Individualized Activities June 17, 2020

Consistent with our Montessori philosophy of care, we continue to engage residents in activities that are meaningful and purposeful to them.

Our residents certainly miss their usual social gatherings and being close to their friends and family, but that does not mean that we aren’t continuing to stay active and enjoy many projects. Consistent with our Montessori philosophy of care, we continue to select activities that are meaningful and purposeful for each resident. These activities are tailored to the individual and allow for interactions at a distance. We continue to see how these projects bring joy into the lives of our people.

When the physical distancing protocol was first implemented, Pleasant Manor staff created activity boxes for the residents. These included their favourite hobbies such as knitting, painting, word searches, large print books, and more. The boxes were personalized and allowed the residents to stay engaged while limiting the sharing of these resources.

We have been challenged to innovate and adapt to changes in our environment. Some of the beneficial innovations we have discovered and implemented are:

• Craft bags delivered to interested residents so they can make “creative creations” such as bookmarks, picture frames, and more
• Video chats with family
• Balcony bingo for tenants, in which a staff member stands on the ground outside the apartment building and calls out bingo numbers to tenants who are sitting on their balconies with their bingo cards in hand
• One-to-one bingo for residents, in which the numbers are pre-called and residents can fill out their bingo cards on their own or with assistance from staff
• Sending and receiving pen pal letters
• Upon request of a Pleasant Manor resident, we bought a bubble gun so we now have bubbles in the courtyard

As well the Pleasant Manor Sun Room Cafe has been converted into a painting/craft/relaxation room. The bright windows and calming music playing in the background has created a soothing and engaging environment. Residents sit at physically distanced tables and participate independently or with staff assistance. Some favourite activities are:

• painting
• colouring
• listening to music
• lace sewing, knitting, rolling yarn
• courtyard visits
• sorting – beads, pictures, tickets, coloured chips, etc.
• puzzles
• cognitive activities – Fit Minds, word searches, trivia, crosswords
• lemonade trolley and tuck shop trolley

We are also spending time outdoors for those who are ready to get some fresh air. Gardening, planting flowers, weeding, or just sitting and enjoying the garden have become a welcome pastime for many of our residents and tenants. We continue to receive positive feedback from families who are grateful for the care and attention our staff are providing for our residents during this unique and challenging time.