The Activity Professional's Notebook
Tips and articles relevant for today's Activity Professional
October is Resident Rights Month
October is Resident Rights Month: It’s All About Me - My Life, My Care, My Choices by Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS October is Resident Rights Month which is an annual event introduced by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care or as it is more...
Empathetic Communication with Older Adults
Empathetic Communication with the Older Adult by Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS One of my responsibilities as a new activity assistant, way back when, was to run Reality Orientation groups. I would gather a few memory impaired elders into a room, give out paper and...
Five Steps to an Effective 1-1 Program
Five Steps to an Effective 1-1 Program By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS Not all residents attend group functions, either by choice or by limited function or cognitive ability. Providing non group participants with 1-1 visits is a requirement that is sometimes hard...
The Activity Professional as Advocate
The Activity Professional as Advocate By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS In the whole scheme of professions and occupations, the activity profession is a relatively new profession. Although the healing power of recreation and leisure can be traced back to ancient...
Pet Facilitated Therapy in Long Term Care : 5 + 5
Pet Facilitated Therapy in Long Term Care Five Benefits + Five Steps by Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS Walking into the lobby, my eyes are drawn to the small poodle who greets me. “His name is Tootles”, says the gentleman seated in a wheelchair by the front door....
Expressing through Expressive Activities
Expressing through Expressive Activities by Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS The activity professional utilizes engagement in the creative arts in day to day programming. Involvement and positive responses to art projects, music programs and movement groups are noted...
What’s New?
Everybody has their story as to how they ended up in activities. Here is mine. I answered an ad to be a “Friendly Visitor” when I was a senior in high school. I saw the ad in the high school guidance office and the guidance counselor suggested volunteering in a...
Painting with Words : Creative Writing with Older Adults
Painting with Words – Creative Writing with Older Adults by Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS Putting words to paper creates a monument to thoughts and feelings. Written words can be used to communicate, express, define, and explain what is going on in our heads at a...
The Importance and Value of Resident Councils
The Importance and Value of Resident Councils By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS Organizing and implementing an empowered Resident Council is a challenge to many activity professionals. In theory, the Council is a formal group of residents who come together as one...
To Care Plan or Not to Care Plan
To Care Plan or Not to Care plan By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS The requirement or need to write an “activity” care plan for “every” resident in the facility has been debated for years. Some communities have made it a policy to mandate an activity specific care...