Q: I am looking at some team building things to do to get my staff working better together. Any ideas that are fun, but not physical things like rock climbing?
A: Team building certainly makes a huge difference with resident care.
Some facilities have purchased wall murals for the staff and residents to color. There is a bucket of pens, colored pencils or crayons next to the mural, and staff and resident both color. It’s a huge stress reliever, too.
For door decorating contests, have the staff form teams and decorate a resident’s door. Residents and families vote on the creations, but no one can vote for their own door. Use the resident council to vote if you don’t open it to everyone. You can make up seasonal or holiday-related themes. Limit the amount of money allowed to be spent on a door. We asked our physicians to supply the cash prizes, and they were more than happy to make a donation.
Ask staff to write care plans for themselves, and have them share in a meeting with one another. It gives them more insight on the people they work with, and it also gives them a better understanding of the importance of the residents’ care plans. Care plans just sit and collect dust if not used properly.
After we had our staff write their care plans, my staff developed a residents’ “likes and wish list.” Before you knew it, there was fresh lemon in the hot tea and hot chocolate served at breakfast.
The team building led them to learn more about the residents they care for. They took it upon themselves to be sure to work with team members on the other shifts to assure all the extra little things were covered on both 12-hour shifts.
These efforts made our team members even more incredible because they chose to work together for the needs and wants of THEIR residents!
