Activities VS Programs: Words Matter
It was session one of our Summer Camp (a group of engagement peeps and industry partners who talk about growing and learning from one another). Nikki Jo Olsen from Avenida went for it. “I am sorry, and this might offend some people, but I hate the term ‘activities.’ I think it is juvenile, sounds like what I would do with babies and children and that is not what I think I do at or for my organization. We do programs.”
Knowing a member in this group that firmly believes in all the goodness, professionalism and progress that is “activities” I was a little soft in my agreement, but definitely supported the argument to eradicate activities. Gena would tell you she loves being an Activity Director. Back in 2012 when I went through round 1 renaming a department and titles, I battled many Certified Activity Directors. I learned that they have pride in their name, they like their title and if you do your job well, have received the right training, it is not about a title or name. They earned an Activity Director Certification. All this to say, what seems futile and a silly discussion around what word to use, I assure you it is much more involved, emotional and personal.
I agreed to my core with Nikki Jo and now that I have children of my own; four- and seven-year-old boys that I adore but also drive me totally bonkers, I find I do lots of activities to keep them busy, entertained, doing something other than destroying whatever attempt it is I call keeping a house clean, and to be real honest, keeping them alive. I grasp at what is within my reach to distract or entice.
A Bigger Conversation
I have always been a fan of looking up a definition in the dictionary. Maybe it’s because my favorite thing about elementary was writing book reports using the old school Encyclopedia Britannica set! I looked up the world on those pages. Words have literal, and assumed meanings. I believe the connotation (an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning) of a word is critically important to look at, especially when we rely on that word, or set of words, to represent an overarching philosophy or model. Insert Activities!
When we think of opportunities for well-being, purpose, engagement, vitality, longevity, community and a ton of other words that we hope to be individual outcomes to offerings, there is a definite mismatch to the traditional sense and nomenclature of the word “activities.” This battle to transform beyond “activities” no longer strikes my uncomfortable chord that needs to appease the masses. Instead, it confirms the same disruptive innovation that Bob Kramer spoke about last week. It confirms we are progressing and innovating. I think people are ready for the change. Is the change merely a word? No. It is more complex than that, but I think it is a good place start.
Here’s the Why
Activity – (n) 1. the condition in which things are happening or being done.
2. a thing that a person or group does or has done.
3. a recreational pursuit or pastime.
Program - (n) 1. a set of related measures or activities with a particular long-term aim.
2. a planned series of future events or performances.
Three Distinct Differences
1. Measurable Outcome or Goal – plain and simple. The outcome is not always quantifiably measured or formally calculated. But there is a goal, an intent, a tangible why and what you get in return for spending your time and energy participating.
2. Growth Factor – Why would I do this again? Why do I need this in my life, a part of my days? What comes next? How do I take what I just learned or experienced and apply it to life, or pay it forward?
3. An Obvious Why – With every program/offering on your list, ask yourself as if you are a resident, “what’s in it for me?” If you, as a programming director/assistant, manager, director, care staff, sales team would not go to the offering, why do you think residents would?
Opportunities Identified
National Days of the Year - The special, random, wacky, odd and ever-expanding days of the year are a go to resource in our industry. For instance, today, July 21 is national hot dog day and national junk food day. To put it in perspective, July alone has 225 national days to celebrate. Is it bad to celebrate national junk food day? Absolutely not…unless you are a dentist or on a diet! But how do we make a program out of national days instead of just listing them on the calendar and asking people to come taste test mustard, build an ice cream sundae or sip on a cock/mocktail daiquiri?
The opportunity is to not go overboard celebrating random days that do not have a why or meaning to the community behind them. Pick them strategically, make it a 2-3x monthly program. Do not spend hours finding supplies for a 15 minute activity if you do not already have what is needed as a resource. If you have to take time out of your day to go to the local grocery store, submit a receipt, log miles and wait on reimbursement of $20ish bucks so 10-20 residents can make a sundae at 3pm topped with neon sprinkles on national sprinkle day then we need to pause and make sure this approach is worthwhile. Was there ice cream at lunch? Is there ice cream at dinner? Could we have combined the effort with the dining team and ordered ice cream at cost. Could we have expanded the activity to all people at dinner and taken advantage of an all teams approach?
What if instead you said….what matter’s most to the residents and their interests? You are free to have a national day on whatever day you want. A calendar that is so clogged with silliness is not being mandated or policed by anyone. Instead celebrate a day 2-3x a month. Talk about the history, create something that will last, something that can be shared, remembered and discussed. For instance…We can have fun with national junk food day!
Set aside an hour to “talk about all things junk food.” When was the term coined, by whom? Poll staff and residents their favorite junk food. Crown a junky winner! Maybe it’s Salt and Vinegar chips. Well, now you have a junk food mascot for your community that can be present at BBQ’s and picnics. Maybe families learn of this and magically a bag will appear now and again. Residents pick up staff’s favorite while at the store and share it when they see someone having a crummy day. If we are going to eat junk food for the sake of junk food and wasted calories, let’s make it worthwhile. Junk food served on fine china would be hilarious! Maybe ask people to dress up to eat bad! Then when you have this “Day Program” you have a compelling why. It is not just something we took from a list and threw it on Wednesday, July 21 because we needed one more “activity.”
The One Timer – In your own life, think about the frequency in which you do something once and then never again. The only time this makes sense is when it is an event or occasion. You go in knowing it is a one-time thing. You probably look forward to it (or maybe dread it), but it is coupled with other plans and logistics. If you are randomly throwing things on a calendar with no intent to build upon, grow or offer it again, then what is the why?
Not because everything needs a lifespan of a certain length, rather begin to protect your time and energy. Everything that is facilitated takes time, effort and some level of coordination. If you are expending more effort on hosting all sorts of activities here and there, setting up and tearing down, frustrated at staff’s lack of interest or support, step back and ask…why are they not interested? Maybe they do not understand or observe the same “why” you see because you are so close to it and personally invested.
Are We Trying to Create a Buzz of Busyness? - Idleness is not necessarily bad, and busyness is not the antidote for boredom or lack of engagement. People of all ages see through busyness. Busyness lacks authenticity, it is often mindless and leaves us feeling rather unproductive and inefficient, questioning if that was the best use of our time. I can be really “busy” in a shopping establishment but spending time perusing through racks and aisles does not fill my tank when I walk away. Sure, if I am on a mission to find “this or that” or need a break from life’s chaos, losing myself among accessories and shoes is blissful.
I believe families, residents and prospects see an element of busyness in our current approach. There is an unspoken rule that we need a lot of “stuff” going on to show people and prove to ourselves that we have created community. That community consists of activities that are always available and magically happen regardless of staff or resources. There are a lot of obvious limitations to our current model that we choose to gloss over; early mornings, evenings, weekends, transportation, drivers, technology infrastructure and budget to name a few.
Offering more stuff or more options when people are bored is not the answer. My kids get “bored” way too often and it befuddles me. “How can they be bored?” us parent’s ask ourselves? Followed up with, “you have no idea what boredom is compared to how we grew up.”
Boredom is a bigger issue. Instead of asking people at a monthly meeting what they would like to add on the calendar (that you then plan and get irked when they do not show up) ask…
“Is this place boring?”
DO IT - Why? I think we would learn people are disengaged and unmotivated to be a part of your offerings because they do not see it being impactful to their life. You will learn so much more about what you need to offer. When we are bored, throwing an activity at someone is just filler and often impersonal.
As we age, regardless of decade we become more intentional about our time, value it more and tend to only expend it out on things that matter. Same is true for relationships, money and emotion. Experience makes us wise, and we learn none of the above are free, price tag or not.
In the big picture of life, do your programs and offerings matter in the world? That is the real litmus test. Not everything has to have an earth-shattering impact and change lives, but the majority should have a compelling reason to be present.
The Application - Combined Offerings: Where to Start
START - Programs
ADD - Events & Occasions
FILL IN - Activities
Treat this pyramid the same way you would a food pyramid. The junk food (today is the day😊) should be a tiny portion of your daily intake. We need it and crave it! If we are honest, we all admit we cannot plan a perfect day, everyday and sometimes we just need a break. Let those activities that do not rely on planning, preparation and strategy be offered in those moments. I am not talking about taking away activities that residents know and love, but how can you turn an activity into a program?
Examples of programs – weekly pet therapy, reminiscing and creative expression, journaling using topics and prompts, book club, outcome focused exercise (strength maintenance, balance, endurance, flexibility), chorus, gardening club, dominoes club, flower arranging and creation, puzzles and brain health focused offerings, cooking club, volunteer programs, welcoming & resident ambassadors. There are literally thousands you could list out!
Questions to Ask Yourself or Team
Does the program/offering align with the why of our engagement and lifestyle philosophy?
Would residents want to come back to another session? If not, why?
Can sales and operations staff answer the “why” behind the program/offering?
Do you have a welcoming and continuous process to capture resident interests and aspirations? Resident led programs almost always check the right boxes of being meaningful and engaging, but you have to have processes established to keep the programs evergreen and fresh.
Are you more concerned with variety and numbered offerings or assessing the result and outcome of the program/offering?
How do we become a community that supports engagement and programs, not just one person or department that impacts quality of life? Turning on a movie, chatting about the morning news, calling bingo, starting a playlist, managing happy hour, going on a scenic drive, taking a group out to lunch, delivering items via an activity cart door to door are free game for staff. You do not need training to do this. Who else can support engagement?
How do we best utilize the skillset and expertise of programming staff?
It Doesn’t Change Overnight…
But you can still start somewhere. Aim to reduce 10 “activities” next month, replacing them with 10 programs. Maybe you need to reduce the planned “busyness” on the calendar to make room to plan and create a program. Ask at standup meetings what programs, not activities are being offered today. Start by changing the language. I promise it does something in your mind. I have committed to say “programs” instead of “activities” for the past 2 weeks and it just feels different. It sounds different. Give it a try!