WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Activity and Engagement Directors Bring Creativity to New Challenges
By Cynthia Bombach L
ast spring, a million older adults had to do what many of them had come to senior living to avoid: stay alone in
their rooms. For safety reasons during the pandemic, group activities and outings were suddenly taken away. Isolation could have become a real threat to their well-being. How could program directors keep people
engaged under those circumstances? The pandemic created an urgent need for new ways of keeping residents connected when many existing models no longer worked. Teamwork and creative thinking were
key to getting everyone through it, especial- ly during times of quarantine and careful social distancing.
Changing overnight “We had to literally change our program- ming model overnight,” says Rachel Kaufman, activities director at Brandywine Living at Dresher Estates in eastern Penn- sylvania. As soon as company leadership re- alized in March that they were facing a time residents might have to stay in their rooms or be isolated, the community formed a programming think tank. “We all got on a Zoom call and brainstormed, and literally overnight transitioned our programs.” During the two months of careful social
distancing, residents were presented with a full slate of reinterpreted activities. Kaufman, whose official title is “escapades producer,” visited their rooms each morning with an ac- tivity cart loaded with games, coloring books, puzzles, and books. She returned in the afternoon with ap-
petizers and drinks for happy hour. She led residents in socially distanced hallway activ- ities such as exercise, bingo and flower ar- ranging. Once a week, staff members dressed in costume to celebrate anything they could:
The art studio at Inspīr at Carnegie Hill in New York City is a popular spot post-pandemic—the community brings in artists and performers from the city both live and virtual. In many communities, art studios are trending as one of the new engagement spaces.
“There’s a more holistic approach now to programming and dining and to the building in general,” says Rachel Kaufman, activities director at Brandywine Living at Dresher Estates. “We’re all there for the same reason. We’re there to help the residents and do the best job that we can.”
22 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
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