It takes me just 15 minutes to know whether the Home I’m attending is going to be a good sale or not, and that’s purely down to the initial reaction of the Activities Coordinator. Working with the elderly is not a job, it’s a vocation, just like working with babies, children or animals. It shouldn’t be the job you took because it was the only job you could get. If you enjoy who you are working with, you will like your job – if you like your job, you’re going to want to do it and be good at it, no room for complacency. An Activity Coordinator is a Care Home Event Manager, a prime and important position for a committed and dedicated person. A person responsible for making the twilight years of the elderly enjoyable, fun and worth living longer for.
I sell clothing for the mature woman, attending care homes, day care centres, coffee mornings etc. selling a range of up to date, stylish, affordable clothing, and just because you’re of ‘an age’ and living in a care home that doesn’t mean you’ve lost your interest in clothes or don’t want to look your best any more. I’ve had some of the best times with ladies over 70 in a care home, modelling the clothes, strutting for their fellow residents, showing off and indulging in styles and colours they used to wear way back when and having big laughs over big knickers and little sniggers over wobbly bellies and big boobs. It’s a colour, texture, feel, talk, sound, touch experience, it could be the highlight of their day, their only activity for the week.
I can sell, I can talk, but additional interaction with Activities Coordinators can turn my 2 hour visit into a fun, joyous and entertaining afternoon’s activity.
I have had situations where I’ve been left in sole charge of a roomful of more than 5 residents, no introductions, no warmth, using me to entertain the residents while they get on with something else.
On another occasion at a care home, I was shown to a corner of the dining room, no sighting of an Activities Coordinator, and only one resident was brought to me by a work experience girl.
Needless to say I won’t be going back to these places, but worse still what a wasted opportunity for a leisure interest.
I am a private carer for a 95 year old gentleman and 2 x women in their 80’s.
I’m also Dementia Friendly and understand mental capacity and capabilities.
The elderly are not a different race, they are just older than me.
I have no problem with the fact they repeat the same line 10 times over because they have forgotten what they have told you, or that you have to repeat the same line 10 times over to them because they have forgotten what you have said.
Yes, I have a clothing line to sell, but I just don’t want to take the money and not give something back, so yes, please use me as an entertainment supplier as well
– a free one at that.
Activity Coordinators are vital for making resident ladies feel encouraged, they lose their shyness, self consciousness, embarrassment if they are there with them, helping them try on the clothes and complimenting them on how it looks, or persuading them to try a different colour or style. Not only do they need them, but I need their assistance as well.
I’ve made friends with some of the Activity Coordinators I’ve met whilst selling my clothes and I look forward to my clothing sales at so many of the homes.
- Not only that, I’m looking for the one I want to live in when I’m 'of an age’.