Frustrated and Burnt: A-Z Tips for Recreation and Activity Professionals Who Need a Boost!

"Hi Kim,

It is good to be on your mailing list. I am going through some rough times right now and I need help finding a path! I am in a small assisted living coming off my 3rd year as the Activity Director and we are down in census right now, so everyone is getting things heaped onto their plates. I am feeling very burnt, angry, and resentful that I have to be everything for everybody. I have been looking for jobs but not sure that I want to stay in this field because this feels like the nature of the job all over. What I need the help in is standing up for myself and my department on what we can and won't do as part of our jobs. Right now we are the porters, the food service, the activities, the bus drivers, and marketing and I have little to no time or energy for my family and I am certainly not getting paid enough for all the extra hours I put in.

I love the residents and when I can do a group, uninterrupted, and have some creativity (but that is rare) I feel as if I am responsible for making it all happen! It feels like there is no way to manage time because of the crisis factor and the end result if that I am stifled creatively and therefore shutting down. All of this is holding me back from getting my MEPAP 2 done and getting certified. I just don't think it is any better anywhere else!

Sincerely,
Frustrated in XYX Assisted Living Facility"

Does this sound familiar? Signs of burnout include: frustration, failure, despair, irritability, helplessness, exhaustion, isolation, and powerlessness. I recently received this email and found it to be so powerful and quite honestly, reminiscent of my own earlier experiences as an Activity Director. I worked in one facility in which I actually resigned three times! Luckily I had supportive administration who realized my resignations were related to burnout and that I needed support and guidance.

For this reason I had to address this issue further. Many Activity Directors go through times of such despair and burnout that they actually leave the profession that they used to LOVE! Sometimes we act out of impulse and resign out of sheer frustration and burnout. Please try some of these ideas BEFORE making decisions that could change your life or your career path.

ASK for help when you need it. It doesn't mean you are weak, it means you are smart!

Find a BALANCE. Try to balance all aspects of your work such as office time, resident time, staff time, you time, and so on. You must also find balance between work, family, friends, and so on.

COMMUNICATE your needs, issues, responsibilities, etc. to the appropriate individuals, especially your supervisor/boss. Don't assume he/she knows that you are feeling stressed or burnt out.

DELEGATE your responsibilities when appropriate. Even residents, family members and volunteers can help.

EDUCATE anyone and everyone about the importance of therapeutic activities and quality of life.

Make time for FAMILY and FRIENDS.

Set GOALS for yourself and your department as well as personally and professionally.

Have a HEALTHY lifestyle. Get enough rest, eat right and exercise.

Find the INSPIRATION. What inspires you? Is it the residents? A mentor? A religion or spirituality preference? Nature? Poetry? Music? Once you find what inspires you, then MAKE time to pursue your inspirational cues.

Review your JOB DESCRIPTION. It's important to know exactly what your responsibilities are.

KNOWLEDGE is power so educate yourself in all aspects of activities, therapeutic recreation, the regulations, policies, the population you serve, and so on.

Know your own LIMITS. Seriously consider what you can and cannot do in terms of time, skills and resources.

MARKET, MARKET, MARKET. When you let others know all about the various activities, special events and programs that you offer, you will receive more compliments, recognition and appreciation. This in turn, boosts your confidence and morale.

Say NO. Activity professionals are often afraid to say they cannot help with some special project or new responsibilities and the profession often becomes the dumping ground for all those unwanted tasks. With a positive demeanor and some negotiations, sometimes it's OK to politely decline.

Schedule OFFICE time. It's OK to close the door and get your managerial duties done.

PRIORITIZE. Setting priorities is often difficult for activity professionals, everything seems like a priority. But it's important to look at deadlines, schedules, and needs.

QUIT doing what you are doing if it continuously makes you feel this way. But before doing so, be sure to try this A-Z list. If there is no relief, then ask if you can be transferred, take a leave of absence or ask if there are other positions available.

Schedule RESIDENT time. Nothing reminds us more of why we started working in the activity profession, more than spending quality, uninterrupted time with the residents. Designate certain activities that only you facilitate like a support group, Activity Planning Committee, Leisure Education or activities that you enjoy the most. It will rejuvenate your spirit every time! The key is to let go of all other responsibilities during your resident time and just enjoy the interaction.

SOCIALIZE and network. Joining local, state and national professional organizations can provide you with much support, information, and inspiration. Many people love attending conferences and group meetings for the networking and sharing that is offered.

TIME MANAGEMENT. Time management is often an issue for Activity Directors who are trying to manage a department, facilitate activities, train and educate, market, attend meetings, write reports, recruit staff and volunteers, provide documentation, talk to family members, raise money, and so on. The list is endless. It's important to find a time management system that works for you. My favorite time management system comes from Steve McClatchy, President of Alleer Training and Consultanting.

UNITE! All for one and one for all! If you're a team player and you help out other departments and colleagues, chances are they will help you in return.

VENT! Don't let it ferment! But do so to the appropriate people. Don't vent to your staff, residents, volunteers, family members, etc. You must remain positive around those individuals. Vent to other AD's, certain co-workers or people you trust. Close your office door and vent if you need to.

WRITE it down. Studies show that writing is very therapeutic. When you feel that work and life are becoming overwhelming and stressful, write down your feelings. What is the cause of these feelings? How exactly do you feel? Are you sad, angry, bitter, frustrated, exhausted, etc.? What will help you feel better?

Remember that XANADU does not exist. It is a mythical, fabulous place that was allegedly situated in contemporary China thousands of years ago. This place was protected from external hazards by a special shield that created a "paradise" environment for its inhabitants. Each place you work will have its own issues and challenges.

Schedule YOU time! It's of utmost importance to get enough rest, relaxation, and leisure time for you. Activity Professionals are the worst at self-recreating!

Create a ZEN garden. Zen gardens are said to help heal and relax the mind, body, and soul. Mini Zen gardens are common in stressful business jobs. This consists of a small box of sand with miniature rocks and a miniature rake. When you get stressed, you can rake the sand in slow strokes while breathing deeply and feel the calming effect!

Good luck and remember to take time for YOU!

Loneliness and Dementia

Elderly folk that experience loneliness tend to be more at risk of developing dementia later on in life, a group of researchers is now saying. The study was published online and looks at feelings of loneliness as opposed to being physically isolated. The researchers found that:

About 2,000 senior citizens free from dementia were tracked over the course of three years. At the end of the three year study, the mental health of all participants was evaluated. Several survey questions were asked to help track mood and mental health changes. At the end of the questions, a formal dementia test was administered in order to get as accurate of a picture as possible.

The researchers here wanted to track depression, dementia, and unusually high death rates amongst senior citizens. Their findings were quite surprising. One in ten of the elderly folk that lived alone developed some form of dementia. Compare this to the one in twenty that developed dementia when living with other people. This means that people that lived alone were about twice as likely to get dementia. Feelings of loneliness exacerbated this. People who felt lonely were about twice more likely to get dementia than people who were not lonely-regardless of the living situation they found themselves in.

The living conditions or the social support systems didn't seem to have as significant of an impact as the actual mood behind everything. If someone felt lonely, they were more apt to develop dementia regardless of where they lived, whether they were married, or who they lived with. The feelings behind everything were what mattered the most.

The big thing that seems to be implied here, if these researchers are correct, is that loneliness might be able to be alleviated, and thus some cases of dementia might be prevented. There is no hard evidence to support this implication yet, but this is a serious question that absolutely needs to be addressed within future research studies.

Can assisted living help solve this problem? The answer isn't quite as easy as yes or no. If the feelings of loneliness can be erased in such a setting, perhaps some instances of dementia can be avoided. But if the person still feels alone, regardless of whether or not they are around people that like them and care about them, even being in an assisted living facility will not be of any help, this study seems to say. Still, with assisted living, the chances of decreasing the amount loneliness experienced are much better. If someone lives alone and is lonely, moving into assisted living probably won't hurt them, and it makes the odds of erasing loneliness just a little bit better. This is something that definitely needs to be considered.

Scared About Moving Into A Nursing Home? Remember The Good Things!

As we get older, we start thinking about how our lives will change in the years to come. It can be hard to face up to the facts sometimes - you or someone you care about can't go on living at home because it's just too hard. Moving into a nursing home or care home can be the result of numerous factors, but commonly it's down to the difficulty of living with health problems.

Ill health and disabilities that come with age can make life at home too hard without help. Having live-in care or carers at home is an option but usually this is too expensive for most people to afford. Plus there are modifications that need to be made to the home in order to make it easier to navigate and to help with washing and getting into bed. Family might not be able to provide the full scope of care, despite their best efforts. Sadly, some people might not have any family or loved ones to help.

Nursing care homes offer an opportunity to be cared for in a safe and comfortable environment. But the process of moving from your family home and into a new, strange environment can be upsetting. It can be very hard to leave the place where you raised a family and that you have so many wonderful memories of. That's why choosing a nursing care home that feels like home is so important. Meeting the people who you'll be spending time with, seeing the grounds and getting a feel for what life might be like in any particular nursing home is as important as the services provided.

Try to focus on the good things that living in a care home can bring. It can bring relief from the stresses that accompany old age and give you more time for enjoyment. You'll be part of a community of people, many with similar experiences to you. You'll have freedom to come and go, see friends and family and importantly, you will be cared for. Genuinely cared for. Staff in nursing homes not only have to be qualified in delivering care, they are required to be caring people. Forget the horror stories you may have heard or seen on TV. These nursing/care homes staff represent a tiny, almost immeasurable fraction of an otherwise dedicated, loving and brilliant workforce. If all the good deeds of care homes staff were reported on as much as the bad, there wouldn't be enough hours in a day to report them all!

All good nursing care homes provide round the clock care and provide some of the services that a hospital might normally provide, which distinguishes them from traditional retirement homes. Specialist nursing care can be accommodated for in some circumstances, so if you need any particular treatments or medication, speak to staff and nurses - they'll be able to arrange the best way forward for you.

Signs You Need a Nursing Home Neglect Attorney

Even if you merely suspect that something is not right with an elderly loved one, consider contacting a nursing home neglect attorney. Because the signs are not always obvious, many people struggle with the decision to take legal action. Even suspicion is worth talking over with a lawyer. He or she will be able to guide you to the right decision and help you figure out if you have a case. As you visit a loved one, look for signs that they are not being taken care of properly.

Falls

As a person gets older, the chance of falling tends to increase. For many elderly individuals, a fall results in more than just a few scrapes or bruises. Instead, if left on the floor for an extended amount of time, the trauma of the injury as well as the emotional trauma can take their toll. If a loved one has fallen, it may be time to talk to a nursing home neglect attorney to find out if there is anything that can be done. Listen to your loved one describe what happened and how long it took for someone to come and care for the problem. Facilities should be offering the proper care and observation for patients who have limited mobility.

Bedsores

It may not be unusual for a resident to spend a majority of his or her time in bed. However, if a loved one has started to get bedsores, it is time to talk to a nursing home neglect attorney. Bedsores are often caused by pressure on a certain part of the body for an extended amount of time. It may be several hours or in severe cases, it could be a few days. Because residents should be cleaned regularly if they are unable to handle the task on their own, someone should notice any bedsores before they get out of hand. In severe cases, bedsores can become infected and cause a series of different physical ailments.

Dehydration or Malnutrition

Not being provided with the right amount of nourishment can border on abuse. If a loved one seems to be dropping considerable weight without any medical explanation or you notice that he or she is not getting enough water, it is important to bring this to the attention of a nursing home neglect attorney. The lawyer will help you determine whether or not this is happening as a result of incompetent care of if this is a physical or medical issue that needs to be addressed.

In any of these situations, be sure to take note of anything your loved one is trying to tell you. Even with patients suffering from dementia, it is important to listen carefully and attempt to figure out if there is cause for concern. Once you feel like you need assistance, contact a local nursing home neglect attorney for more information.

Divorce and Separation After Brain Injury - Findings of 3 Research Studies

It's a common belief that most marriages end in separation or divorce after a spouse has a traumatic brain injury. Certainly the physical, cognitive, social, behavioral and communicative changes caused by brain trauma can affect a couple's relationship. These changes are just the primary losses. Additional changes, known as secondary losses, can range from loss of income, to loss of friends, jobs or careers. As roles and responsibilities formerly shared by a couple are reexamined and redistributed after a spouse is injured, the relationship between a husband and wife changes in many ways. There is very little scientific research on marital relationships so much is still unknown about the impact of brain trauma on marriage. Reasons for a marriage dissolving are always complex, but this may be even more so when one partner has a disability or impairment due to a brain injury. So it is important to look at the findings from 3 research studies on this topic.

• One study conducted by Thomsen in 1984 found a very high rate of 78% for marital breakdown. But it is important to note that this was a very select group of individuals who were studied. It examined only 9 couples who were 10-15 years post-injury. In addition, many of them had severe brain injuries and most were living in a residential assisted living program. So one must question how applicable these findings are today.


• The second study led by J.C. Arango-Lasprilla was more recent in 2008. It also was much larger, including 927 individuals who were injured. In contrast to the earlier study, the marital breakdown rate was only 15% within the first 2 years post-injury. This study offers much more hope for relationships to survive the stresses and challenges of daily living after a partner has been hurt.


• The third study led by J. Kreutzer in 2007 not only found that 25% of relationships broke down but that this occurred an average of 4.1 years after a spouse's injury.

Research has found that several factors make a difference in whether couples stay together or separate after one of the partners has a brain injury. The highest rates of marital breakdown are found among younger couples and in shorter or more recent marriages. Another risk factor is domestic violence. Couples with a more severely injured member were also found to be at greater risk for separation or divorce.Much more research is needed to understand why some couples manage to stay together and others separate. But one thing is clear - research does not support the common belief that there is a much higher incidence of marital separation and divorce when one partner or spouse has a brain injury.

The Senior Life - How to Throw a Luau Party for Elderly Guests!

Everyone loves to have a party, no matter what the age, parties are a great way to get together with friends and family and just enjoy good food, good conversation and fun. Parties can be especially important to seniors, especially those that find themselves in a retirement home or an assisted living facility. Summer time especially is a good time with the good weather and the ability to have a party outdoors. A really fun theme to consider when planning a party for seniors would be the Luau.

When you plan for one of these types of parties you need to concentrate on the decorations, to really pull off the Luau theme you need to make sure the decorations really express the Luau and the feeling of being in the tropics. So make sure you decorate with really colorful tropical flowers.

They don't have to be real flowers, although that would be a nice touch, just as long as they are flowers that represent the tropics, like Bird of Paradise, Canna Lilies, Hibiscus, and Orchids. Make sure that the table clothes that you pick have bright colors, they can be plain or they can be floral.

You should also make sure that as each guest arrives that you have someone greeting them at the door or the entrance to the backyard with leis. You can buy these at any party center or if you are energetic you and some friends can make your own from tissue paper.

You can also provide the women with a tropical flower to put in their hair, the best would be a Lily, Hibiscus or Orchid. If the Luau is mainly outdoors, make sure that you light the entire area up with tiki torches and to keep the mosquitoes away add citronella candles to all of the tables. You can paper lanterns around the luau area as well.

No party is complete without some sort of music and when it's a luau you should stick to the theme and try to rent the services of a band that plays steel drums or get one that plays calypso. These would be perfect for a luau theme. If you can't afford a band then try and get recorded music that would fit this kind of theme. You might even ask those invited to the party what their favorite calypso music might be so you can compile a list of favorites to be played at the party.

You need to ensure that the menu is as close to the them as possible too. You should include a variety of tropical drinks that include the cute little paper umbrellas and these drinks can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic so the guests will have a choice. It's going to be hard to have the typical meat for a luau which is a roasted pig but you can serve some roasted pork with pineapple and cherries as well as ham, cherry and pineapple all put on skewers for kabobs.

You can also make kabobs that have ham with a variety of different fruits on it. It's best to also stick with finger foods so have lots of tropical fruits cut in cubes and things like fried shrimp and even fried sweet potatoes. You can find a variety of different recipes online for luaus so do your research.

Don't forget about entertainment of some kind other than music. For those who are in decent shape make sure to include the traditional limbo contest with a prize for the person who goes the lowest. Also play a variety of different word games or other group games that everyone can get involved with.

Senior Citizens Assisted Living Options

A recent study on seniors has shown that independent senior citizens assisted living is the #1 choice for them versus living with a loved one. Most people feel that living with others would cause them to be a burden on them. As an individual grows older, they begin to need the assistance of others more and more.

Unlike a decade ago, seniors have become a part of the information age by learning about computers and the latest gadgets. Due to this fact, there has be a flux of new state-of-the-art senior facilities catering to computer savvy seniors.

Many of the senior citizens that have just retired from jobs that required them to work with computers prefer to continue to be around computers as they have become accustomed. Senior citizens assisted living facilities that make a point to stay up to date, helps those seniors feel right at home.

In recent years senior facilities have began to offer many different options and services to their residents. So much so that these facilities are now categorized into 3 major groups.

Nursing Homes - For those that are incapacitated and/or require supervised or administered medicines. These facilities have full-time medical staff on hand in case of emergencies.

Assisted Living - This type of facility caters to those that need assistance with their daily routines such as cleaning, shopping, laundry and cooking.

Independent Living - Independent living is good for those that can live totally independent and is still able to cook and clean. Some seniors start out by moving to one of these facilities and relocate as their needs change later on. The units are usually fully furnished apartments with full kitchens.

There are many more options available to seniors so it is highly advised that one turns to a professional advisor to assist in seeking the facility and services that are needed. There are professionals that offer these services free of charge. They give you a list of facilities that can cater to your needs and help with visiting and checking out each of them. They usually make money from your insurance company of the facility that is chosen.