Activities Documentation
Welcome to Activities Documentation
Throughout this "blog" you are welcome to contribute to the conversations concerning "Activities Documentation" for those in Long Term Care. We will start with the Initial Assessment process and continue on with all of the paperwork required for the Activities Professionals.
Quality of Life
Let's take a moment to explore what a person does in their lives. We are defined by what we do for a living, how we spend our family time and our passions. These define who we are and what we will become. When a resident enters a long term care facility they are defined in medical terms and terms that are measurable. Their Quality of Life has been replaced by their physical or cognitive needs. This role change can prove to be quite daunting to anyone. Those who have been in the hospital for any length of time can attest to this role of “patient.". The medical model looks at what we are unable to do and assists in getting us “better". There is a beginning, treatment and a cure. Quality of Life is a continuum of life, it has no beginning, no treatment and certainly not a cure. It cannot be a specific, measurable goal. It defines our being and how we see ourselves.
The activities department is charged with a task of looking at areas that are hard to measure. We are asked to assess a person's leisure skills and how they relate to others under very unique circumstances. If a resident comes to our facility without a structured leisure past, it is difficult to place them in programs that meet their needs. If a resident, on the other hand, was a social butterfly and has a vast support system of leisure pursuits that can be equally challenging. So where are we placed in order to meet their interests?
A resident was admitted to a facility with a perceived interest in music. According to the Social Worker admitting her, she played the organ and piano for a living. Miss Jones not only taught music, she played at the movies theater during the age of silent movies. She was well known in the community for her musical reputation. The Social worker extolled all of Miss Jones' musical background insisting that the activities department bring her to every musical event. It just so happened that the evening that Miss Jones was admitted to the facility there was a volunteer coming in to play the piano for a sing-a-long. The staff brought Miss Jones down to the program. She was a slight woman, wore fluffy slippers and had thick glasses and was transported to the program in her wheelchair. The activity director placed her in the front row so that she could watch the volunteer play the piano. The AD also asked her if she would like to play the piano after the program. Miss Jones looked up from her wheelchair and stated “I will take care of the piano,". The program ended and the AD wheeled Miss Jones to the upright piano in the middle of the room. The AD then proceeded to transport residents back to their floors. While taking several residents in the elevator there was a building shaking crash. It sounded like a truck had side swiped the building. Windows rattled and staff proceeded to see what has happened. The AD returned to the area where the musical program had taken place to gather more residents to transport back to their floors. There in the middle of the room sat Miss Jones with the piano dead on the floor. She was swinging her feet and had a huge smile on her face. The Activities Director asked Miss Jones what had happened. Miss Jones replied, “I told you I would take care of the piano. I had to play the piano for a living and hated every moment of it. I have always wanted to do that!”
This speaks volumes about properly assessing a residents leisure interests. The assessment is a tool that looks beyond what we are and where we have been. It should look at where we are going and what interests us as a person. We all have interests that change as we age. These lifetime interests may adapt themselves to our current abilities. Some residents may have enjoyed traveling, but as they got older the ability to travel has decreased due to physical limitations. But their interest in traveling has not diminished, just reading a travel book or reading a map may bring that interest to life.
There are a variety of assessments that are designed to look at the residents needs and interests. These are the key to unlocking the Quality of Life for the residents. The Professional Activities Assessment should address the residents lifestyle, leisure skills and be a window into which the Activities department plans programs that reflect their particular population. An example would be that residents who have lived in a rural setting may have life skills that include gardening and canning vegetables while those who have lived in a urban setting delight in going to a Farmers Market to buy fresh vegetables.
The Professional Activities Assessment process should also take into consideration family “traditions”, ethnic preferences, and a “historical” reference for planning activities. Discussions with residents, families and friends complete the total picture of the residents lifestyle. A family member may have some indications of what the resident is interested in, however, it may not be the complete picture.
Many residents have relatives who are acting as the “historian” for the resident upon admission. These relatives may remember that their Aunt enjoyed baking cookies for them when they visited. In reality the Aunt actually baked only when they came to visit and had a hidden stash of store bought cookies that she was crazy about. Does this mean that the Aunt enjoyed baking? Maybe, but may have enjoyed the process of getting ready for the visit and wanted to make the house smell welcoming. A mother who worked and raised her children may have enjoyed the solace of reading a book while her children were at the beach. The children may remember that Mom liked the beach. In reality Mom enjoyed reading romance novels. So the Professional Activities Assessment is a tool that continues to evolve long after being completed.
Throughout this "blog" you are welcome to contribute to the conversations concerning "Activities Documentation" for those in Long Term Care. We will start with the Initial Assessment process and continue on with all of the paperwork required for the Activities Professionals.
Quality of Life
Let's take a moment to explore what a person does in their lives. We are defined by what we do for a living, how we spend our family time and our passions. These define who we are and what we will become. When a resident enters a long term care facility they are defined in medical terms and terms that are measurable. Their Quality of Life has been replaced by their physical or cognitive needs. This role change can prove to be quite daunting to anyone. Those who have been in the hospital for any length of time can attest to this role of “patient.". The medical model looks at what we are unable to do and assists in getting us “better". There is a beginning, treatment and a cure. Quality of Life is a continuum of life, it has no beginning, no treatment and certainly not a cure. It cannot be a specific, measurable goal. It defines our being and how we see ourselves.
The activities department is charged with a task of looking at areas that are hard to measure. We are asked to assess a person's leisure skills and how they relate to others under very unique circumstances. If a resident comes to our facility without a structured leisure past, it is difficult to place them in programs that meet their needs. If a resident, on the other hand, was a social butterfly and has a vast support system of leisure pursuits that can be equally challenging. So where are we placed in order to meet their interests?
A resident was admitted to a facility with a perceived interest in music. According to the Social Worker admitting her, she played the organ and piano for a living. Miss Jones not only taught music, she played at the movies theater during the age of silent movies. She was well known in the community for her musical reputation. The Social worker extolled all of Miss Jones' musical background insisting that the activities department bring her to every musical event. It just so happened that the evening that Miss Jones was admitted to the facility there was a volunteer coming in to play the piano for a sing-a-long. The staff brought Miss Jones down to the program. She was a slight woman, wore fluffy slippers and had thick glasses and was transported to the program in her wheelchair. The activity director placed her in the front row so that she could watch the volunteer play the piano. The AD also asked her if she would like to play the piano after the program. Miss Jones looked up from her wheelchair and stated “I will take care of the piano,". The program ended and the AD wheeled Miss Jones to the upright piano in the middle of the room. The AD then proceeded to transport residents back to their floors. While taking several residents in the elevator there was a building shaking crash. It sounded like a truck had side swiped the building. Windows rattled and staff proceeded to see what has happened. The AD returned to the area where the musical program had taken place to gather more residents to transport back to their floors. There in the middle of the room sat Miss Jones with the piano dead on the floor. She was swinging her feet and had a huge smile on her face. The Activities Director asked Miss Jones what had happened. Miss Jones replied, “I told you I would take care of the piano. I had to play the piano for a living and hated every moment of it. I have always wanted to do that!”
This speaks volumes about properly assessing a residents leisure interests. The assessment is a tool that looks beyond what we are and where we have been. It should look at where we are going and what interests us as a person. We all have interests that change as we age. These lifetime interests may adapt themselves to our current abilities. Some residents may have enjoyed traveling, but as they got older the ability to travel has decreased due to physical limitations. But their interest in traveling has not diminished, just reading a travel book or reading a map may bring that interest to life.
There are a variety of assessments that are designed to look at the residents needs and interests. These are the key to unlocking the Quality of Life for the residents. The Professional Activities Assessment should address the residents lifestyle, leisure skills and be a window into which the Activities department plans programs that reflect their particular population. An example would be that residents who have lived in a rural setting may have life skills that include gardening and canning vegetables while those who have lived in a urban setting delight in going to a Farmers Market to buy fresh vegetables.
The Professional Activities Assessment process should also take into consideration family “traditions”, ethnic preferences, and a “historical” reference for planning activities. Discussions with residents, families and friends complete the total picture of the residents lifestyle. A family member may have some indications of what the resident is interested in, however, it may not be the complete picture.
Many residents have relatives who are acting as the “historian” for the resident upon admission. These relatives may remember that their Aunt enjoyed baking cookies for them when they visited. In reality the Aunt actually baked only when they came to visit and had a hidden stash of store bought cookies that she was crazy about. Does this mean that the Aunt enjoyed baking? Maybe, but may have enjoyed the process of getting ready for the visit and wanted to make the house smell welcoming. A mother who worked and raised her children may have enjoyed the solace of reading a book while her children were at the beach. The children may remember that Mom liked the beach. In reality Mom enjoyed reading romance novels. So the Professional Activities Assessment is a tool that continues to evolve long after being completed.
posted by Kathy @ 7:09 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home