Navigating the Future is the theme for this year's National Activities Professional Week. What a great time to talk about the vital role that Activity Directors and Life Engagement Directors play in improving the quality of life for residents, enhancing family and staff satisfaction, and boosting the bottom line.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, life enrichment, resident engagement, quality of life, Reading2Connect
'Tis the Season for connecting with family and friends, and for some will be the first in-person visit in a very long time. For others, it might be long-distance communications, and now thanks to technology, there are many ways in which we can be more engaged than ever. I want to talk about the importance of reminiscing, especially with persons living with dementia.
Topics: life enrichment, Flashback Reminiscence Training, reminiscence, Family Visits
AGE-u-cate® appreciates learning about organizations out there improving the lives of elders. I had the pleasure to meet Jared Bloomfield, the National Field Manager with Wish of a Lifetime at AARP. We connected after attending the Pioneer Network Symposium "Envisioning the Future Finding Meaning and Purpose" held on September 22.
Wish of Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), sponsored one of the sessions at the symposium called, " A New Look at Community Commitment: It’s All About Making Connections”. I was captivated and inspired by the presenters in this session: Mary Knapp, Annie Dunlap, and Kelly Klund who all shared the ways that their respective organizations are creating meaningful engagement opportunities for the elders they serve.
Wish of a Lifetime's mission is to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. They are working hard to connect elders with amazing opportunities to fulfill a dream.
"Wish of a Lifetime" has a Wish Team that reviews nominations submitted via their website. Jared shared that they have the capacity to accept more nominations! It seems that the pandemic has hijacked time that aging services staff might otherwise spend submitting an application on behalf of an elder, but Jared assured me that submitting an application is easy and worth it! A link to their website and nomination portal is below.
It has been said many times that the older generation has suffered the most from the effects of the pandemic because of the extended isolation and loneliness they have endured, so I jumped when I heard about this opportunity to share the call for nominations. To inspire motivation- read this story: Joy Takes Art Lessons.
Everything has changed for Joy because of one wish. Please visit Wish of a Lifetime Nomination to learn how you can submit an application today. Learn more about Wish of a Lifetime here.
AGE-u-cate will be keeping an eye on the good work of "Wish of a Lifetime", because we share a mission to improve the quality of life for elders through our engaging life enrichment programs Compassionate Touch, Reading2Connect, Ageless Grace, and Flashback.
Topics: life enrichment, human connection, quality of life
When you explore why we humans like to read, you find statements such as,
Topics: dementia care, life enrichment, alzheimer's, Reading
What exactly is the meaning of Life Enrichment?
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, dementia care, The Family Caregiver, Senior Care Professionals, memories, dementia, Hospital Professionals, activities, life enrichment, Person centered care, Joy, Flashback Reminiscence Training
I know I'm not the only one munching on graham crackers and milk in the wee hours. For those of you who sleep like a baby and wake up refreshed and energized... well let's just say the rest of us are green with envy.
Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Memory Care, dementia, compassionate touch, life enrichment, Senior Living, resident care, Pam Brandon, alzheimer's
