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I used to work as an activities director in retirement centers and nursing
homes. Are you doing one special visit or will you be going in each week to
do an art activity? Are you doing this by yourself, or will you be taking a
group of students with you? And if you will have students, how many and what
ages are they?

As general guidelines, keep in mind that older persons may have problems
seeing and may have problems doing highly detailed work or things that
require excellent hand-eye coordination or fine motor skills. Holding a
paintbrush can be a challenge for some (due to arthritis) and I had several
paintbrushes available which had built-up handles (with masking tape) to
make it easier for them to hold.

Even if the activity is simple (which is fine), it's critically important to
not give the impression that you're talking "down" to them or giving them a
child's task.... These folks have lived a long time and appreciate and
deserve being treated with respect. Don't call them by their first names,
unless an individual insists upon it, and don't call them "honey" or any
other term of endearment. Just be friendly, smile, and speak "stronger" but
not necessarily louder. (When we speak louder, the pitch of our voice tends
to go up, actually making it harder for older ears to hear. I tend to be
very soft-spoken, but I learned to lower the pitch of my voice a little and
that seemed to help those who were hard of hearing.) Also, be careful with
the materials you use--old skin is very fragile and often dry so you have to
watch out for what they might get on them.

I found that my residents seemed to enjoy craft-oriented activities more
than "art" activities--maybe due to the populations with which I worked.
(Many of the women had probably made things for church bazaars and the
like.) Often they were frustrated that they could no longer sew, crochet,
or do many of the other activities that they had enjoyed for most of their
life, but I tried to adapt, adapt, adapt and come up with things that were
close approximations of the things they'd previously enjoyed.

The individuals you'll be working with will determine the nature of
project(s) that you should do. Find out, before you go, the capabilities of
the people by asking the activity director (who might also be able to
suggest some good activities).

Printmaking seemed to go over well--one fall we did leaf printing (just like
I'd done with some of the young kids I'd worked with) and the residents made
some beautiful note cards. Each person made several cards and enjoyed doing
something that was both artistic and useful. Some got into the whole thing
and proceeded to handpaint some notecards, and that was wonderful, too.

I also did crayon shavings, ironed in waxed paper (just like with my young
kids) to make pretty leaves or butterflies to put on the windows of their
room. We cut the butterfly shape borders out of construction paper (one
for each side), then stapled the waxed paper in the middle of it (between
the two pieces of the border) and cut off the excess waxed paper. I know
this isn't too clear--email me if you want clarification!

Many thought it was funny to be using a grater to grate crayons, and an iron
to melt the crayons inside the waxed paper. The conversations that evolved
from this activity were great--they talked about cooking (grating cabbage
for cole slaw), how they used to have to iron EVERYTHING and how laundry was
a process that had to be dealt with over several days, etc. Engaging their
memories and having them share them is as important as the art or craft
you're actually producing...

If you're working with a group of men, activities that involve building,
sanding, and *planning* for the building and sanding seem to go over well.
A lot of older men probably wouldn't be interested in the activity mentioned
above, but they'd be interested in painting something "functional"--such as
small wooden toys, small stools, or things that could be used at the
retirement center.

Ceramics is something else that we did successfully--we didn't have a kiln
and just worked with (purchased) greenware that had come out of molds. They
enjoyed trimming and sanding it. I'd then take it back to the ceramics shop
and have it fired, then we did glazing--and I took it back again to be
fired. A lot of running, and perhaps not appropriate to what you'll be
doing....

I'm drawing a total blank to what this is called--using something (can't
remember what!) to rub over a thin sheet of copper on a "mold" to created a
"relief" of the object below!! Anyhow, I had several of these molds with
wildlife (deer, pheasants, etc) and the men, in particular, enjoyed this
activity. When they were finished, we'd paint over it with black and then
use sandpaper to take most of it off (the black would stay in the small
crevices). Made a nice decorative object for their room or to give as a
gift.

Having them get involved in making decorations for facility parties was
always good. Our art/craft group regularly made favors and seasonal table
decorations. At other times we made and painted props like palm trees, etc.
to be used for special activity nights. Contact the activity director to see
if they have any special nights coming up that you could help the residents
prepare for (When's Mardi Gras? A lot of retirement centers have special
evenings based on themes--Western night, Casino night, "Virtual Trip to the
Caribbean," etc. Any number of art/craft activities could spring from those
themes.)

I feel like I'm babbling now! Please feel free to email me if you have
other questions. Since I'm not exactly sure what you're doing, it's sort of
hard to find the right answers to give! :-)

Over the years I've worked with people from the ages of 5 to 100, with
special needs kids and with adults with Alzheimer's, as well as with healthy
kids and with healthy, active elderly adults. For about 6 months I worked
part time in both an elementary school AND at a retirement center with only
15 minutes of commute time to make the transition!! It certainly made for a
diverse day, but I enjoy bringing art and people of all ages together.

Sharon
sharonbk
Artwork & Lesson Plans, Genealogy Info, etc.
http://home.adelphia.net/~sharonbk
AIM: SKBK56

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