A vacation from summer boredom - Not-For-Profit Report

Nursing Homes, Oct, 2002 by Pamela Dixon

Later in the month during our Texas sojourn, residents were treated to "A Night at the Alamo," where they enjoyed the flavors and aromas of a real Texas barbecue on the facility grounds and sang cow boy songs like "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain."

After exploring western states, our travelers headed back East. Maine is a great fishing venue and, to tie-in with this attraction, our music therapist Ingrid Kronenberg developed a musical fishing program. Cutout fish shapes were created, and each fish had the name of a song written on it. Then, a magnet or Velcro strip was attached to a set of fishing rods and on the fish. The idea was to "reel" in your catch and then sing the song on the fish. This is a great activity because it not only stimulates memory, but it also makes use of fine-motor skills. Lower-functioning, less cognitively aware residents use the magnets, while others fish with the Velcro rods because it is more challenging than the magnets.

After stowing rods and reels and arriving in New York City, our residents became contestants on the St. Barnabas version of "Name That Tune," featuring Broadway hits. Kronenberg played a few notes, and the resident who correctly identified the song had to sing it, which led to a group discussion of the musical where it originated. This was a lot of fun for the residents, especially since one resident is an accomplished opera singer and could interpret the lyrics and offer information about the production.

At month's end, our Imagination Vacation wound up in Pennsylvania, our home state. Here we had the opportunity to actually leave the facility. Because it is handicap-accessible, the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center was an ideal place for residents to learn about our state s history, its various cultures and, perhaps, relive their younger days through the exhibits featuring life in the '50s and '60s. On another morning of Pennsylvania week, residents made candies and cookies from Hershey products and, in the evening, watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Throughout the week, they played Pennsylvania-related crossword puzzles and trivia games and ended this fun-packed month toasting their return home at the Pennsylvania happy hour.

Summer is gone now. The standard activities entertainment has resumed, the school children are back to visit, and volunteers abound. Residents are busy again. But now they, too, can reminisce about the sights, sounds, tastes and smells they experienced on their (imagination) vacations.

Pamela Dixon is recreation director at St. Barnabas Nursing Home. For more information, phone (724) 443-0700. To comment on this article, please send e-mail to dixon1002@nursinghomesmagazine.com.