May 18, 2020
To download the social distancing guideline for care home and 100 Suggestions for one to one activities, shared by our partner, NAPA, please click here:
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Mental Health Awareness Week takes place 18-24 May 2020; it aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and promote positive wellbeing. It provides an opportunity for you and your organisation to add mental health to the wider conversation.
Especially now that the nation is in lockdown with drastically limited freedoms, keeping yourself mentally healthy is critical. During the Mental Health Awareness Week, QCS will be sharing tips on how to stay positive for different groups.
To kick start, our partner, NAPA has provided detailed guidance on how to stay engaged while following the social distancing role as well as 100 suggestions for one to one activities for care users. Download it for free now, or you can read the guidance below.
A) Applying the principle of social distancing in care homes
These measures – which we have developed for our members – are intended to protect people at greatest risk who are most likely to have to go to hospital.
The points listed below are NAPA’s suggested ways of working, they are based on government guidance and best practice principles, they are not legal guidelines. They are intended to support the provision of activity and engagement should the principle of social distancing be applied in a care home.
Having something to do can make people feel useful and valued. Talking, laughing, singing and just being together can help improve wellbeing and reduce loneliness.
In the event of the principle of social distancing being applied, all opportunities for engagement are likely to be on a one to one basis.
- Activity and care teams should use existing care and support plans in order to develop individual engagement plans for each resident in their care
- The plans should include opportunities for activities over a 24-hour period and should not always depend on the presence of a member of staff to initiate engagement
- The plans should be kept in each resident’s room. This is for easy access by all staff members (do not share sensitive information)
- Care home managers should identify a staff member to help maintain contact between residents and their loved ones
- Activity and care teams should encourage family contact through the means of technology
- Care home managers should enable the use of electronic devices to maintain contact between residents and their family and friends
- All staff to offer support and encouragement through one to one interaction with residents, in accordance with the required COVID -19 restrictions. The provision of activity is not the sole responsibility of one person; the whole home can be fully involved in an activity and engagement-based model of care
- Activity and care teams should properly discard or sanitise activity supplies according to the care home’s Infection control policy
- Activity and care teams should ensure items are not shared between residents
- Activity and care staff should be enabled by care home managers to liaise with family members and or purchase necessary supplies for each resident’s room, in order to promote one to one engagement and activity. NAPA members suggest the following supplies:
- contact details of friends and loved ones
- a mobile phone or tablet
- decks of cards
- large print books
- spiral notebooks
- colouring pencils
- watercolours paints
- notice board for signs t connect with loved ones
- adult appropriate colouring
- craft supplies and kits
- word search and crosswords
- wool
- trivia books
- hand-held video games
- magazines
- newspapers
- stationary/pens for pen pals
- small pots of flowers
- life like dolls
- robotic pets
- aroma therapy
- essential oils and diffusers
- music tech
- headphones
- online access
- song sheets
B) 100 suggestions for one to one activities
- Use technological platforms to support residents to connect with loved ones
- Ask relatives to send in photos of family & friends – from days gone by or recent snaps
- Create a photo album, frame photos or make a collage together
- Make a special scrapbook or a memory box of significant objects based on personal life history
- Help write or record an autobiography
- Share favourite stories and memories
- Recreate holiday snaps, souvenirs, postcards, even maps and tales of your journey
- Read newspapers and magazines aloud to keep the person in touch
- Jointly look at magazines with large colourful pictures and invite opinions and comments on the contents whether it is fashion preferences or political views
- Sew masks for residents and care staff
- Read religious (where appropriate) or inspirational articles, magazines or books- a ‘thought for the day’ or ‘hope for the week’
- Read letters from family and friends
- Keep a diary to share with loved ones on Skype, Zoom etc
- Share recorded greetings from family and friends
- Help with writing or typing letters and cards
- Find a pen pal and help with keeping in touch
- Create collage poster with pictures cut from magazines
- Share articles related to the season or next holiday to talk about
- Have an indoor picnic
- Enjoy a favourite drink or food
- If you play an instrument offer to do a private concert
- Try teaching simple tunes on an instrument
- Sing or hum together, Play ‘name that tune’ with CDs, tapes or music on the radio
- Listen to music together
- Play simple charades – e.g. miming an action to guess what it is
- Wind wool together
- Try drawing or painting together
- Make simple gifts
- Create a sewing basket, button box, sock drawer or toolbox to organise together
- Paint a bird feeder or house to hang outside the window
- Look at a book on bird watching together
- Dust the bedroom together
- Brush, comb or style hair
- Pamper with make-up, perfume, aftershave or manicure
- Ask for help planning your garden & look through a seed catalogue
- Plant & look after an indoor windowsill garden
- Create a terrarium (tabletop garden arrangement) together, which requires very little care
- Play word games & trivia together
- Play cards or table board games together
- Do crosswords together
- Do jigsaws together even if the person can only watch or pick up the pieces
- Watch television together (even just a few minutes) and discuss the programme you have seen
- Keep up with the Soaps that everyone watches and discuss the next day
- Use an iPad to watch clips of an old favourite movie or musical on YouTube
- Make a memory wall within the line of vision
- Create a story from a picture e.g. looking at a photograph or piece of art
- Have a session of ‘retail therapy’ and do some shopping online
- Discus recipes and share favourites
- Take someone a treat
- Put pins in a map of places travelled or would like to travel
- Give a gentle hand massage using aromatherapy scented oils or hand cream
- Share items to stimulate the sense of smell – spices, perfume or flowers
- Show different textured fabrics to touch – silk, cashmere, velvet etc:
- Take care of bedroom plants
- Shine shoes
- Share children’s artwork sent to the home
- Sort out drawers and wardrobes
- Use a lap piano, name that tune and sing along
- Use a tablet or iPad for karaoke
- Toss a ball or balloon
- Do seated physical activity together
- Read a chapter of a novel, a short story or a few poems
- Write poetry or a short story together
- Look at and listen to an old-fashioned music box
- Make a “joy box” (decorated shoe box) filled with fun and favourite things
- Discuss seasonal changes looking out of the window
- Keep a “window diary” of interesting things that happen outside
- Keep a journal of interesting discussions and upcoming events
- Make a potpourri together and hang it up to keep the room sweet smelling
- Tell jokes to one another, look up jokes on the internet to make it fun
- Google Earth National Park Tours – “Visit” national parks across the country and talk about those visited
- Make a weather calendar
- Take photos to send to friends & family
- Make some soap
- Have a chat about the theatre, opera or classical music
- Take paintings down from other parts of the home and discuss the artwork
- Make items for charity together
- Bring the blender in and make a smoothie
- Keep a track of favourite sports events or teams
- Learn a new word or words whenever using a dictionary
- Bring the toaster in and cook some toast
- Play along with TV game shows or develop your own
- Dance, or tap your feet, to favourite dance music
- Look at a travel book or brochure & dream about a fantasy holiday
- Use small rhythm instruments to make your own music
- Read the astrology column in a daily paper and talk about it
- Play noughts and crosses or similar games
- Talk about local landmarks and how the community has changed
- Make lists of their favourite foods, films, movie stars, music etc
- Talk about what you would do if you won the lottery
- Design & make your own Christmas & holiday cards to send
- Toss cards into a hat
- Hold hands and be a good listener
- Try your hand at drawing each other portraits when possible
- With closed eyes see if they can guess different flavours you supply
- Talk about, recite or play nursery rhymes and songs from childhood
- Work on a latch hook rug while you sit and talk
- Introduce relaxation techniques or guided meditation
- Create personalised wall and or ceiling decorations
- Just be there