Horse Racing at Terracina Grand a HUGE Success!

What a fun game! We set up the horse track at the front of the Forum during Happy Hour, as we always attract a large crowd.

After setting up six big round tables for the residents, we play several variations of the game. I start by doing individual games, where residents bet on the horse they want. They pay $1 for a bet, and I give them the number of horse they bet on. 6 horses total. After gathering all bets, we begin the race. There are 2 dice and 16 spaces on the board "horse track." Then I have someone roll the dice. Each time the dice comes up, it tells you which horse advances 1 space. So if a 2 and 6 come up on the dice, then horse 2 and 6 move forward one space. If you have double 3’s, then horse 3 moves 2 spaces. Once one of them reaches the end, that’s the end of the game, and we split up the jack pot depending on who had the winning horse. At the end, the winner takes all (if several residents bet on the same horse, then we split the winnings).

Another variation would be to award 2nd and 3rd place as well. I do this especially when I have a big crowd. We then move to team games. We have 6 six horses, and six big tables set up, so it works out great. Each table then gets a horse, and what cheering we have. I sing the horse racing noise into the microphone, and we’re off. It’s even more fun, when our director comes in to roll the dice. The teams begin cheering for their horses until the finish line. Sometimes we play the team variation just for the thrill of winning, with no money, and other times the players all add $1 for whoever wants to bet at that table, and which ever team wins, we divide it up for those that participated. I have found that this game is another way to have a great time. The more I’m into it, the more the residents are!


Sandy Steinbach
Activities Director
Terracina Grand

Veteran's Club Request...

It's time to update some of the Veteran's Club material that was distributed via the Activity Reference Manual approximately 1 year ago. I guessed this would be the perfect time to begin as we are going to be celebrating Memorial Day on May 26th and many of you will be involving your Veteran's Club.

Would you please email me activities you currently offer or have offered for Veterans living in your facility. I look forward to gathering and distributing new Veteran's Club related ideas to each of the activity teams in the near future.

Remember...

“Our purpose as a (Veteran's) club is to remember, to reconnect, to reminisce, to remind, to represent, to revitalize, to reach out, to recognize and to rejoice in our freedoms!

To remember those who gave the ultimate gift for our freedoms;

To reconnect with those who served to secure and maintain our freedoms;

To reminisce about the time and sacrifices dedicated to preserve our freedoms;

To represent the essence to our freedoms;

To revitalize our spirits and minds through fellowship and education;

To reach out to our Veterans, their spouses, and family members when needed;

To recognize the continued contributions of Veterans to their community;

And to rejoice in our freedoms because Life is Good.”

gms-2/04

Volunteer Appreciation Events Held Across the Country

Many of you recognized and celebrated the volunteers in your facilities in April during National Volunteer Appreciation Week. We continue to value, honor, and support the volunteers that are committed to providing services for our residents. Thank you for your efforts as you worked hard to recognize their talents and hard work!

*Enjoy a summary and some pictures of the Volunteer Appreciation Event at Miramont Pointe in Portland, Oregon.

Shelly Barley, Activity Director, wrote:

We had a great Volunteer Recognition Event at Miramont Pointe during April, which is Volunteer Month. We recognized over 40 volunteers including Community volunteers, Teen Volunteers, In-house Volunteers and our Resident Council members. The theme of our event was, volunteers the heart of the community. Each volunteer was recognized by name with a short description of their volunteer duties. We gave each volunteer a mini tote bag that said “Volunteers the Heart of the Community” on it with a water bottle, a volunteer lapel pin, a pad and pen set, and a granola bar in it. They were so happy with their gifts. We also recognized a volunteer of the year, Audrey Staats who lives at Miramont. We had our own Miramont Pointe Singers (Choral Group) perform a couple numbers and a couple sing-a-long numbers. We also had some wonderful hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. What a fun party and a great opportunity to thank our volunteers. They said they felt so appreciated and special, and that’s what it is all about.

National Nurse's Week May 6th-12th

The theme for National Nurses Week is

Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day

Don't forget to send a BIG thank you to the nursing/clinical team that you work with. We appreciate the support and assistance they provide to the activity teams. We couldn't do it without them!