Need ideas for girl scout nursing home visit

[ADisneyQueen]

I'm taking my 6th and 7th grade girl scout troop to a nursing home. We've done this before, but now we are going to a different home that is smaller. We are going to sing christmas carols and hand out ornaments, and maybe have a sing a long?

Do you have anymore ideas of what we could do? I thought about having the girls interview the patients about life in the past, but I don't have any more ideas. Also, we don't have anymore funds in our troop account to buy things to bring.

 

[mickeyboat]

I'm taking my 6th and 7th grade girl scout troop to a nursing home. We've done this before, but now we are going to a different home that is smaller. We are going to sing christmas carols and hand out ornaments, and maybe have a sing a long?

Do you have anymore ideas of what we could do? I thought about having the girls interview the patients about life in the past, but I don't have any more ideas. Also, we don't have anymore funds in our troop account to buy things to bring.

Do any of your girls play an instrument in the band? The residents absolutely loved hearing our girls play. We also did a visit one time where the girls played board games and cards with the residents. They loved that, too.

 

[Mkrop]

What about the girls playing Bingo with residents or some other game? Or bring some puzzles. My freshman just went to a group home for mentally challenged adults. The place had a Wii so the residents got a kick out of the goofy 15 year boys trying to do Just Dance. They played Bingo with them. Then they broke into smaller groups and two of them did a puzzle with each resident.

 

[willowsnn3]

Don't know how it would work with 6-7th graders but if the girls have good handwriting they could help address Christmas cards for the residents. We have a group that does this every year but they are older. We bring in boxes of Christmas cards & the residents know in advance so they have their address list ready. They pick out the card & we address the envelope & mail the cards for them.

 

[Mandychelle79]

Contact the activities director at the home. When I held that position I always had things for volunteer groups to do.

Calling Bingo, helping pts with a craft project.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I did talk to the activities director and she couldn't think of anything for us to do other than talking to the residents. I wasn't impressed with that.

 

[Mandychelle79]

How long are you going to be there?

 

[Mandychelle79]

I would suggest going around meal time have having the girls sit and talk with the patients who are able to feed themselves. When I worked in the NH this was always something the patients loved to do. They can then help escort the patients to the area where the caroling/sing a long will happen. Making crafts does not have to be cost prohibitive. The troop my daughter is in usually makes place mats for their meal times with the patients and have a little snack. They are there for an hour.

 

[shortbun]

I did talk to the activities director and she couldn't think of anything for us to do other than talking to the residents. I wasn't impressed with that.

That's AWFUL!!! Are you meeting them in a group or are the girls wandering around? Jumping rope if there is space-double dutch, that kind of thing. Nail Painting for the women, girls LOVE getting/giving manicures. They could file a little but light polish would probably be enough as some older folks have really thin, tearable skin. Quiet carol strolling through the halls, stop every few rooms. Not loud but some enough for everyone to hear. Frosty, Rudolf, kwim? If you're going soon, sing some Americana songs-America, Woody Guthrie type stuff. they could even sing a clean current song. Bake cookies and take one for everyone. Watch out for the diabetics but even they like a bite of cookie once in a while. Soft sugar cookies-no nuts-not crispy, soft for the people without teeth. My family member who have lived in care facilities have loved having animals visit. The animal would have to be totally calm, all the time. Thanks!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

As already mentioned, music is always a fun thing, ringing bells, singing and such. Mealtime conversations or traveling assistance were well received too. Very simple puzzles that could be made from magazine pictures works. I saw some story telling using magazine pictures that residents seemed interested in doing.

While my Mother was in the facility for a short time I did observe a cute thing.
Residents sitting at the table rolling a bigger play ball back an forth (something like those soft plastic soccer or basketball size). I think the young girls could be mindful enough to help the residents with that. That would be for a limited time (not an entire houre long visit) since I think some do not have that much attention span. The squeals of joy from both the young ones and the residents was quite pleasurable to hear as I was visiting Mom.

For a resident that maybe does not have the ability to leave their room perhaps just a simple story moment that the girls could offer, an "I'm a little teapot," moment or some other light moment.

 

[HM]

Do any of them play an instrument? One of the favorite things when our troop visited the nursing home was having one of the girls play a holiday song on her clarinet.

 

[GoofyIsMyHomeboy]

I did talk to the activities director and she couldn't think of anything for us to do other than talking to the residents. I wasn't impressed with that.

My grandmother was in a nursing home for a while and 'just talking' is a way bigger hit than you might think. She would delight in telling us when people came to see her (either people she knew or people like your daughter's group). Just the visit really, really means a lot. She was confined to her room and wasn't able to join the rec/dining room festivities so visits were treasured.

The activities are helpful to cause interaction. Your idea to have them ask questions about the "old days" is a good one and lots of the others mentioned here are as well. They could also make Christmas cards to hand out. Cards and kid artwork definitely brighten the walls.

Best of luck,

 

[IUTBAM]

My mom has been in either assisted living or a nursing home for the last 10 years, with Alzheimers. She's in the more advanced stages now (she's up and around, but talks very little), but she loves to sing. And she loves hearing other people sing. And she LOVES listening to music, especially oldies. And she loved watching my kids dance when they were little. She loves holding baby dolls, and stuffed animals. Perhaps your scouts would want to each take one that they don't play with anymore along to "donate" to the residents. My mom will sit and rock a baby doll, or stare at and pet a stuffed animal. You could also bring a portable cd player with a cd of oldies on it...we often put music on (oldies...big band, 50's music, that sort of thing) on in the common area where the more mobile people sit, and the smiles and toe tapping that ensue from my mom and the fellow residents is so nice to see. Maybe your girls could do a little dance or skit? The possibilities are endless. Most patients in nursing homes are just happy to have someone there to visit...no need to incur great cost, because they truly appreciate the little things.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I did talk to the activities director and she couldn't think of anything for us to do other than talking to the residents. I wasn't impressed with that.

Wow. She must be doing a whiz bang job if she has no ideas! The poor residents!

I think it's wonderful what you are doing!

 

[Ceila]

One year our troop made wreathes to put on the residents' doors for a local nursing home. Materials can be things found around the house, donated, or inexpensive...I'm sure Pinterest has lots of handmade wreath ideas for the holidays. And remember that some residents don't celebrate Christmas, so a few wreathes with a winter theme would be needed. The girls could sit and chat for a little while with the residents when they deliver them.

 

[Crittsmom]

when mil was in a nursing home, the local GS troop came in and delivered Christmas cards and a homemade fleece scarf, very simple to make out of 1/4 yd of fleece and just fringe the edges. I can't believe the Activity director didn't have more ideas, that is just so wrong.

I would also think about a sing a long, everyone always seems to enjoy that.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Thanks, keep the ideas coming.

We are already making ornaments during our meetings to hand out to the residents. We may also make cards if there is time.

I feel sorry for the residents if their activities director is so idea-less. She seemed nice though, maybe just clueless about kids. She wanted us to come in on a weekday at 2 pm and I had to tell her the kids are still in school at that hour.

 

[TanyaS]

Bingo has already been mentioned, but I wanted to say it is a nice activity if you have younger kids visit a nursing home.

I took my first grade Daisy troop to a nursing home and we played Bingo - it was great that everyone could play and my girls took turns being the caller.

We also took prizes to give out. I had bought a variety of prizes thinking I was choosing some for young girls and some for the senior citizens. Well, an 80+ year old man chose as his prize a drinking cup that had glitter and little flowers and ducks floating in the walls. I bet no one had ever given him such a fun cup before,

Hope your trip goes well!

 

[ChickieToo]

I used to take my troop to a local nursing home during the holiday season. A couple of times we made a Christmas wreath made out of different colored construction paper. After caroling, the girls would walk among the residents with sheets of construction paper and trace the open hands of the residents. After they hands were traced the girls would write the residents name on the handprint and cut it out. Every time they completed a hand print they brought it to me or another leader and we placed it on some poster board, hand over hand, fanned out in the shape of a wreath with the names showing. Depending on the number of participants, the wreath could get pretty big, or we'd make two. Then the staff would hang it in the dining room or the hallway.

It sounds kind of simple and silly I guess, but it was a great activity. It got the girls talking to the residents, and the residents really enjoyed it---one of our girls even got a $1 tip from one of the residents. We laughed about that a lot! I wouldn't even bring it up if the result were anything less than great. Very interactive and holiday-oriented.

Good luck with whatever you do.

 

[Mandychelle79]

Thanks, keep the ideas coming.

We are already making ornaments during our meetings to hand out to the residents. We may also make cards if there is time.

I feel sorry for the residents if their activities director is so idea-less. She seemed nice though, maybe just clueless about kids. She wanted us to come in on a weekday at 2 pm and I had to tell her the kids are still in school at that hour.

That is probably when she has the most help available to make it easy. I know if I had special entertainment planned I had to adjust the schedule ( our activities staff was there 8-430 M-F, 2 nights I had someone there 11-730, I night a month I would have a late night one 3-11, and weekends were usually 4 hours unless I had high school people working, then it was an 8 hour day).