How can I get my mother's assisted living home to offer more activities for the residents with limited abilities?

My Mother has been in her CBRF since this past November. They have a dry erase board that listd the daily activities. To read it, it is impressive. I visit her everyday, sometimes for several hours and often during the times of these "activities". I have never seem them doing activities. When I inquired with the staff, I was told there was not enough time. The more time I spend there, the more frustrated I become and the more I fear growing old. This is a 14 bed facility and they "don't have time". I realize this is so negative. Guess I'm just venting. Having one of those days where I feel defeated. This is the woman who gave me life...I want to give her life now and feel beaten down.

It's been my experience that care facilities have limited staff and more duties than they have time to perform. If you want to point out a problem with how the home operates, like not having enough activities, you will be heard better if you present a solution at the same time you tell them of the problem. And like my drill sergeant used to say, if you want it done right, do it yourself. Offer to come in and engage a set of residents, including your mother, in a new activity. Staff are mostly hard-working, caring people who do the best they can. Outsiders suggesting they do more work tend to be perceived as irritating. Don't just point out the problem, help solve it. Good Luck. God Bless You.
Jonathan

You might ask local schools or churches for volunteers to do activities with the residents and see if the facility your mother is in would welcome volunteers. Even at the rate of $2500/$3000 a month, only the really large facilities can afford a full time activities director and to have many activities directed at different levels of ability is probably unrealistic.

My mother just moved to a small assisted living facility (after a miraculous recovery from 6 months of Hospice care!! Yipeeee!! and I pray for the same for everyone else!!) and I have noticed one family there that I personally think expects too much from the staff. Families and friends still need to be involved to "entertain" residents. Assisted living is just that... "assisted living" but not full time "we take care of absolutely everything." I'm lucky that I have time available to be more involved with my Mom but I know not everyone does so it does make it difficult. I hope some volunteers might be a good solution for you!! Good luck!!

I sympathize with your problem as proper stimulation helps their minds stay active and it is even possible to make cognitive improvement. I find that I have a similar but seemingly opposite problem. My father is in the dementia unit of an assisted living facility but he is higher functioning and does not want to play pass the balloon games. They have some activities for higher functioning residents, but in my opinion, not enough. One thing that they have done at my urging is to give my father jobs setting up the activities so he feels invested. They then issue him a fake check at the end of the week. This has had limited success as it does not feel like a real job to him and he also says his pay isn't much!

I have heard that having a place for men to gather has helped at other assisted living facilities. One suggestion from a physicians assistant is to have a pool table. Even if the men don't play, they like to hang around it and that gets them out of their rooms. I suppose I could suggest this but I believe I would then have to secure the donation of a table.

One thing that I dislike at this facility is that most of the exercising is done by following a video. My father craves human interaction and the videos leave him cold.

I think the director of this facility has a limited imagination and I'm not sure I can really help improve that.

I would talk with the activity director, or social services director. Maybe they do not know what to do and you may have to make suggestions and give them real input! Often people do not know what to do and there are many activities that seniors enjoy. Music, puzzles and simple cooking. Have a popcorn and western movie party for the men. Many things can give them joy and make life more fun.

The place where my mother-in-law lives has things going on for the residents, but she herself won't do anything about it. She'd rather walk or just sit in her room and watch TV, so even if you were to suggest something like you're wanting, there are many people who just will not participate. It could be that the asst living place has already been down this road and can't get any involvement. I'd start by asking the activities director what has worked and what hasn't. Maybe you could teach a class of some sort once a week teaching a craft or whatever. Remember when you start suggesting these things, you're probably gonna be the one taking the bull by the horns so to speak. Good luck.