1. Set up events so that your assisted living community can come together –employees, residents and family members alike
Amidst all the chaos and hustle and bustle, there is one real underlying goal of the holidays: bringing people together. Even if it’s small and simple, it’s always a great idea to hold events that allow staff members, residents, and their family members to mingle and have a jolly time! You can host a Christmas carol sing-along, or throw a scrapbooking event where everyone can compile a scrapbook with mementos and photos. Set up a field trip to a play or another performance that is holiday-themed, such as The Nutcracker – or better yet – conduct your own play with staff members and residents as the actors! For fun with a side of yummy, you can also host a cookie-baking and decorating party. Holiday Card parties are also a wonderful idea – where each person is assigned a task such as writing out addresses, stuffing envelopes or decorating cards. All of these events will bring everyone together and spread holiday cheer!
2. Ensure that family members and residents know about these events!
You can plan the greatest holiday party any assisted living community has ever seen, but if you can’t get the word out, then your efforts will be (at least partially) wasted. Make sure you utilize all of your resources! InTouchLink will allow you to post once and have the content spread across multiple channels of communication – including email messages to family members, splashes on your InTouchLink TV screen, and online on the InTouchLink family access area. Our unique family member access area allows family members to easily log in and view activities, menus, newsletters, photos and more so that they can easily keep up with the community. Let us be your one-stop-shop this holiday season! You can also print a few paper copies of your own community activity calendar.
3. Use your Assisted Living Community Channel to spread holiday love in other ways
With your own custom TV channel,your opportunities for spreading holiday cheer are endless! You can post videos, such as famous holiday movie clips (Merry Christmas ya Filthy Animal!), a holiday music playlist, and more. You can also post fun holiday facts as your “Thoughts of the Day”. For Special Event backgrounds, Google winter holiday background images and you’ll find a ton of beautiful options. During your holiday events, be sure to take some pictures and then post them on your channel as a slideshow for everyone to enjoy!
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Activity Director's Guide to InRoom Activities
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4. Allow family members to easily communicate with the residents – and vice versa!
It can be difficult to keep in touch with our loved ones, and even more difficult when a family member stays in a retirement home away from the family. Ensure that your residents never feel isolated. InTouchLink has an easy-to-use email system for residents, with large buttons and even a read-back feature for those who are visually impaired. Family members can also send photos or even videos to a residents’ email. InTouchLink also has a greeting card feature for residents which allows them to easily send holiday cards to their loved ones. For residents with families further away, setting them up with a Skype account that is linked to their InTouchLink account will bridge the distance gap and bring joy to all.
5. There’s no better way to spread holiday cheer than with holiday music!
What better way to get in the holiday groove than to listen to some cheerful holiday tunes. Luckily, you can easily connect your InTouchLink channel to a radio station that plays holiday songs around the clock! Contact us and we’ll set this up for you faster than Santa sliding down the chimney (it’s not his fault – it’s all the cookies).
6. It’s easy to run out of ideas for events or DIY decorations – check out online resources!
Luckily, InTouchLink has its very own dedicated Pinterest board for the holiday season! And we post from other great sources that you can follow as well, so you never run out of great new ideas for the holidays. Whether its new holiday recipes or novelty DIY gifts or even party ideas – Pinterest is a wonderful resource. Here are some other online resources for you to check out for more inspiration!
Food Network: Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes
Free Winter Holiday Background Images
7. Try out a few seasonal apps and games to spread some holiday laughs!
Right around the holidays, App Stores on smartphones will release all kinds of fun games and other nifty things like advent calendars to add some more joy to the holiday season! Here are just a few examples of apps as well as fun holiday websites:
Christmas Advent Calendar: GooglePlay or Itunes
And speaking of holiday laughs…
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