Hurricane Happy Hour

Monday was my first attempt at a new style of Happy Hour and I will always remember the winds and rain that accompanied it.

My section had their own hour before dinner with a variety of wine and diet sodas. Campus-wide happy hour is offered almost every day of the week in the retirement community I work in but the bar is too far of a walk for most of my residents. We had a great turn-out for our own socializing time and I've been collecting left-over goodies from activities so I also had an assortment of snacks to go with the drinks.

On Tuesday the power was out and the building ran only on generators. This meant a change of plans (I wasn't convinced that sewing in the poor light was such a good idea). I encouraged the residents to come to the better-lit better-warmed common areas to play cards, Rummikub, and do a puzzle. In the afternoon I gathered various teas and hot chocolate and offered every resident something hot to drink since the live performers scheduled to come in choose to stay safe and dry.

Monster Fingers

Today's kitchen/activities theme was "Wellness" rather than "Italy" or "Greece". For my part I didn't want to lecture about not eating so much fat, sugar, and salt. Instead I introduced the residents to the concept of eat this, not that. I brought in as many of David Zinczenko's books as I could check out from the library and we took turns sharing interesting facts about the foods we're drawn to. The take away message was to not let ourselves go even when we're snacking. Even in junk food there are better options than others.

After lunch I invited everyone to decorate toilet paper with me. Curiosity won many people over and I explained that we were decorating rolls to use as pins for a pumpkin bowling game we're hosting later this week. The results were almost too cute to knock over.    Almost.

After baking for the employees, the residents were disappointed we couldn't try the lemon cookies. Luckily I brought a snack for us to make: monster fingers. Pretzel sticks dipped in green baking chocolate and topped with almond slivers for fingernails. I even went around and drew "knuckles" with a knife.

Monster fingers turned out to be a victory treat because the Fall door decorating contest was today and my section won for "most spirited".

Word Guess

A great thing about working in a retirement community is that to the residents, days of the week don't have quite the significance that they used to. For instance, today all my activities were well attended despite the fact it was a Monday. My job is often compared to working in a school but there are no Monday blues or Friday impatiencenesses or "get over the hump" day sluggishnesses for people who live there full time.

In particular I had a huge crowd for word guess. We guess a word or phrase one letter at a time a bit like wheel of fortune or hangman. Today's theme was Halloween and residents took turns guessing letters but could get points only by correctly guessing what word or phrase filled in the blanks. If they guess incorrectly, they can't guess again until the next round.

My other activities; door decorating, information about the election, and Pokeno also enjoyed a sizable turn out. When friends send out mass text messages like "It's raining, I don't think I'll make it to Tuesday" I can't say I feel a lot of empathy.

one of our door decorations

Harry Potter Day

For the month of October's theme day, I thought I'd go simple and do "Magic Day". However, it was suggested that I turn that into Harry Potter day so that residents could interact with a big cultural reference. I think next year I'll stick to "Magic Day".

The day did not go poorly, but it did not go as I would have liked considering how much work I put into it.

Today actually began yesterday with a showing of the first movie in the Harry Potter series. I pre-watched this recently to make sure all of my activities would be in line with the movie and so that anyone who watched it would have a base knowledge. I actually took notes. The problem is that I could not get the closed captioning to work for the movie and so the voices of the high pitched 11 years olds only sounded like "cheep-cheep-cheep". Worse, they were British 11 years old ("cheep cheep, tea-time, cheep") which means most of the dialogue was lost to the unfortunates watching.

Early this morning we started with a Harry Potter chat during which I passed around my copy of the first book and gave a synopsis of the story: there is a secret magical subculture of wizards non-magic people do not know about due to a ministry of magical cover-ups. The wizards go to their own school and everything is similar to but more interesting than our world. In this culture there are good wizards who protect non-magical people and bad wizards who wish us harm. Harry Potter is on the good side. I asked if anyone could think of such a wildly popular icon when they were growing up and they could not.

Although it wasn't addressed in the first movie, I renamed our gardening session into "herbology".

Then we came inside for decorating. I filled white balloons with helium and we used black markers to draw owls on them.


















After lunch the calendar pass-out was Quidditch paced. Then came the party.

The school in Harry Potter is called Hogwarts and there are four houses in Hogwarts. I represented them by color with crepe paper. When residents sat down I asked if they wanted "red, green, yellow, or blue" and then made a stole out of the paper. It was clipped together with a badge of the appropriate house.

Hufflepuff badge and stole

During my walks along my long driveway lately I've been picking up interesting twigs. These acted as wands and for each I had a description of it's special magical abilities. For example: " a reliable wand with consistency, reliable strength, and power. works with a wizard or witch with clear morals" and "supposed to be a protective wand, most happy when its owner has a clear head and pure heart. this wood is not known to have fallen into the hands of a dark witch or wizard".

 

Once everyone had read their description for their wand, I explained the colors they were wearing. For example, for all those wearing the red, Gryffindor, I told them their group values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. We discussed if they thought their wand and house choices suited their personality. Next came snacks.

Butterbeer (vanilla ice cream, cream soda, butterscotch syrup)

peppermint toads, broomstick (pretzel sticks and string cheese)

Lastly we used a broom to knock a non-helium owl through one of the three Quidditch hoops.

My hope for the day was that afterwards the residents would be better able to connect with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My fear was that the day will make people confused. However I didn't anticipate that some people just like change and the owl decorations and snacks were fun regardless of the their relevance to J.K. Rowling.

after-work picture of my Harry Potter apron

Large Groups of Seniors at a Restaurant

My friends have a large dinner group once a month. Our goal is to catch up and try out one new non-chain place that comes with a recommendation. Last month we met up at an Indian place and although the service was very good we had a group of 12 and there were a few mix-ups when food was handed out, forgotten substitutions, etc. They were all quickly resolved.

As one friend scowled at the plain naan he had to nibble on until they brought the garlic variety he had originally ordered, I told everyone, "You think this is bad, you should come on a food outing with me at work sometime. It can be pandemonium."

With more experience I have learned many tricks about taking large groups of seniors to a restaurant. Sometimes I don't know who to feel more sorry for; my residents, the waiters, or people sitting around us. Here is what I've learned so far:

1. seat people who want to talk to each other as close as possible. talking across the table is very difficult for residents with even mild hearing problems
2. tell the staff how many wheelchairs you will be using instead of seats. it is much easier to take out seats before people sit down, rather than after
3. ask for extra napkins right away. I've never regretted them
4. ask about spiciness of foods to help residents make an informed decision
5. keep a copy of the menu. this will be useful if someone want reminding what is in their meal and at the end when divvying up the check. also useful to contest charges if something looks funny
6. bring paper and pen and write down what people order as they tell the waiter. many times for big groups the waiter will have helpers bring out the food and if residents can't remember what they ordered, this will prevent someone from taking the wrong dish. also, if the residents don't remember sides or substitutions you can help ensure the waiter brings what they asked for. I can't count the number of times a waiter's assistant places a meal or beverage before someone and they started eating or drinking it only to find out it was not what they ordered. check off food as it comes so you don't pay for food that wasn't given
7. bring a marker to write names on take-away. make sure boxes are closed securely and ask for bags to wrap them in if possible so they don't explode open on the way home
8. write names next to each charge on the receipt with a break-down on it. after verifying all charges on the check, look out for a group tip that is often including for groups of more than 6.  when deciding on a tip, look to make sure you have the pre-tax amount not the tax-included total. I keep a card in my wallet now that is a cheat sheet for 15 and 20% tip for totals of 1-$100. Often the total is more than $100, I just add as many amounts as needed. (Last night's was $190 so I added the tips for both $100 and $90.)
9. call for a reservation. even if you are eating at a place that doesn't take reservations call in advance. Tell them what day and time you are coming and how many people you would like seated together. This gives them the opportunity to tell you if they can't accommodate your group. It also gives you the opportunity to ask about parking for a large bus and the best entrance that is handicap accessible. If you have time ask what the bathrooms are like so you can warn residents if they will most likely not be able to use them. 

Last night we went on a dinner outing that went smoothly. However our waiter was rude to my residents and I really didn't think it was called for. When I asked for the check he said, "Leaving already? What, do you guys have to rush home to watch Jeopardy?" I've learned that my groups are not the waiter's top choice and that no matter how much you prepare things can still not go your way.

Credit Cards

At work I have a mailbox, a name tag, a uniform. Somehow none of that has made feel as official as my own company credit card.

Before there was a system of borrowing the director's card. It lived in a battered envelop at the front desk with an ongoing list of who is checking it out, what date it is taken, and what date it is returned. This was shared by up to six people all needing it for all their outing and supply shopping endeavors. For the most part it was very courteous. We tried to not keep it overnight for more than one night, tried to get it back in time for another's outing, and tried to combine shopping trips when possible. However accidents happen and not only does it not get signed out (either by the receptionist or activities person taking it), it gets left in wallets, buses, stores, handicap bathrooms- always when someone else seems needs it most.

There is also the executive director's card to be begged for, and lastly personal cards with their bonus of reward points but negative of reimbursement wait.

The retirement community I work for allows residents to go out and put any purchases on the company credit card. The bill gets tacked on to their monthly statement. This means as an activities person I must comb through the receipts at the end of the day, remember who got what, calculate tax, liquor tax, and tip if necessary, and then assign codes to each charge.

Having my own card will hopefully cut down on day-of time of looking for an available card when I also am looking for bus keys and reminding residents of our impending trip. It will increase my time spent on receipts since I will be responsible for my own credit card statement.

Last night after we had our dinner outing I realized it would all be worth it. When the waiter handed my the bill he said, "Have a great evening Ms. Flashley". Before they had always used the activities director's name and I had a moment of panic if they would ask me to prove my validity to use someone else's card.

What's In the Balloon?

A popular activity has been "What's In the Bag?" where an item is placed in a thin bag and the resident must use touch alone to determine what it is. Typically I tell the person whose turn it is to close their eyes while I show everyone else what I'm putting in the bag. It really is fun when everyone is participating and the person who is trying to determine the object describes what he or she is feeling before guessing. However, it can get boring when people take a long time and don't say anything about what they are feeling so I thought I'd shake things up with a new version.

The idea of "What's In the Balloon" is to put substances in balloons, tie them off, and feel through the balloon. I thought the benefit would be that multiple people could participate at the same time, jotting down their guesses for each numbered balloon, and we could reveal them to everyone at the same time. It was either going to be really easy to guess, or really difficult. It turned out not to be really easy so I encouraged the residents to describe what they were feeling, rather than just make a guess.

The results were entertaining. I stuffed 7 balloons with sprinkles, coffee grounds, mini marshmallows, tissues, flour, dry black beans, and coconut shreds. Only one guess out of 5 people was correct (a tissue), although more descriptions came close (bird seed, banana, little rocks, mud). I would definitely do it again.

Greening Cards

The greeting card club met again yesterday and I was pleased with the results of our efforts.

In addition to get well cards, we made some "Thank You" cards for the performers who come and amaze us.

One resident who came to help did so purely to find out what "Greening Cards" were. I repeated loudly and spelled but finally I just told him they are like Greeting Cards, but better.

Santa's Beard Count Down

In late November my work will be having a Christmas bazaar and I wanted my section of the building to contribute something. Although it's only mid-October I thought it'd be better to begin on it early rather than later.

So we are going to embark on hand-made Christmas count downs. Some people cut out Santa and his beard, some used special scissors to cut out a cute poem, others counted and bagged cotton balls, and others glued the pieces to a larger piece of colored construction paper. The idea is to glue one cotton ball to Santa's beard every day beginning on December 1st. By Christmas Eve the beard is puffy and white and you are ready for him to come down your chimney.

This was just a start. I think we will go back and decorate them more by coloring the face or adding tinsel to the top. Also we might adhere the bags of cotton to the paper in some way. As usual I let them decide how best to do this and tried to stick to just offering to fetch things.

My favorite way to participate in such things is to ask at intervals, "How much do you think we could charge it for if we kept it just like this?" and wait for the ensuing discussion.

Country Ride

Have I ever mentioned that I drive a 14-passenger wheelchair-lift bus?

Yesterday was one of those rare perfect activities days. Balloon volley was well attended (including by our newest resident) and the music social turned more interactive when I announced the song release date and then asked things like "What were you doing on 4th of May 1938?". One woman remembered that she was graduating high school around the time that particular song first came out.

After lunch we went on a Country Ride and I was apprehensive that I had lost the directions I had researched a long time ago. The thing about planning in advance is that I sometime forget my intentions but crisis was adverted when I remembered that I was using those directions for something else and had them safely in a folder.

I don't know the area around my job too well. The purpose of a Country Ride is to just drive and enjoy the view. Rather than use my own time as a pre-view of a route, I just assumed that if we drove to a vineyard (they are always in pretty places, right?) it would be scenic. I got lucky and the roads were indeed lovely and the weather was crisp to be in but perfect to see.

When we were back and the bus was parked I used the few minutes before the next activity to get caught up on a project I need for next Tuesday. Just then, a musician I had been playing phone tag with called and we finally set up a time for the next big event I'm having. He had been in earlier and left me a rose as an unnecessary apology for missing each other so much. It was great luck I was in the office when he called.

Popcorn Taste Testing

The food for the month of October at my retirement community is popcorn. So when taste testing came up on my rotation of activities, I thought we'd try out different flavors and discuss. I found a healthy popcorn, a not healthy popcorn, and popped an unflavored bag which got divided into three portions and flavored into the same number of varieties.

On a paper towel I wrote out 1 through 5 and then put a handful of each type near it. Residents were encouraged to try each and guess at flavors. #3 was kettle corn, #4 was white cheddar, and #5 was nacho cheese. Most residents had trouble distinguishing between the first four but found the fifth to be the tastiest by far. I asked for funny stories related to popcorn popping but mostly we just chatted about how nice popcorn is as a snack food and how easy it is to consume in large quantities.

Vampire Dentures

Every once in a while we make a snack I refer to as dentures: small marshmallows adhered with peanut butter to two apple slices (sometimes I add raisins for teeth "gaps").

lovely gapped teeth dentures

Since we're in the month of October and gearing up for Halloween today we did a version of that treat that I referred to as vampire dentures: small marshmallows adhered with frosting to halves of one cookie with almond slices for "fangs"

slightly scary vampire dentures

The residents pointed out that it tastes like a s'more (use chocolate chip cookies) and goes well with tea.

Fall Crispy Rice Treats

The walk for Alzheimer's is a few weeks away and my place of employment has registered to go. We do various events and projects all year long to raise money. One such event is a monthly bake sale. Last month my section contributed leaf shaped sugar cookies. Today we made apple shaped crispy rice treats.

They were tinted with sugar free jello mix, rolled into balls, plugged with tootsie roll "stems", and topped with green melting chocolates that kinda look like leaves. They smell good, taste good, and are just the perfect "snack" size. I have high hopes for them tomorrow at the sale.

Mad Men

In my job, as in my "other" life, I rely heavily on use of the library. I've become a good researcher in the catalog. When I worried about lack of music CD's from the 1940's I searched performers I recognized to see what compilation albums they might be on. For instance, I never would have thought to type in "Songs That Made Woody Allen Famous" but they really enjoyed that one. The CD we listened to yesterday was for a show called "Mad Men".  

Since I don't have TV, I've pieced together when I know about this from sewing websites with people immitating the clothes worn by the actors. My guess was that it was a show about the 1940's. When the show's CD came up from an "Ella Fitzgerald" search I wasn't sure what to expect.

We listen to songs during the music social to try to guess performer and song title. Usually, they do guess them or when I announce them everyone has an "ah-ha" moment. However, there were a few from the Mad Men CD that no one recognized. Then we came to a score with the same title as the show and I warned everyone that this was a new song, just listen to see if you like it.

Afterwards, I polled the residents. My goal was to see if this faux 1940's song appealed to people who lived in the 1940's and loved the music of the time. The results were mixed but less people liked it than did like it and a few could take it or leave it.

Men and Mustached Women Group

The Men's Group is going well. I'm glad they are having a time just to meet each other and talk about things that interest them. I just read a book called "Bel Canto" about a translator, and I feel somewhat like him during the group as I relate stories to others around the circle with different levels of hearing difficulties. At first the group felt overwhelming as I tried to think about what a group composed entirely of men would do. My budget doesn't include a cigar, sports games, or poker chip allowance and I was also worried my presence would interfere with the manliness of it all.

It turns out, men just like to talk sometimes. We start with introductions and I do try to come up with one or two topics to move things along if everyone doesn't jump into conversation. We've talked about branches of the service everyone has been in, places traveled to during the war and as a civilian, hobbies during retirement, places lived in, most beautiful sites in the continental America, etc. The men have a lot in common and enjoyed the chance to tell their stories and listen to others.

Lately I've noticed that the men are lingering after meals to chat with one another and are coming out to more activities if I mention that other members of the men's group will be there. Just for fun, I've been polling some women residents as to how many men we have in our area and the numbers they give are about 1/5 the actual count. Hopefully, as men become more comfortable with each other and more active outside of meal time, their presence will be more felt and their needs and desires more taken into account.

Before Men's Group this week I was giving out hand massages to some women. They asked "What's next?" and I had to disappoint them. Then I joked that could don a mustache and sneak in. So whenever anyone walked by I would do exactly that to explain my inclusion in the ring of men.

New Fashioned Root Beer

The progressive self-sufficiency of today was taken for granted by the residents and their families. When I learned root beer could be made from roots and turn alcoholic if left to ferment, even that it could be made at all and didn't mean a trip to the grocery, I was amazed. When I told this to my 90-something friends they only said "of course".

So, I set out to have an activity where we make root beer the old fashioned way. I learned that the three key ingredients for root beer flavor are vanilla, wintergreen, and sassafras. I also quickly learned that sassafras is hard to come by since it has received the label of carcinogenic. I've made homemade mead before and root beer does not take as long as that but it is definitely a multi-day process that I wasn't confident would work well in retirement community setting.

I reasoned that if we made root beer a quicker and cheaper way, we could still using the cooking and drinking time to reminisce about memories of the more traditional process. Even in this I was stymied, however. Another person in activities wanted to double up at that time and I said yes so we could not talk but instead watched an old television program while I mixed the sugar, water, and root beer extract.

Sadly even the tasting didn't go as I'd imagined. The new-fashioned root beer recipe omits the artificial coloring of modern bottled root beers so many residents kept questioning why I was giving them "water" when I had promised something better. The taste was good but definitely impacted by the lack of color. I will have to find something creative to do with the remaining extract to compensate.