The Memory Unit OT

It’s no secret that we love celebrating holidays on The Memory Unit. And we should! Holidays are such an easy and natural way to tap into familiar things, long term memories, and those feel-good areas of the heart and soul.

These are just 5 of the many ways we can recognize and celebrate St. Paddy’s Day on The Memory Unit, and whether you’re a Therapist or a Life Enrichment Director, these ideas are made for you.

Decorate the Unit.

I’ll start by saying that if you can make some of these decorations in session or as an activity, you’ve got a 2-for-1 here. Get your Residents involved in the process. Hang things high and low along the walls, set up centerpieces and tabletop displays. Cover windows and doors. Make the unit feel festive and give your Residents as much creative autonomy as they can tolerate and as is safe for their current status and needs.

This shamrock chain is a great fine-motor activity!

Cook a Traditional (or semi-traditional) Irish Food.

I think sometimes we underestimate how much cooking and baking activities can engage our Residents living with dementia. There are infinite recipes to create, modify, and adapt to engage Residents of all levels and abilities.

I have very little Irish background, but this Reuben Casserole feels like a great, modifiable option.

Discuss the History of St. Patrick and the Holiday.

If you’ve got Residents who really enjoy history and who have Irish roots, you’ll get a lot of engagement from this activity. Most of the Residents I’ve encountered are proud of their heritage. They appreciate history. And they enjoy talking about their personal and cultural past.

Make sure to include visual components to this discussion. You could gather magazines, pull up images online, watch a History channel special or documentary, or make a slideshow. This will keep Residents engaged and provide visual cues about what you’re specifically discussing.

And remember that Reminiscence groups can be applied to just about any holiday!

Create a Green Bouquet or Flower Box.

I’m sure many of us are getting the warmer temperatures and that spring-time feeling in the air. This week could be a great opportunity to plant some nice green flower boxes, or even just a few started pots to include in a garden later in the season.

And if you’re like me and you’re still in the thick of lots and lots of snow, a faux floral arrangement is a great activity too.

Sing Irish Songs.

Sing-a-long and music groups tend to get a lot of engagement as well. Not everyone loves to or feels comfortable singing, but including simple musical instruments like bells and tambourines is a great way to get everyone involved. Songs like “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” and “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” are the classics that my Residents have historically loved.

This type of group is also a great way to get Resident input. Ask them what Irish songs they know and love, you might learn some new ones yourself!

Now, let’s talk about making this skilled.

As with any intervention, you have to use your Activity Analysis skills. So the key questions you need to ask yourself:

1. Why am I doing this with my Resident?
2. What deficit’s or needs do they continue to show?
3. What goals have I (or the OTR) written in the care plan?
4. How can this activity address those needs and goals?

Your Resident might need to address community setting tolerance for safety and emotional regulation.

Literally any of these activities will address that. The focus will be on maximizing the Resident’s ability to easily transition to the task and remain in the activity for the duration. Document how many cues are required to initiate/transition to the activity and how long the Resident could tolerate the activity before self-terminating.

Your Resident might need to address cognitive function such as direction following, sequencing, problem solving, etc.

Again, any of these activities will address that. The focus will be on maximizing these skills, as evidenced by an ability to complete the task with the least amount of cues. Document how much cueing was required for each step of the task, how much assist was required for each step of the task, the aspects of the task that were the easiest, the aspects that were the most challenging, and any other notable behaviors.

Your Resident might need to address standing, balance, and mobility.

Now several of these activities can be done in standing to “address balance”. And for some people, that’s a fine intervention. But usually for me, this strategy is a Hail Mary to try and get treatment minutes, and I don’t love that.

You could create a Scavenger Hunt with some of the decorations (like search for and count the number of shamrocks displayed on the Unit), which would also address a little bit of everything.

I hope these ideas spark the creative juices for you if you’re feeling stuck! Pop off in the comments with other ideas and beloved therapy activities!