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Scott and Cece in front of the Eldergrow garden in The Lodge at Cypress Cove
The amazing staff in The Lodge at Cypress Cove go out of their way every day to make life special for skilled nursing residents. From holiday crafts to live musical entertainment to special requests from family members, every day is worthy of a celebration!
The activities team in The Lodge understands that each resident is unique. Their goal is to provide person-centered care programming that brings meaning, purpose, and joy. With a passion for what they do, the team strives to meet a resident where they’re at both physically and mentally.
For long-term care residents, the activities team provides a balance of physical, mental, social, sensory, and spiritual activities. “Food related activities are popular,” said Scott Lendh, ADC, activities coordinator. “One recent example is when we celebrated Carrot Cake Day by serving it room to room. Even though we are back to having group activities, we continue to plan several room-to-room activities per week as it increases participation and employee morale.”
Other popular activities enjoyed in The Lodge include music appreciation, pet therapy, and aromatherapy hand massages. The scents promote relaxation and calmness.
Scott says the word puzzles the team distributes every morning are quite popular among the rehab residents, who are more likely to self-direct activities on their tablets, have visitors, and need rest following intense therapy sessions. The activities team makes it a priority to provide a TV and music channel guide on the daily bulletin, including the in-house channel movies and Cypress Cove Chapel service and Mass. They also offer supplies such as word puzzle books, writing materials, stamps, etc.
Scott and his assistants strive to create unique programs such as Valentine’s Day Family Feud, which was a hit. “A primary goal is to always adapt the activities to the residents’ cognitive and physical capabilities,” Scott said. “A good example is the Olympic-themed noodle hockey we played recently, where residents use easy to grip pool noodles to bat a balloon into a laundry basket goal.”
The staff in The Lodge support family requests and involve them in discussions about their loved one’s care. This is accomplished in care plans upon admission and quarterly. During the peak of Covid when visitors were not allowed, The Lodge would average six virtual visits per day with family and friends, some from as far away as Australia and Costa Rica! In addition, family members send pictures to the activities team to print and place in a resident’s room.
An example of a special request that the staff enjoyed pulling together was an anniversary celebration for a resident who was in long-term care at The Lodge while their spouse still lived in independent living in The Harbour. Working with culinary services, the staff arranged a virtual visit so the couple could continue their tradition of toasting a glass of wine to each other.
Another rehab resident wanted to celebrate his wife’s birthday with Norman Love chocolates, a card, and flowers as he always does. “We took it to the next level and decorated a cart with wine, rose petals, and cake along with the items he requested,” said Scott. “We surprised his wife when she came to visit, and she was over the moon. She even sent us a thank you card. It’s these moments that make our jobs so rewarding.”
The staff in The Lodge are also happy to assist with ordering supplies for residents, including clothes, a clear captions phone, or audiobooks.
Milestone birthdays, especially 100-years-old, are celebrated with life stories presented in book or video and special parties. “We decorate their door so everyone knows it’s their birthday and present them with tiaras, sashes, balloons and a special cake,” said Scott. “Most importantly, we always take a lot of pictures to send to families to show them that our residents are leading vibrant engaged lives.”
Finally, the staff practice validation therapy, which is to communicate with respect, showing that their opinions and beliefs are heard, acknowledged, valued, and esteemed, rather than dismissed or marginalized. Redirection is another commonly used method. If a resident is looking for their mother who passed a long time ago, we may say something like, “Your mother is a wonderful person; let’s go see what they’re doing in the activities room.”
“I am very blessed to have two awesome activities assistants, Yvonne and Cece,” Scott explained. “It is a collaborative effort to provide best practices in our department. We trust and respect each other as well as value each other’s opinions and ideas. If one of my assistants notices the residents really enjoyed a particular activity, we add it to the calendar more often. Additionally, if they noted that a particular staff member was helpful, I will make sure to acknowledge that staff member and let their supervisor know as well.”