Job descriptions for activity directors in senior living usually read as follows: “Provide activities that meet the residents’ preferences and needs.” This generalist approach, sometimes guided by regulation and/or company best practices that lack benchmarks and standards, can lead to difficulty in the implementation and measurement of success. It’s understandable then that resident engagement is…
Prior to the global pandemic, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report indicated that long-term care residents receive only 11 minutes of engagement, with assisted living residents getting just 20 minutes per day (outside of assistance with ADLs and IADLs). As the long-term care and senior living industries emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and…
In senior living communities across the country, COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted as vaccination rates among residents, family members and staff continue to increase. It isn’t surprising that many of us are feeling tremendous relief and excitement for a brighter future as we emerge from the pandemic. As we begin this period of reopening, though,…
Throughout the pandemic, senior living leaders have been focused on health and safety as they grapple with the deadly rate of virus infections and its impact on the lives of millions of older adults, staff and their families. As our industry rebuilds quality of life for the elders we serve, TimeSlips partnered with the #ActivitiesStrong…
Finding purpose is a basic human right regardless of our place in society, background or age. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold and disrupt the senior living industry, it is our duty as industry leaders to ensure that residents in communities are able to find meaning every day through person-centered engagement. Activity professionals make…
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was the most challenging year in the history of the senior living industry. Health and safety has been the main focus of leaders as they grapple with the deadly rate of virus infections and its impact on the lives of millions of older adults, staff and their…
Eight months into the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that residents of nursing homes and senior living communities are experiencing rapid declines in physical and cognitive health as a result of growing social isolation. The ever-present threat of the virus means that social engagement has been stifled, and this remains the biggest concern right…
The leaves have started to change, and each passing day brings us closer to the holiday season. Every year, we eagerly anticipate this time as an opportunity to be physically close to family and friends, to share meals and connect meaningfully with those who are the most important to us. But with COVID-19 in our lives,…
The pursuit of purpose is a basic human right. Older adults in senior living and long-term care communities deserve to experience meaningful engagement every day. As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded in the past six months, the community lockdowns and physical distancing measures have increased social isolation resulting in a devastating impact on the physical,…
What would you do if you had to engage a very large number of residents with diverse preferences and abilities to ensure maximum well-being on an almost nonexistent budget? The answer would be to find an extremely accessible activity that can be done with little support at a low cost with high cognitive and social…
