Keeping Fun Alive – Brandywine Living at Dresher Estates
We are all hopeful for this pandemic to be over soon, but it has been wonderful to see the tremendous efforts recreation staff have been making to create fulfilling lives for the residents in their communities. News reports of those efforts continue to surface, and we are happy to see how recreation professionals have adapted […]
Creating Excitement and Memories in Challenging Times
As the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across North America it’s becoming more of a priority to protect our vulnerable residents that live in elder care homes. Most homes have implemented strict no visitor, lockdown policies to keep residents safe and healthy. Part of this new normal is the implementation of social distancing measures which includes […]
Physical activity may stop aging brains from shrinking, study shows
This article looks at the importance of being physically active, which may keep your brain four years younger than the rest of you. This might help prevent or slow the progression of dementias like Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. “We recently published a paper using information of both current and past physical activity and found they […]
Assisted Living Keeping Up with Changing Population Needs
This article explores how assisted living senior facilities are keeping up with the changing population needs as the aging baby boomers begin to need an increase with supportive living needs. The aging population is living longer, are more physically able, and more connected with technology than ever before. With the changing needs of our aging […]
February is Therapeutic Recreation Awareness Month
ActivityPro would like to recognize the hard work of the thousands of Recreation Therapists across North America that use our tool to improve the lives and well-being of their residents/clients. The Recreation Therapists that use ActivityPro every day to track, manage, and improve their programs will be the first to tell you how valuable it […]
National Fun Day
January 28th is National Fun Day at Work. Our clients know all about creating fun in the workplace as they tirelessly create fun and rewarding activities and engagement for their clients, patients, and residents. Today may be a good day to engage all the other employees at the organization to get involved in the fun! […]
Iki Iki Lessons For Everyone
For those with mild-to-moderate dementia, has a universal appeal for any culture. The program represents a first-hand application of person-centered care and approaches to those living with dementia. As with most program approaches focused on connecting in meaningful ways with the person with dementia, traditional methods and existing resources compromise the degree of success. Instead, […]
Canadian WW II vets to visit Italy to commemorate the Italian Campaign
This CBC article details how Edmond Arsenault, 97, will be visiting Italy for the first time since WW II. Next week, he and 14 others will fly to Italy as part of an official Canadian delegation to participate in several ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the Italian Campaign. Click here to read the full […]
World Kindness Day
November 13th is World Kindness Day, let’s spread the love and do something extra special for humanity today! Each of us has the potential to improve the lives of others through understanding and kindness.
How Urban Design Can Help People with Dementia
As waitlists for care facilities grow longer and more people with dementia are choosing to live within their own communities, urban planning and design will play an increasingly important role in helping them live safe, comfortable and independent lives. Exercise and social interaction are “incredibly important” for people living with dementia, says Samantha Biglieri, an […]
Eating Nuts Regularly Can Improve Cognitive Function in Older Adults
A study suggests adults who consume 10 grams of nuts daily can improve their cognitive functioning as they get older, reports Consumer Affairs. More than 4,800 adults 55 and older participating in the China National Health Survey between 1991 and 2006 were assessed. Seventeen percent of participants reported eating nuts regularly at the outset, with food […]
Why Lifting Weights Can Be So Potent for Aging Well
A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports on the emotional impact of lifting weights suggests this regimen could improve motivation and confidence in older adults, reports the New York Times. For the study, 81 men and women between the ages of 65 and 75 agreed to start twice-weekly, supervised, full-body resistance training. Three months […]
New Virtual Reality Program for Seniors
We’re delighted to share some exciting news from one of ActivityPro’s clients, Ontario Center in Canandaigua, who recently invested in virtual reality technology for their residents. So far the program has been well received by residents enjoying the 360-degree headset which comes with several programs where residents can visit different countries or go under the […]
Are You Protected From Movie Night Copyright Infringement?
The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation changed their rules in 2016 and a lot of nursing homes are finding out the hard way about the implications to an all-time favorite activity: showing movies. Under the previous rules organizations like libraries, schools, and senior living facilities were exempt from requiring a license to show movies. Now that […]
The Cruelty Of Calling Older Adults ‘Sweetie’ Or ‘Honey’
This article looks at how we can sometimes use age to define people and our tendency to associate stereotypes of incompetence, debilitation, and dependency. This can lead to one of the most damaging of the discriminating behaviors of ageism — we start treating older adults like children. One of the examples they use is calling […]
The promise and pitfalls of using robots to care for the elderly
The following article discusses an ad for France’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul charity, which questions whether technology can substitute real human contact and caregiving? The ad follows a long term care resident, Claudine, throughout her day while the robot (B.E.N.) prepares her meals, provides her medications, and entertains her. The article looks at […]
Canada’s first ‘dementia village’ set to open its doors
Inspired by a Dutch housing project known as Hogewyk, which is the world’s first “dementia village”, Canada’s first dementia village project is opening in Langley this July. These dementia villages create a safe, secure environment for wandering seniors that reduce their chance of becoming confused and overwhelmed. Seniors can move around freely, visit stores, neighbors, […]
Reflecting on Our Approaches to Dementia
More and more of our residents are faced with some form of dementia. Even as the incidences of dementia are dropping (better control of vascular dementia because of better control of hypertension, cholesterol, and lower incidence of diabetes), the prevalence of the disease is rising in terms of sheer quantity (population growth, increased life expectancy, […]
After unanimous vote, Toronto council to plan for emotion-focused care in all city-run nursing homes
New strategies focused on promoting successful engagement with residents living with dementia are emerging every day. Regardless of the process or philosophy, ActivityPro continues to serve as the “go to” resource for documenting the resident experience in the Home. So whether the Home is following Eden, Montessori, Greenhouse, Validation or Butterfly methods, or other support […]
For Older Adults, Sense of Control Tied to Feeling Younger
A study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B found older adults feel younger when they feel that they have more control over their daily lives, reports ScienceDaily. The researchers recruited 116 older adults and 107 younger adults to fill out a daily survey for eight consecutive days, to evaluate their daily stresses, physical […]
