Hand Massages and Bingo

Mondays are always full of activities! Before lunch consists of catching up with residents about their weekend and playing a quick game of cards, reading the paper, or doing a little art. Then, at 12:30, I start my dementia activity. This Monday, it was hand massages! I only recruited two residents for hand massages this week because I kept getting inquiries about the wedding (yes, MY wedding!). All the ladies wanted to see pictures, hear about my husband, find out how many people was there, where it was at, and who everyone in the pictures were. To them, it's such a delight to hear about someone else's life. That's one thing that I love about working with the elderly. They're always available to listen. They truly enjoy and value conversation with others. There are exceptions to that generalization but more-often-than-not it's a truth.

At two o'clock, an OT (who went to Berea College!) leads exercise. Lots of residents come down for it. They're seriously dedicated to staying healthy -- which is an inspiration for me. I've spent a considerable amount of time working out and attempting to make healthy choices. Some times I get sick of it and feel like taking the microwave meal way out, but then I think about them and others I've met who are doing so well and make it a priority to stay moving and it motivates to keep up the hard work.

Lastly, Monday is BINGO DAY! The residents are serious about their bingo. Some get very upset at my coworker, Karen, who is in her early 50s, because she doesn't check people's cards when they call 'Bingo!' I get to hear them gripe about it, make angry faces, and roll their eyes at me because they don't understand that she's the one making those decisions. Along with that, I've found that some of the more cognitively sound residents have little to no tolerance for the ones that are dealing with dementia.  I help several residents who are no longer able to play by themselves and others get mad and think that it isn't fair. They think those residents shouldn't be allowed to play but understanding or considering that most, if not everyone, should get an opportunity to be included if they want to be. I know that Ruth and her friend Maggie, two residents with severe dementia, really get excited when they get to choose a prize after winning bingo. It's a really pleasant feeling knowing that I played a small part int that.