Candy Wrappers

On a sweet day we discussed candy preferences, how candy has changed over the years, and painted our favorite wrappers on styrofoam circles. Guess what the prizes were for BINGO?

Chocolate Milkshakes

What better way to celebrate cow love than with chocolate milkshakes? Our patients also discussed milking cows, watched youTube videos of bovine animals during lunch, and took photos with a cow photo prop in order to earn the treat.

eye CATching

Our patients make art at least weekly. We use nice canvases and display them in the lobby on easels. When a fresh batch dries, I change them out and keep the older ones in my office. Once in a while the marketing director comes by and collects them. She uses them for charity. Most recently she held an auction of the best pieces to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association. Her favorite items were our cat decoupage pieces on strips of newspaper.

Cheese Pizza Day

I was seriously afraid that Cheese Pizza might be too boring of a day to celebrate. However, not only is it something most people like and therefore have in common, it was also delicious fresh and from scratch by our dietary staff.

Magic 8 Ball

A Magic 8 ball is a great tool for an activity director. The patients love the novelty of having their questions answered in jest. When the answers go their way, they especially like it. When they don't, it's just a game. On 8/8 we also decorated Styrofoam spheres with black on the bottom, blue on the top, and the patients' choices of Magic 8 ball sayings. On my pregnant stomach, over a black maternity shirt, I put a blue sign for the day "Baby Says Yes".

Curry-ated Activities

We spiced things up one day with a discussion of common herbs people use in their kitchens. The patients got excited talking about which they liked, what they used them for, and learning about their health benefits.

We also did a sensory test. They were allowed to look, smell, and taste  to guess cinnamon, rosemary, and garlic salt.

Pablo Flowers

The patients tried their hands imitating art that was imitating life. I'm pretty proud of their efforts.

Casino Day

For Casino day, I wore a green visor. The patients took pictures with a casino headband. They played our slots game to get a homemade ice cream sandwich. Finally, we played the dice game (first person to roll each number on the dice wins) and card BINGO (one pack I distribute to the patients, the other I call out one at a time until someone is able to match all their set). Everyone was a winner.

Spa Day

For spa day we did things a little differently. We painted using sponges.

Instead of giving normal hand massages I heated up blankets in the dryer to wrap around the patients shoulders. After giving them a hand massage, I wrapped their hands as well to leave them feeling warm and post-spa relaxed.

Lighting Up With Bugs

Since the other firefly crafts went so well, we bought black canvases and made more lightening bug jars. The patients were pleased with their work, and so was I.

Watermelon Day

For watermelon day the patients painted half spheres green on the round side, and red on the flat one. They dabbed black seeds and drank sparkling water flavored with watermelon chunks. It was a refreshing day.

Circle Painting

Circle painting involved putting out a variety of paint colors and using cups of various sizes to dip in the paint and dip to the canvas. Colored backgrounds added to the effects.

Cactus Rocks

Our cactus rocks may have turned out more like cucumbers, but we still enjoyed painting them then leaving them outside for guests and staff to find.

Mini Bird Houses

The patients enjoys painting mini wooden bird houses. They were donated to us and allowed the patients a manageable canvas and lots of good discussions. We watched birds on you tube as we worked.

Lobby Love

In our lobby I used a patient's painting to create a sign explaining the shelf with our patients' most recent art projects.

Also, I think it's important to keep track of some of our memories, so I take pictures of dress up days and completed art projects and caption them in a scrapbook for visitors. Hopefully it gives family and friends something to look at while preparing for their visits and helps assure them that each activity day is full of purposeful groups to aid in their treatment.

Ants Invited To The Picnic

For a craft this summer, patients chose a background paper, glued a swath of red gingham to it, and decorated it with three black dots as ants. Some added googly eyes and legs to their insects, leaving us reminiscing about meals taken outside on a blanket.

Independence Sam

One month for the patient birthday we decorated cupcakes with M&M's of choice. We also discussed trivia about Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty. If only we could get white M&M's back in stock.

Hoosier Crafter?

When the receptionist offered me page protectors she was otherwise going to throw out, I said yes. I think all activity directors enjoy the challenge of thinking up a use for free materials.

In the end, I put an outline of our state in the sleeve and let the patients mold modeling clay around the perimeter or to decorate as they liked.

This is an activity we should do again, as the clay was great exercise for their hands and it dries hard without heating.

Straw Fireworks

Honestly, the fireworks were not my favorite thing this year. Living in the suburbs in a state where private citizens can set them off legally, they went on late into the night, many nights around the 4th of July. My family couldn't wait for our neighbors to run out of them so we could get back to a full night's sleep before waking up early.

However I loved the patients' straw fireworks crafts. I grabbed a bunch of bendy straws and sent the tips around before securing them with a rubber band. The patients selected a background and then different colored "fireworks" as we reminisced about Independence day traditions.

Ladybug Rocks

What's something achievable and on a medium that doesn't cost any money?

Lately you may find me outside next to the walkway grabbing a few rocks before afternoon activities. Once the patients paint them and they dry, I place them back in the mix for staff and visitors to come upon as they enter the building.

This project was ladybugs, relatively easy but still cute.

Swanky Suit Day

When the activity assistant came in to give me a planning day, I relished it.

The idea I was most excited about was Swanky Suit Day. On this day, I asked staff to bring in a change of clothes that was their fanciest outfit. You know, the one you wore to prom or your daughter's wedding. When they had time, I asked that they change into their outfit and strut in front of the patients along the hand drawn "red carpet". The prize for this was a rose which patients got to deliver and in the meantime enjoy the sight and smell of.

The dietary department obliged my request for fancy black and white cupcakes for the Swanky social in the afternoon.

Fireflies

I had been looking forward to this project and it went so well I believe next time we'll do it on canvases. The marketing director for my company collects works of art made by our dementia patients to sell and raise money for the Alzheimer's Association.

I encouraged the patients to chose a darker background, then paint their mason jar a lighter shade before gluing on the fireflies. Regardless of the participation in the art portion, all the patients got to reminisce about fireflies and catching them in Summer.

Ice Cream Soda Day

Ice cream soda day was  big hit. The dietary manager suggested orange soda in addition to my request for coke and root beer. That turned out to be the most sought after flavor. The patients said it tasted like "orangecicle".

Birthdays

To make the monthly patient birthday party special, I have started not only to have banners, singing, and a poem, but also interactive food and photo props that go with the theme for the day. For the month shown above, the patients decorated cookies with bits of their choice instead of just receiving a pre-made cupcake. Then we took pictures with cut outs of mermaids, pirates, and surfers. The photos can be enjoyed on a special board all month long to remind us to celebrate the patients spending their birthdays in our geriatric psychiatric facility.

Donut You Love CNA's?

The patients celebrated CNA's with a banner of ringed donuts with their names on it. The patients have been coloring those donuts for weeks!

To continue the ring theme, the patients wrote everyone's name on a card that said "We like you so wanna put a ring on you" and taped ring pops to them. One patient hand delivered them to the staff who were working that day. I've done this before and it went over just as well at my new job as it has in the past.

Purr-fect

The patients painted their favorite colors in a plastic bag. Then we took the painting out of the bag and added their choice of cat cutout. We talked a lot about past pets this day and I think their artwork turned out purr-fect.

Smell the Roses Day

What kind of rose are you? The patients were given the chance to think about which kind described them the most. My life is thornless.

I made a playlist of songs with roses in the title and we listened  to see which we remembered and could name.

If you look at the bottom of the chalkboard, you can see the rolled paper roses we made and taped to straws. They are sitting in a vase now at the nurses' station.

Have You Herbed?

Our patients enjoyed growing wheat grass so much, we got a new set of planters to make 3 types of herbs. They are easy to grow and care for, and safe to eat if ingested accidentally. Some patients even remember from day to day how much they grow.

Vanilla Pudding Day

 Vanilla Pudding doesn't have to be boring. To celebrate the day, patients made their own vanilla pudding "sundaes" just the way they like them. This was a sugar reduced option they all loved tremendously.

Chocolate Chip Day

For chocolate chip day, the kitchen made fresh chocolate chip cookies. I gave out a warm prize to each BINGO participant that day.

Peas in a Pod

The patients used modeling clay, a cup, and their love for their offspring to create peas in a pod. They chose a color for the pod to represent themselves, then made peas to represent their children. The clay dried overnight and made a cute momento.

Another Haiku

Haiku day will probably be one I always celebrate. I love exploring Haikus with the patients, and creating one ourselves.

Last month we celebrated new spring with this:

White Easter Lillies

Baby Mice Under the Trees

Green Grass: It is Spring

Mother Ocean

 Art therapy produces wonderful, surprising, unexpected, joyous, messy results. Giving patients a theme and then adding a silhouette on top can be a simple way to bring continuity to a group of projects. I wish the mother and child had been enlarged for this, but I still enjoy the concept.

Photo Props

This month on the birthday party we celebrated "Take Your Best (Photo) Shot" so I made Photo Props for people to pose with.

I can't post the pictures we made, but I did print copies for a wall in the activity room and it has gone over very well. Sometimes I forget that people don't realize the fun things we do without being present, and photos can help them re-live the things they aren't able to visit for.

I think next month we have different props and made it a tradition. The best part of using big cardboard cut outs is that it covers people's midlines and hair- the two biggest reasons people don't like having their photos taken. Copies for families can help them feel like they are making memories with loved ones even when those loved ones have declined from what they once were.

The patients painted the props.

Tartan Day

To celebrate Tartan Day, we had staff wear any tartan they could find. The BINGO prize for the day was a sticker of a swatch of tartan. We listened to Celtic music, and talked about the idea of knowing which family someone was associated with just by seeing their clothes. At the end of the day, I wrote the letters T A R N S (Tartans without repeating letters) with categories along the side. The patients came up with answers for each category for each letter.

Watching the Grass Grow

Growing grass was a favorite at the Dementia unit I previously worked on, so I decided to try it again. The patients got the dirt ready, planted the seeds, and water our tiny garden daily. Now the grass is several inches high. I make a joke about needing a miniature lawn mower. The patients love touching the sprouts and marveling at the way it grows quickly. I ask them, "when is the last time you felt real grass?"

Cherry Blossom Tree Day

 Although I am no longer in Maryland, I still wanted to celebrate the Cherry Blossoms. I showed youTube videos of the event. We did soda bottle stamp painting. Finally, we tried to make as many words as possible out of the letters from Cherry Blossom Tree Day.

World Water Day

On World Water Day we chatted about the lack of water in some areas of the world. We played underwater BINGO (instead of numbers the cards had pictures of beautiful things found below the sea). This version created one of the most engaged groups I have had so far. Some were using the cards like a normal BINGO card, some just enjoyed searching the card for the picture I had described, and others just perused their card and reminisced about the lovely items. We also did a water taste test. I poured two types of infused water into cups and let them sample both to tell the difference.

Pi Day

I love when the theme of the day gives us a way to introduce ourselves and share something with the group. On pi day, we took a poll of everyone (staff included)'s favorite type of pie. Later we played a shopping prices game to guess the cost of pre-made pies and ingredients for hand-made baked goods.

Simply Wonderful

My counterpart at another facility lent me a few ideas, one of which is the concept of a simple painting involving a background shape and one color for the patients to focus on. On top of this, they paint on printed pictures of their choice for something achievable but attractive. My favorite so far has been their green painted trees with birds of choice.

Bingo Prizes

Bingo can be a challenge in a psychiatric geriatric hospital. I give a bowl of cereal to each player to use as chips on their Bingo card to play. Easy clean up, and not a big deal if they accidentally eat the "chips".

Prizes can be even more of a challenge. Prizes represent success, inclusion, and a reward. However, I cannot spend too much money on prizes. The items must be safe for all patients. The nurses don't want me to offer too much candy due to glucose readings, and I also have to offer something for those who are on special diets.

On a regular basis, I use soft stuffed animals, mini candies, and stickers as prizes. I have also begun to print out things to offer the patients so they can get more than one prize per activity rather than just giving everyone who participated in some way a prize and not honoring those who were able to follow along and had an especially lucky day. An example of this was for "Clover All Over Day"- I printed shamrocks with unique sayings on them and let the patients choose one as a prize everytime they got BINGO. Another example would be to print paper trolls and let them choose one each time they won.

Margarit-na

For Margarita Day we introduced ourselves and our favorite cocktails, discussed the genesis of Margaritas, played a word guess where the clue was a type of spirit, and finally made mocktail margaritas with salt rimmed cups.