Balloon Volleyball

Let me take a minute to extol balloon volleyball. Many of the residents laugh nervously lest a relative observe them and make fun of them for something so silly but the attendance is always high and I find it works really well in my Friday morning schedule. People can't help getting into it.

I arrange the chairs in a circle and give everyone a pool noodle (usually I make sure the color matches something in their outfit). Then I toss a balloon (usually I let the first person who shows up decorate it with some sort of face) into the center and we pass it around. The goal is to have fun, but usually it turns into a goal of not letting the balloon hit the ground or escape behind a wheelchair. For some reason residents try to act casual about their interest in this but I have seen the looks in their eyes when it is a long time between whacks and a frail or deaf or almost blind person is hogging all the "turns". You can't help but watch the balloon, note its progress, and vow your next pass will be the perfect blend of aim, power, and away-from-the-floor-ness.

When the balloon becomes a magnet for the door or the corner behind the piano I really start to get some exercise. It's also good exercise for the sitting residents in as much as they have to control their movements and lean in ways they don't often need to. Passes can be accomplished with flicks of wrist so it can be done sometimes even by people with arm injuries.

On Fridays I end this with a "Let's see how long we can keep it in the air," and then I offer drinks to everyone. They usually stay and then we move right along into our music social where we listen to a CD from the 40's or 50's and try to guess the artist and song title. It's a great flowing morning.