The past twenty-two months have been a challenge for our profession and the world at large. However, we are in a much better place this year than last year. National Activity Professionals Week is January 23rd through 29th. It is our week to toot our own horn, share the good works that we do and celebrate ourselves.
How will you celebrate our week?
-Share the value of engagement in quality-of-life experiences with your community. The pandemic proved to everyone the value of socialization and quality of life experiences. We have all seen the harm that isolation has caused amongst our residents. Clients who attended adult day settings were left home for more than a year. Now is the time to remind everyone of the value of the programs we offer as we return to group programming.
-Share the value of engagement with your residents and clients. After more than a year of isolation, it is difficult to re-interest some individuals to leave the safety and security of their room. Reminding the residents and clients of the good times and benefits derived through involvement in preferred activities can be the highlight of this week. Host an “activity open house” where refreshments are served and information about available activities are shared through displays.
-Honor and appreciate the activity and life enrichment staff. As a director, you have the ability to thank your staff, which you probably do every day. However, this week gives us the opportunity to formally show appreciation. Appreciation can be show in many ways – gifts, social gatherings, attention, team building games and more. As activity professionals, we are masters at the “theme” party. This year’s theme – Navigating the Future – lends itself to many nautical theme related approaches.
The National Association of Activity Professionals has planned a great week of events. All events are accessible on line. Check out the schedule in the image above. or visit NAAP website. There is a complimentary planning guide for the week with great ideas on how to celebrate..
The National Activity Providers Assocation (NAPA) is the Activity Association in the UK. They also have a great week of events planned. Check it out here.