop-making to sending out press releases and serving refreshments.

 

Mountain CARE presented an annual show for six consecutive years.  Titles of some of the shows the center presented included:

u History in Harmony

u Home Sweet Home

u Alice in Geri-Land

u Melodies of Many Lands

u On the Air with Geri-Care (former name of center)

u Musical Memories

 

Although a relocation of the center expanded service opportunities in numerous ways, it also meant the loss of a convenient stage in their previous location.  Growth of the center, changes in staff and participants have all taken their toll on the elaborateness of the productions, but the value of activities is still cherished.  Now the center focuses on less dramatic forms of activities.  Examples of these and other activities are highlighted as follows.

 

Sample Activities

Takin’ a Trip and Doin’ Chores, Mountain CARE, Asheville, North Carolina

These programs incorporate exercise and drama with lots of room for creativity and variation.  When possible, some props, costumes and background music help to add “spice” to activities.  The group leader takes the group on imaginary trips or performs imaginary chores.  Table 1 lists example activities for Takin’ a Trip.  Table 2 lists examples for Doin’ Chores.

 

Story Plays, Adult Day Care Center of South Wood County, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

While one employee read a story, the other employee acts out the story.  The employees are very animated and draw the clients into the play-acting.  This games brings the most smiles and laughter.  The clients focus better on the story and love the attention from the employees.  This is a good activity for a dreary day and for clients who may have dementia.  The clients can understand the story better when they SEE it acted out.

 

Hawaiian Luau, Kessler Institute for Rehab, East Orange, New Jersey

In August, the activity department plans a Hawaiian Luau for all the members and the members’ families.  One of our members is from Hawaii.  She has fresh lays sent in from Hawaii; her daughter attends the event and performs a hula dance.  We also have good food, fun music and lots of pictures.

 

Small Group Reading, Highlands Community Ministries Adult Day Health Center, Louisville, Kentucky

Have an expressive activity assistant and/or client (reading can be shared) read a dramatic short story.

 

Pizza Roll, Heritage Day Health Center, Columbus, Ohio

Cut out paper shapes that look like pizza toppings and put a number on the back (for points) or an activity,

e.g. Do the hula.  Mark off a circle on the floor and cover it with “toppings”.  Have the clients roll golf balls to land on the toppings to either get points or complete their activity.

 

Renaissance Program, Longview’s Adult Day Community, Ithaca, New York

Special events can provide great resources for the center while promoting community interaction.  We contacted the Blacksmith from a local Renaissance Festival.  He in turn contacted a hunter, a king and a peasant (The Rat Man) to accompany him.  The well received event featured history, comedy skits, props and audience participation.  It’s sure to be a repeat program for our center! ¥

 

Reprinted from The Information Source for Adult Day Centers®, July 2002