Need Ideas for Celebrating National Nursing Home Week?

National Nursing Home Week started on May 9, but it's not too late to plan a great celebration for your staff and residents!

Here are some great ideas from the 2010 National Nursing Home Week Planning Guide, which you can download here. Each idea ties in to this year's National Nursing Home Week theme, "Enriching Every Day."

Enrichment Through Words

• Grab a Pen and Make a Friend: Establish a pen pal club within your facility or with another facility, high school, volunteer group, etc.
• Poetry Reading: Have an "open mic night" where anyone is welcome to read a poem they wrote or share their favorite poem.
• "Thank You" Note Scavenger Hunt: Encourage residents to write thank-you notes to their favorite staff person or resident and tape the notes all over the facility. Staff members will then find the notes, collect them and read them out loud during a staff appreciation lunch. The staff members could even write a thank-you note back!
• Share Stories with the Veterans History Project: Learn how the veterans in your facility can share their stories with the rest of the world by clicking here.

Enrichment Through Music

• American Senior Idol: Host a version of the popular TV show in your facility! Offer a reward to anyone who participates.
• "Senior Prom": Partner with a local high school to participate in their prom, or host one in your facility!

Enrichment Through Images

• Take Pictures: Encourage staff and residents to make their memories of National Nursing Home Week last by taking pictures with disposable cameras.

Enrichment Through Crafts

• Quilt: Chances are, you already have a quilter in your facility who can assist you with helping other residents unleash their creative ability through fabric. When your quilt is completed, it can be donated to the local library or homeless shelter or kept in the facility as a token from the week.
• Birthday Boxes: Ask residents to decorate a "Birthday Box." These can be shoe boxes, tissue boxes or any small box with a lid. After the box is decorated, have staff and residents write down special notes about everyone and place them in the respective Birthday Box. You could also write notes during the resident's birthday week. After the notes are collected, read them aloud.

Enrichment Through Special Services

• Staff Appreciation Day: Make one day during the week all about staff! Plan a special lunch for them, contact local media or encourage residents to show their appreciation for the staff members closest to them.
• Prayer Service: Invite residents and staff to attend a special service honoring the members of the nursing home "family" that also remembers those who have passed on.
• Mothers and Fathers Brunch: Show all mothers and fathers how special they are by preparing and serving a meal in their honor.
• Memory Garden: Plant a special garden to commemorate the passing of loved ones or friends.

We'd love to hear how your facility is celebrating National Nursing Home Week!