Ideas for a Senior Wallboard

• Personality of the Week

  With so many people living in elderly communities, there are plenty of interesting stories to go around. Whomever is organizing the wall board can begin a sign up list for people interested in sharing a brief biography about themselves. Or, ask all people in residence to write two to three paragraphs about themselves and their families. This is a great way for the staff to learn about who they are caring for and for all people in care to meet new friends they may share interests with. Alternately, the staff of the elderly care center can also take turns writing about themselves and their families. This will make for a much closer-knit community. Photos to accompany the biography will make it even more interesting. If this is a popular item on the wallboard, you may consider moving it to decorate an entire hallway and just continue adding stories as new people arrive.
  

  There are always fascinating people to meet.

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• Poem or Painting of the Week

  Elderly people still continue to create and desire to express themselves through creativity. Poems and paintings are a great way to spruce up a wallboard. If you have writers staying at the home, ask them to write a weekly poem that you can place on your board. Or, have everyone contribute their poems monthly, perhaps have a live reading for everyone to enjoy, then post the best ones each week. If there are any painting or collage workshops, ask the person in charge of them to select their favorite works to display and add some color to your board.
  

  People of all ages wish to express themselves.

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• Updated Schedule of Activities

  Most senior homes have volunteers or a small budget for workshops or lecturers to come and inform, entertain or create projects with the residents. It is helpful if there is a posting of the upcoming events on the wallboard. The posting should announce the exact time of the event, the length, what it entails, if experience is necessary and a short biography of who will be running the event. This will allow seniors to get involved in making their own choices for how they wish to spend their time.
  

  Schedules help people participate.

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• Health Tips

  An important part of a wallboard should include health tips. Health, both mental and physical, affects the quality of life for each individual. New advances are being made in medicine, physical therapy and alternative or holistic medical fields every day. Seniors, as anyone else, are always looking for ways to make their lives better, healthier and more comfortable. Tips that you leave on the board should reflect new knowledge that is encouraging and useful. Make certain they reflect a healthy physical routine, good eating habits, ideas on how to engage the mind and any relevant information on various medical treatments and advancements.
  

  Keeping healthy creates a better quality of life.

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References & Resources

• Senior Services
• Keeping the Elderly Mind Active
• Nursing Home Activities
• Online Senior Wall Board