What To Do When Working With Mixed Abilities In A Group

When working with different groups of people it is important to remember that a person's disabilities are more  apparent than their abilities. This is because abilities are not so apparent when based in a care setting as residents develop a learned dependency, they have carers and  nurses managing their day to day needs, they loose their ability to feel motivated and fail to take the initiative to instigate things themselves.

I see this all the time and with gentle persuasion and encouragement they can sum up the courage to feel motivated to participate or do something for themselves.

If these abilities are not nurtured , a person can become very deflated, more dependent on their carer and suffer low self esteem which  can have a knock on affect in all areas in some cases.

Therefore for the AC working with people of all abilities you must identity their ability  , their disability would be documented and you will find that well meaning relatives will offer preconceived opinions of their relatives abilities as well.

I have found it is a matter of trying something and seeing how you  possibly adapt this for them.  For example, I remember one of my postings was in a home with disabled people with varying abilities and disabilities  and their was a gentleman there who we will call Malcolm who had Down-syndrome and he loved to make tea. 

So we devised a safe way for him to make tea instead of saying no he could not.  We would half boil the kettle, place milk in a jug for ease of lifting, and would have a staff member present when he made tea, even if half of it went all the counter the sense of achievement he felt by independently making a cup of tea was phenomenal for him.It was a confidence boost and he began to try things he would of before limited himself to but because he was able to make tea and we would remind him of this ability he would give everything a go. Imagine the flip side of this, if we had had said no it's too dangerous for you to make tea etc, he would of retreated into himself  and not grew in confidence.

I think keeping an open  mind is vital and thinking outside the box is helpful. Look at ways things can be adapted for a person to participate is vital.

In some instances, identifying disabilities  such as  poor vision and deafness are obviously going to cause a problem if you work in a group as the people affected by such disabilities will not be able to fully join in  unless what activity you have  you are able to include them all.So as to meet everyone's needs it is important to get to know what people enjoy.

 So to summarize you need to remember that a person's disabilities are likely to be much more apparent then their abilities. 

Objectively assess potential abilities yourself by trying different things to gauge that and talking to the person involved.

And adapt the sessions to abilities of the groups or individuals you have been working with.  

Online FB Group Support

I hear all too often the AC role is isolating so I have built up an online community to help support other AC's worldwide in our little hub.Lots of special promotions, free giveaways  and a great resource of files on activities is available to all members free.

You can join the group here -.https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovejoycentregroup
I also do a monthly newsletter you can sign up here and get my free eBook-

 To get your free copy of our ebook: "10 Top Tips for Engaging and Stimulating Activities With The Elderly"
Please click below:http://eepurl.com/Iw9p1

Until next time,

Keep Shining,

Ann Marie Lovejoy Bruce Kerr x

AC's Guide How To Keep Safe In The Event Of A Terrorist Attack

I felt compelled to write a quick guide sheet for my fellow AC's. Britain has had quite a few frequent terrorist attacks of late and it does have an impact on us   as it can happen anytime, anywhere and you could be out and about with a resident or a group of residents and what would you do?

Please continue to take your residents out and about as normal.

It is worth some thought and planning and when you do your risk assessments you should factor this in so everyone knows what to do  to stay safe.  

Factors To Consider-

Contingency Plan- When planning your away days think of places of refuge you can assemble to in the area in case of an emergency. Especially if a lot of residents are in  wheel chair's.

Phone- Always have your phone with you, make sure you all have of  each other's numbers if your are with your colleagues. If you are on your own doing a 121 then stay in contact with the home and emergency services.

Communication- Always let everyone in the group know where you will be with your residents if you all split up in an area. Also plan a meeting place if you get separated.  

Appoint A Coordinator- If anything where to happen appoint someone to be the main point of contact for everyone to contact in the first instance and they then can confirm everyone whereabouts and report it back.

Ratio- Make sure the correct ratio of people are with each person allocated to  help. So for example, one person to 3 residents.

Run-

“Run to a place of safety. This is a far better option than to surrender or negotiate,” Nactso say. 

• Escape if you can
• Consider the safest options
• Is there a safe route? RUN if not HIDE
• Can you get there without exposing yourself to greater danger?
• Insist others leave with you
• Leave belongings behind

Hide-

“It’s better to hide than to confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can,” the advice says.

• If you cannot RUN, HIDE
• Find cover from gunfire
• If you can see the attacker, they may be able to see you
• Cover from view does not mean you are safe, bullets go through glass, brick, wood and metal
• Find cover from gunfire e.g. substantial brickwork / heavy reinforced walls
• Be aware of your exits
• Try not to get trapped
• Be quiet, silence your phone and turn off vibrate
• Lock / barricade yourself in
• Move away from the door

Tell-

Tell the police by calling 999.

• Call 999 - What do the police need to know? If you cannot speak or make a noise listen to the instructions given to you by the call taker
• Location - Where are the suspects?
• Direction - Where did you last see the suspects?
• Descriptions – Describe the attacker, numbers, features, clothing, weapons etc.
• Further information – Casualties, type of injury, building information, entrances, exits, hostages etc.
• Stop other people entering the building if it is safe to do so.

Reassurance-

With the constant news feeds this can spread panic and fear among residents so keep it real and allow your residents to share how they feel and reassure them they are kept safe at all times.

You can also download an app that tells you what to do  if you ever found yourself in a situation the link is here-

 

http://citizenaid.org

Online FB Group Support

I hear all too often the AC role is isolating so I have built up an online community to help support other AC's worldwide in our little hub.Lots of special promotions, free giveaways  and a great resource of files on activities is available to all members free.

You can join the group here -.https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovejoycentregroup
I also do a monthly newsletter you can sign up here and get my free eBook-

 To get your free copy of our ebook: "10 Top Tips for Engaging and Stimulating Activities With The Elderly"
Please click below:http://eepurl.com/Iw9p1


Wishing you all well and until next time keep shining and be safe.
Love,
Ann Marie xxx 

10 Of The Cheapest Activity & Fund Raising Ideas ACs Can Do !

Hi Everyone,
I cannot believe we are already half way through this year. As it is summertime  it is often  a time when lots of fund raising ideas and outdoor activities come into play for you to do with your resident's.
Money can be a big issue for lots of AC's  so in this blog I am going to share what you can do as cheap as chips for you and your residents.

I have compiled a list for you to help with some ideas-

1. Cake Sale-
 Go to Asda  or any other supermarket where you can buy cake mix packets for 20p, yes 20p and all you do is add an egg and you can make sponge cakes to sell and raise money for your residents fund and also get them involved in baking as an activity as well.


2.Reminiscence Ball-

Go to the pound shop and get a blow up beach ball, with a sharpie  write on the ball  conversation prompt questions like, what is your favourite colour? What season do you like? etc.
The idea is to get the ball passed around and whoever's turn it is chooses a question and answers it and then the AC can use it as a discussion point to engage the rest of the group.

3. Bubbles-

Yes, soap bubbles are playful, stimulative and fun. Once again easily bought for a £1 for 3 and this can be used anytime if you decide to have a fun 5 minute activity with your residents, they could try to catch the bubbles whilst singing I am forever blowing bubbles.

4. Balloon Tennis-

Once again Pound shop pack of 30 balloons and a packet of fly swats to use for balloon tennis with your residents.

5. Library-

Either take your residents to  the library or get the mobile library to visit your home when they are in the area. They have cd's, reminiscence resources and talking books so something for everyone.


6. Local Clubs-

Contact local dance schools, colleges, boy scouts, girl guides to come and visit the home and provide free entertainment for your residents.


7. Local Churches and Religious  Groups-

Ask if they have resources for community programmes  that come to visit and provide free entertainment like sing along, musicians , companionship in their groups, you will find this would be free and available and they would be delighted to come along and be a blessing to your home.

8. Local Business-
Approach local business and ask for FREE donations for you to raffle when you do your summer fetes and fairs. People are generous and will donate to you for your home.

9.  Local Nurseries School-
If you have a local nursery near you go speak to them and get an inter generational programme going. Invite the nursery to visit you every month , week or fortnight and this would be so beneficial to your residents and the children.
Set up joint art sessions, sing a along etc each time they come together, the benefits are so amazing on  both sides and it is FREE. 

10. Get Your Frugal On-
Always be on the look out for free resources you can use, British Legion do wonderful FREE packs they send out for Remembrance Sunday, There are resources  that you can subscribe to and get a month's free trail that you use and cancel if you  do not wish to continue at the end of the free trail.
Charity shops have puzzles for £1,local museums have reminiscence boxes to loan  at minimal charges and some will even come out for free to do a talk.


I hope you found this useful. I recently did my annual AC Awards which was lovely ,recognizing AC's for their fabulous work they do and will be having a workshop on the 10/06/17 about reminiscence therapy and freelance AC work.

Here is the link for more information-  www.facebook.com/events/1856335421246836

Online FB Group Support

I hear all too often the AC role is isolating so I have built up an online community to help support other AC's worldwide in our little hub.Lots of special promotions, free giveaways  and a great resource of files on activities is available to all members free.

You can join the group here -.https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovejoycentregroup
I also do a monthly newsletter you can sign up here and get my free eBook-

 To get your free copy of our ebook: "10 Top Tips for Engaging and Stimulating Activities With The Elderly"
Please click below:http://eepurl.com/Iw9p1


Wishing you all well and until next time keep shining.
Love,
Ann Marie xxx