Showing posts with label activity director. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activity director. Show all posts

March 10, 2016

16 Uncomfortable Feelings that Indicate You Are on the Right Path

Discomfort is what happens when we are on the precipice of change. Unfortunately, we often confuse it for unhappiness, and cope with the latter while running from the former. It usually takes a bit of discomfort to break through to a new understanding, to release a limiting belief, to motivate ourselves to create real change. Discomfort is a signal, one that is often very helpful. Here are a few (less than desirable) feelings that may indicate you’re on the right path after all:

1. Feeling as though you are reliving your childhood struggles. You find that you’re seeing issues you struggled with as a kid reappear in your adult life, and while on the surface this may seem like a matter of not having overcome them, it really means you are becoming conscious of why you think and feel, so you can change it.
2. Feeling “lost,” or directionless. Feeling lost is actually a sign you’re becoming more present in your life – you’re living less within the narratives and ideas that you premeditated, and more in the moment at hand. Until you’re used to this, it will feel as though you’re off track (you aren’t).

3. “Left brain” fogginess.
 
 
 
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January 5, 2016

Turn Your Goals Into "If/Then" Statements

With any goal, pitfalls are usually inevitable. You want to eat healthier but your coworker brings cupcakes. You want to save money but your car needs work. To stay ahead of setbacks, give your goal an if-then plan.

We’ve talked about this concept before in terms of building your willpower. To connect the impulsive part of your brain with the calm, methodical part, use an if-then statement to control your behavior. For example, you might say, “if I feel angry, then I will count to ten.” It’s a simple example, but you get the idea.

Similarly, you can use if-then statements to safeguard your ambitious goals against any potential setbacks. As O Magazine editor Jihan Thompson puts it:
“Ambitious plans are commendable (‘I’m going to lose 30 pounds this year!’), but they don’t account for inevitable roadblocks. If you want to have a fighting chance at sticking to your resolutions, you would do well to develop if-then plans: if someone brings cupcakes or pizza or candy to work, then I….”
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December 10, 2015

Kids Asking For a Pet? Six Reasons to Say Yes

There's nothing more adorable than a kid with a puppy, knowing they'll grow up together and become inseparable friends. Far from just being cute, there are also very real health and social benefits that come along with growing up with a pet.

Here are six benefits to raising a kid with a furry friend:

1. Pets teach responsibility.

Having a pet is a lot of work. Any kind of animal a family chooses is going to need to be fed and cleaned up after. Most pet choices will require exercise and plenty of attention to make sure it has a happy, healthy life. Taking an active role in the daily duties surrounding caring for a pet will teach children responsibility for these essential tasks.

For More: http://aplus.com/a/6-benefits-kids-pets

For More on how to become an  Activities Director

December 1, 2015

Learn How to Solve Problems Like a Designer

Consider this. You work for an organization in East Africa. The organization sells treadle pumps (used for farmland irrigation) to the local farmers. After years of operation you notice that in some regions the treadle pumps sell extremely well, while in other regions they don’t sell at all. You’ve been tasked with generating sales of the pumps in those weak-performing regions.
What do you do?

Design Thinking is a problem solving framework. The concept has been around for decades, but in the past five to ten years, IDEO, a design consultancy, has championed the process as an alternative to a purely analytical approach to problem-solving.
Tim Brown, IDEO’s president and CEO, defines design thinking like this:
“The mission of design thinking is to translate observation into insights and insights into products and services that will improve lives.”
The goal of improving lives is an important endpoint to the process of design thinking. In fact, it’s what design thinking is all about: finding fresh, creative solutions to problems, but in a way that puts people and their needs first.

Design thinking came to the rescue for the organization selling treadle pumps in East Africa. They were able to identify why their product wasn’t selling in some regions and they found a solution. Of course, you’ll have to keep reading to find out what the solution was…

 For More and Original Article.

Learn what it takes to become an Activity Director.

October 27, 2015

Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.

To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.

Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.

Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf

Laughter is your natural defense mechanism. It's a prescription from your “Humor Being” to cure the chaos that attacks you from day to day.
To describe what a Humor Being is, I have to first define what a sense of humor is. The dictionary says the word sense means “perception or awareness; and correct reasoning; or sound judgment.” The word humor means “turn of mind; to sooth temper or mood; or the mental quality that produces absurd or joyful ideas.” So we can say that a sense of humor is to be aware that you have a mental quality to turn your mind in an unusual way, or a need to produce joyful or absurd ideas that can sooth your very being.
Many truly successful and happy people had to overcome adversity of some kind. Inventors, discoverers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, artists and great minds of all kinds had to face major challenges and defy insurmountable odds on their journey toward success. But they also had an ongoing optimism to move forward. Each of them had an awareness, a perception, to shift their moods to produce joyful ideas and an ability to soothe their very being by using correct reasoning and sound judgment. This awareness or perception is by definition a sense of humor. The initiative and proficiency by which to utilize it, however, comes from what I call our Humor Being.
Your Humor Being is one facet of your higher self.
- See more at: http://www.success.com/blog/use-your-humor-being-to-be-a-better-human-being#sthash.KA9kA522.dpuf
Use Your Positive Outlook to Help Others: Become a Activities Director.

October 22, 2015

How to Maximize the Potential of your Millennial Employees


Millennials are challenging the traditional notion of work. As they become the largest fraction of the U.S. workforce, more and more businesses are struggling with the demands and work ethics of Gen Y employees. If you are struggling to understand their needs and find ways to engage with them, here are eight reasons why you might be failing and think of the whole generation as lazy and non-work driven, while the reality is quite the opposite.

1. They no longer value the traditional workplace rules

Strict dress code? Fines for being late for 10 minutes? Meetings for the sake of meetings? Millennials no longer deem such things important and often fail to compile with out-dated rules. They will not work for a company where certain things are done because “it’s always been done that way.” This generation has often been called the generation of tinkerers and shortcut-takers. They don’t want to get things done “just because.” They want to get tasks done in the most efficient, least time-consuming way possible and squeeze out the max results.

Next time you think a 20-something employee is just being lazy, have a closer look at his productivity time. He might just have written a simple code to do copy-pasting for him and now enjoys longer lunches while the job is still being done by itself.

For More and Original Article
Learn how to help your employees with healthcare education.

September 15, 2015

Things you'll regret in your 30s

What better way to learn than from those who have been there and done that?
Reddit thread recently had people chiming in on things they regret doing (or not doing) in their 30s. Whether you are about to embark on the exciting journey of your 30s or nearing the tail end, learn from those in the know.

1. The shoulds

You'll feel societal pressures in your 30s more than ever before, but don't let the shoulds hold you back. You may constantly worry about how you should own a home, you should have kids, you should be married, or you should have a steady career.
Drop all those expectations, and live life the way that makes you the happiest. Don't feel like a failure just because your life happens to deviate from the norm — you've got one life to live, so live it your way.

2. Not spending time with parents

One common regret that many people in their 30s have is not spending time with their parents while they are young enough to actively participate. Simple pleasures like taking a walk, traveling, or even having a conversation may be harder to come by once your parents age.

3. Putting work first

Something to keep in your mind in your 30s: if you put work first, you're going to regret it. Spend time with people you love, because those are precious moments that money and moving up the ladder can't beat.

For More and Original Article

Learn how you can become an Activity Director.

August 4, 2015

How to Take Advantage of the Hot Days of Summer

Summer invites us to take hands with her sunny, warm energy so that our lives can be more easeful and pleasant. So we have collected a baker‘s dozen tips and ideas to help all of us live more simply (and succulently!) during the long, lazy days of summer.

Find out how to make the sun your ally, get some ideas on simplifying your life and enjoying the pleasures of the season, and much more. We include a few easy warm-weather cooking suggestions and some great keep-cool formulas, including a refreshing crop of body fresheners and some cucumber beauty tips. It’s all right here:

Make an Ally of the Sun
1. Hang your laundry out to dry. There is simply nothing like climbing into a bed whose clean sheets smell sweetly of sun and fresh air. And it saves energy!
2. Wash stained items as usual and then throw them over a bush located in full sunlight to take advantage of the sun’s natural bleaching power (our ancestors used to dry their linens on lavender bushes so they would be permeated with sun, fresh air, and the divine scent of lavender.)
3. Anything musty or funky-smelling can benefit from some time in the sun: place items where they will get the benefit of the direct sunlight.
4. Try making Sun Tea. Children are fascinated by the sun’s power to change things and love to get involved in this process. Simply place 1 teabag (black, green, or herbal) per pint of water in a glass container, and leave outside in the sun to steep for an hour. Add sweetener and fresh mint . . .

Good at organizing activities? Learn what it takes to become an Activities Director.

July 14, 2015

How to Care for a Parent After a Stroke

When an elderly parent is recovering from a stroke, there is perhaps no more helpful advice for family caregivers than “Expect the unexpected.”

“Every stroke is different,” says David Siegelman, Director of Rehabilitation at The Hebrew Home in Riverdale by RiverSpring Health in the New York City area. “People can experience vastly different effects based on such factors as the type, location and severity of the stroke.”

Stroke After-Effects

Among the most common after-effects of a stroke are hemiplegia or hemiparesis, which is paralysis or weakness of one side of the body.

“This is what people most often associate with a stroke,” Siegelman says, “but depending upon its location, a stroke also may affect balance, vision or communication. The inability to communicate is often a major issue that people experience immediately after a stroke. They may lose their ability to speak or they’ll use words that don’t make sense. They may develop swallowing difficulties, also called dysphagia.”

For More and Original Article

Learn how to become a Home Health Aide.

June 16, 2015

Seniors: When is the Right Time to Stop Driving?

For many of us, driving is a vital component of freedom and independence. But aging brings physical changes that can jeopardize your future on the road.

“Most people I see don’t think they have any driving problems,” says Barbara Moscowitz, a geriatric social worker at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “But even subtle changes in your health can affect your reaction time. You need to address them while you’re well, so you can keep driving.”

SENSORY CHANGES

Changes in eyesight may make it harder to see at night, read traffic signs, and cope with glare. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that people ages 65 and older have comprehensive eye exams at least every other year.
Hearing loss also can affect your driving skills by keeping you from noting outside noise such as sirens and horns. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends getting hearing checks every three years after age 50.
Quick fixes: Keep noise in the car to a minimum, and cut back on night driving.

For More and Original Article.
Learn how you can help seniors by becoming a home health aide.

June 4, 2015

6 Creative Activities That Will Make Senior Residents Smile


The best assisted living communities make it a priority to have an energetic and creative activities director on their staff.  This individual is tasked with keeping residents busy and happy and stimulated. A good activities director will continually ask residents and their loved ones for input so that the calendar is filled with a well-rounded range of assisted living activities designed to engage residents of all different abilities and interests and to reflect their own interests as community members. Assisted living activities are important for more than just fun and games, though. One study of more than 5,500 participants aged 65 years or older concluded that stimulating leisure activities were significantly associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Putting a smile on resident’s faces is not too hard with a fun mix of activities. They don’t have to be expensive or complicated. Here are five ideas for creative assisted living activities.

1.      Barbeque  Throw a southern barbeque party. Tell the women and men to dress in vacation resort clothes. Fire up the Bubba barbeque pit and serve your best barbeque ribs, pork shoulders and whole hog.

2.      Concert under the stars Beautiful summer weather brings the ability to invite residents outside to a common area and put on a live music concert. Hire a duo that plays music most residents will recognize and enjoy. Serve snacks, cookies, punch and wine –if allowed in the assisted living residence – and let the music flow and the dancing go.


For More and Original Article at www.ssmgrp.com

Like to learn more about what it takes to become an Activity Director?

May 26, 2015

Exercise Together: 100 Great Family Fitness Ideas

What’s one of the biggest obstacles to bringing family fitness into your family life? Ideas.

Just like our kids, we inevitably get hit with that question, “What should we do?”

The first secret to making family fitness work, is to grab little moments and sneak activity in.

The second secret is to streamline things so you can quickly move from planning to doing.

To apply both of these secrets, the last thing you want to be spending time doing is trying to come up with an inspiration for activity.

So to make that question, “What should we do?” disappear like dust in the wind, I pulled my husband and kids together to brainstorm a list of fun activities for family fitness.

Initially I was just thinking let’s try to get to 100. But then I realized this could get much better and bigger . . .

I’d love for you to add your ideas and favorite activities here. Just put them in the comments. Let’s see how far we can go!

(By the way, I realized I cheated a bit here.  I didn’t notice it the first time I wrote this up but I put cleaning the house down twice as an activity. You can see where I want to get the crew moving! And yes, active chores count!)

  1. Play tag
  2. Play hide and seek
  3. Toss the football
  4. Play ultimate football (Make teams and see how you can move the ball up to your goal line by simply doing several passes in a row back and forth. Other team tries to intercept.)
For More Great Ideas and Original Article.

Learn what it takes to become an Activities Director.

May 20, 2015

Activitites: Easy Card Games for Seniors

Seniors & Their Activities

Activities for seniors is such a hot topic because In the life of every individual, old age is life’s best time. This is an age when they are perfectly settled after achieving their dreams and life resolutions. After fulfilling all major responsibilities of life like settling down children, they become free of all kind of worries including work, business, children and almost everything. In this age, one can analyze their hidden talents and can explore them as well. Mostly elderly spend their most of this time in exploring their hidden talent. Thus, the activities are varied for seniors. But in these activities, playing card games are very common and perfect time pass for them which is liked by most of the seniors.
Activities For Seniors Beyond Calculation
If you think to measure up all activities for seniors in an instant, then we must say that it is not possible at all. From easy to difficult, there are numerous activities famous amongst seniors. The game of card is very well known to all age people and it has several forms as well. But when it comes to elderly, they like to play easy form of card games. In addition to card games, their activities include artistic work like drawing, painting, singing, music, sculpture etc. Besides these artistic activity options, they can do internet surfing, joining dance club, gardening, watching birds, book reading, traveling, scrap booking etc.

April 7, 2015

3 Healthy Behaviors for Working Moms

Working moms have to share their life with not just their family, but their career. A career outside of the home means more time to give and less time to spend on the things that allow us to be healthier. Regardless of why we work, whether if its' for the additional income or the professional career that is important to maintain, a healthy lifestyle is still foundational to being effective in our responsibilities.

Healthy living doesn't have to be another check list on the bottom of the to-do list but rather can be a mindset we adopt as we continue with our responsibilities. There are ways that we can be healthy as a working mom -- we just need to do things a little different.

Here are three habits that every working mom can be adopt to become healthier:

1. Use exercise as a means to be healthy, not as a punishment for bad behavior. There isn't any faster way to hate exercising than to use it as punishment. We are guilty of this behavior all the time, even in the littlest ways. Maybe you ate dessert at the office meeting and snagged a piece of candy off of a desk as you passed by. And as you took that last bite, you thought to yourself, "It's okay, I'll just hop on the treadmill tonight" or "I walked today at lunch." Or even worse -- using exercise as punishment for how you look or fit into your jeans.

For More and Original Article.

Learn more about becoming an Activity Director.

March 10, 2015

Fitness Tips for Every Age Group

Fitness should be timeless, and a lifelong commitment. However, fitness should also be fun. As a mother of a toddler and now a newborn, I love to watch the little ones' attitudes toward fitness. It is just part of play, and an innate part of each day. 

There is no second thought, but most likely a motivating thought like, “I have to run as fast as I can, so I can get that ball over there!” Wouldn’t it be great if we could spend each day like that and expend all of that energy, aka calories?

If you have a young child who is less active getting them involved in a baby or toddler fitness class is a great way to get them started. There are many venues which encourage kids to do the things that they are excited to do at this stage of development. 

They learn to roll over, to sit up by themselves, to crawl, to walk, and to climb.

For More and Original Article.
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January 27, 2015

Tax Time Tips for Caregivers and Single Moms

Many single moms don’t realize they can use the Head of Household filing status instead of Single status.

Head of Household standard deduction and tax rate schedule are the second lowest after Married Filing Jointly and Qualifying Widow.  Higher standard deduction amount means less income is subject to taxes, and a lower tax rate means less taxes.  Lower taxes equals a higher refund.

Daycare is expensive and as a single parent one of your highest priorities.  There is a tax break for all or part of your taxes though.  First, use your company’s daycare flex spending account.  This account allows you to use up to $5,000 a year of your income before taxes to pay for your daycare.  Then you can use any remaining expense, up to $6,000 total spent, for a tax credit when you have more than two children in daycare.  This is a total win-win when it comes to reducing your taxes and taking care of your most precious commodity.

Let’s not forget the Child Tax Credits. 

For More and Original Article.

Learn how you can become an Activity Director.

January 13, 2015

Take Time to Recognize Activity Professionals

1/18-24/2015 is National Activity Professionals Week.

What if you already are an Activity Professional?

Sure, it's nice to go out to lunch and get presents - but in many cases, this does not happen. Rather than sit back and wait for the "royal treatment", use this week as an excuse to "toot your own horn". Consider the following ideas to recognize and promote the value of therapeutic activities:

1.Conduct an inservice, but create a celebratory atmosphere. Serve refreshments, decorate festively, and have door prizes. Provide information regarding the benefits of activities and create displays with materials and photographs. Give out promotional items related to NAPW.
2. Use some of the poems and writings about activities, listed on the "Poems and Silly Stuff" Page. My favorites are "The Activity Pest" and "Activities are...". Display them in common areas, send them to the families or read them at activity groups.
3. Create a video emphasizing the benefits of each activity. Set the video up in the lobby, play it continuously with a poster, tri-board or printed materials explaining NAPW.
4. Plan an "Activity Open House". Send out invitations and have display areas set up in your recreation room which emphasize the value of therapeutic activities. 

Learn how to become an Activity Director.

August 12, 2014

Tips to Get Ready for the New School Year

Move over, summer--a new school year is coming!
With the start of school, families face new organization challenges. 

School bells ring--and so do early-morning alarm clocks.
Paper piles swell as hand-outs and homework stream into the house.

Shorter autumn days bring a hectic round of sports, activities and events, and calendars fill with cryptic notes. Can the holidays be far behind?

Get organized now for the best school year ever! Use these ideas to prepare your home and family for the busy days ahead.

Ease the family into a school year schedule.

The first day of school is no time for a drastic adjustment of household sleep schedules. Instead, ease children back into a school year routine gradually. During the last two weeks of summer, re-introduce a school year bedtime. Begin waking late sleepers earlier and earlier, closer to the hour they'll need to rise when school begins.

For More and Original Article.

Learn about a new career in Healthcare at: http://wecareonlineclasses.com/

July 31, 2014

Coping with Personalities that "Don't get along well with others."

Most people get along with others. There might be the odd bit of friction between a person or two, but for the most part, most people get along.

There is a subgroup of people however, that don’t seem to get along with almost anyone. These persons tend to project blame onto others for their conflict and may also cause others to feel guilty for not meeting expectations in the relationship. Further, some of these people while feigning interest in others, are really only interested in meeting their own needs.

These people can be manipulative, self-serving and very distressing to others. If they themselves are distressed, it is only due to the reaction of others, or for others not attending to their demands. They tend not to be distressed about their own behavior. In fact, when confronted on their own behavior, they are quite unable to see a problem with themselves and treat the confrontation as a serious attack.

For More and Original Article.

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http://wecareonlineclasses.com/

April 22, 2014

Helping residents get Happy and Healthy

When someone showed Stephanie Gumina a Canadian video featuring seniors singing Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop hit “Call Me Maybe” last year, she thought residents of the Belvedere of Westlake in Ohio, where she is program director, would enjoy participating in a similar activity.
“My residents are very animated,” she told me. “Just because you’re a senior citizen doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. We have fun every day. We laugh every day.”

Stephanie found the perfect vehicle for the Belvedere’s assisted living residents to express their energy—and for her to use skills honed in broadcast school—in Pharrell Williams’ infectious, Oscar-nominated tune “Happy,” which is featured in the children’s movie “Despicable Me 2.” And now the world can see the results of their efforts, because Stephanie posted a video of residents and staff members dancing and singing along to the ditty on YouTube, where it has received more than 3,700 hits in the past month.

For More and original blog.

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