Activities aide brings joy to the hearts of skilled nursing residents

Kristi Collins is the activities aide at SKLD Whitehall at the very same building where she worked as a teen.

Kristi moved on to other jobs and locations and then found herself back in Michigan seeking a fulfilling job. She began working for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in home healthcare and then joined SKLD Muskegon. 

But when her grandmother moved to SKLD Whitehall as a resident nine years ago, Kristi returned to her former stomping ground and has been there ever since. 

Kristi began at SKLD Whitehall as a CNA. Although she now works in activities, she maintains her CNA license and helps on the floor when she can. She says she was interested in the activities position because she “loved the idea of spending more time talking to patients, doing their nails and caring for their emotional and mental side.”

Skilled nursing activities for the heart and soul

The activities team has gotten creative during the pandemic to bring stimulating activities directly to residents. Kristi says, “Especially with COVID, we’ve had to think of activities to stimulate the mind so the residents don’t feel lonely or sad.” 

BINGO is always a hit with the residents. SKLD facilities used the room speakers, live stream videos or had residents sit just outside their doors to facilitate BINGO. “The residents love BINGO and they would probably revolt if we took it away. It’s always the number one activity they ask for.”

Kristi and the activities team have a calendar full of engaging activities. Kristi says, “We started a fingernail painting clinic the second Tuesday of every month where we clip and polish the residents’ nails. We have pajama days and crazy hat days, which are always a blast.”

Music is an activity that the residents thoroughly enjoy. Kristi says, “We do something called ‘melody lane,’ where residents get to pick out whatever songs they want to hear. We have male residents that like ‘80’s hair bands while some prefer music from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s.”

Over the pandemic when a lot of the activities were restricted to the residents’ rooms, they went through the entire craft book from The Little House on the Prairie and just had to order more. Kristi says, “We’ve read many books together and are gearing up to plant seeds, both flowers and vegetables to transfer to the garden.” 

One of Kristi’s favorite activities is “snack and a story.” Kristi explains, “We offer a snack to the residents, but each resident has to write a line of the story when they take their treat. It goes around the whole building and at the end we often have a wacky story that makes everyone laugh.” 

Kristi is looking forward to the weather getting nicer so she can continue planning outdoor activities. She says, “I’m excited to start target practice with Nerf guns with the residents. They can compete with me for candy. I’m always on the lookout for more outdoor games, giant darts, hula hoops and anything else that will get people enjoying their time outside”

Activities teams have a heartwarming impact on nursing home residents

Kristi says, “I honestly love people and love the care they get here at SKLD. I’ve learned so much as a CNA that when my husband went septic, I knew the signs early to get him help.”

With her new position, Kristi gets the best of both worlds. “The hardest job in my life was being a CNA. I appreciate the extra one-on-one time in activities and am able to spend 15 minutes with a resident if they need it. Being able to focus on the spiritual side to reach someone’s heart.  

Video chat has been a life-saver during the pandemic. Kristi says, “We’ve even been able to connect one of our residents to her son who lives in Chile through video chat. It was awesome and made her so happy. We’ve also made sure people have access to window visits.”

Kristi has made an impact on so many residents’ lives with her kind heart. “There is a lady who recently had a stroke and came to SKLD completely separated from her family. She wouldn’t talk or do anything but cry in bed. I came over to her and said, ‘I hate you being alone in this bed all the time. I feel like you are sad and lonesome,’ and she said that was true.”

She continues, “I told her that just because she had a stroke doesn’t mean it’s the end. Now, we are doing nails together, reading stories and doing crafts. It was the most heartwarming experience seeing her get up out of her bed and into a chair.”

Through activities, Kristi hopes to bring meaning to the lives of her residents. “We do a compliment activity where we write out compliments and pass them out with phrases like, ‘you are so beautiful,’ or ‘love your shoes.’ The residents hand them out to other residents and staff and are able to show their appreciation.” 

Kristi likes to share some of her hobbies with her residents to form a connection. She says, “We live on a farm and sometimes I bring in the baby chicks for the residents to see. They know we have pigs, Porky and Bean, and they love hearing about the farm.” 

This work isn’t easy, but some people are just made to do it. Kristi lovingly says, “What would I do without my residents? I never want to work anywhere else.”