All long-term care facilities have several departments or areas of work that are necessary for the total care of the residents. Nursing provides for the medical needs. The dietary team is necessary to provide balanced meals for continued good health. Then there are social services, life safety (maintenance), housekeeping and laundry, and the list goes on. A lot goes on behind the scenes to care for our aging adults.
I want to focus in this article on what are usually called “activities directors”. A newer term which is sometimes used for them is “life enrichment directors”. Both terms are good, however “life enrichment” might underscore the real purpose for the role.
Each of our Baptist Homes campuses have an activities/life enrichment staff person. What is unique about this role is that their job is to involve the resident or neighbor in activities each day that enrich their lives spiritually. Our Homes become their home. We offer different choices of activities depending on the physical and mental abilities of the resident. One size fits all is not the way we approach life enrichment.
Some residents are all about walking or some type of physical activity even if it’s done from their chair. Others like games or coloring, maybe even just having someone read to them. Music is a big part of our lives and theirs too. Competition keeps the folks active and is fun for many. Bingo dollars/ activity dollars earned by those participating and redeemed at the campus store are a popular feature.
Our activities directors keep track of who is involved in what activity. They work to involve those who don’t want to participate. A big part of that is walking the halls, knocking on room doors, and remembering that this is their home, and you want them to invite you in. In those visits, our activities directors get to know the residents and what their lives were like before coming to live with us. Those visits build relationships and help tailor activities to meet their life enrichment needs.
One of the distinct differences in Baptist Homes from other long-term care facilities is that our activities directors plan at least one spiritual activity each day. Sometimes it is in the way of Christian music in the background, or a verse a day featured in a prominent place, or it could be a blessing at mealtime. We have regular Bible study opportunities and worship services in all of our homes. Special musical programs from local churches are also encouraged.
Last month, we featured a church that brought vacation Bible school into one of our Homes. Since that time, I have learned of at least 2 more Homes that will be having a church leading VBS in September.
The key to spiritual enrichment in our activities begins with committed activities directors that intentionally plan for spiritual enrichment in a consistent way. Here is where you and your church can help: Contact the Baptist Home nearest you and ask to speak to the life enrichment or activities director. Then ask them how you personally or a group from your church can volunteer to help with worship, Bible study, music, a kid’s program, teens reading to residents–the list is endless.
If you don’t have a Baptist Home near you, do the same outreach to another nursing home in your town. Baptists are known for our commitment to the sanctity of all human life. If we have a home for seniors in our community, we honor God by serving them regardless of the name on the sign out front.
Baptist Homes has been using a theme verse for a long time; “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails” (Psalm 71:8) . Let it be our intent as churches and individuals to care for folks from conception to natural death. Find a way to include ministry to seniors in care centers and homebound adults as a part of your church’s ongoing ministry.
Spencer Hutson, Church Relations Specialist
