Color them happy
Activities are egg-actly what seniors need
Staff writer
Shopping, taking a cruise around town, going to community events, and listening to children sing are things that keep Salem Home residents happy and engaged.
Marketing director Lisa Donahue said residents enjoy getting out for a ride in the facility’s van, whether it involves going to a specific destination or just going out for what used to be called a Sunday drive.
“One time, we went out to see my baby donkey,” Donahue said.
Several residents got out of the van to get a close look at the baby while they were there.
In preparation for Good Friday’s Easter egg hunt, residents and fourth grade students from Hillsboro Elementary School packed 1,200 plastic Easter eggs Thursday.
“We put everything from gum to all kinds of candy in them,” resident Shirley Reusser said. “We had so much fun packing those eggs.”
Reusser, who earlier suffered a stroke, said activities helped her regain memories, many of which she had lost.
“This helps me catch up,” she said.
Resident Hope Hill enjoys having children around.
“The kids are not bashful, either,” Hill said. “They really have a good time.”
Now that weather is warmer, activities director Angie Williams likes to take residents outside for another old fashion pleasure — sitting on the porch and watching who’s doing what in the neighborhood.
“She’ll have a whole crowd out there on the porch, and they just sit and watch,” Donahue said.
Residents also love to go shopping, Donahue said. It doesn’t have to be a fancy store. The joy of finding just the perfect thing at Dollar General is a pleasure to them, Donahue said.
Reusser and Hill said they looked forward to Tuesdays, when two families rotate weeks to sing for residents.
Often they sing songs residents don’t know, but Reusser likes it when they pass out songbooks so residents can sing along to songs they knew in younger days.
Both women also say they enjoy indoor activities such as dominoes, painting, piecing together puzzles, and coloring pages that later are displayed on facility walls.