10 Reasons Why Activity Professionals are the Heart of Senior Living Communities

Happy National Activity Professionals Week!

The Welbi team is incredibly grateful for activity professionals who keep our older adults, engaged and fulfilled. It is no secret that active aging leads to better health and longer lives and activity professionals are an integral part of providing this for members of their communities.

Activity professionals are often undervalued and under-appreciated, but we understand how essential they are to a happy community. Here are the 10 reasons why activity professionals are the heart of senior living communities:

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1. They put their residents first
   

Activity professionals are incredibly selfless. They are so integral to the operations of their communities that they often miss breaks or work longer hours to spend time with their residents. They make such a large impact on the daily lives of older adults that they often forget their own needs.

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2. They can lift residents’ moods
   

Knowing their residents and understanding what makes them unique is a part of an activity professionals’ daily tasks. They notice when one of their residents is feeling down and have a magical gift of lifting spirits and infusing positivity into the community.

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3. They help to improve residents’ physical and mental health
   

Activity professionals run activities for every dimension of wellness. They help to improve residents’ emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual well being through a variety of activities. Ensuring that all of these dimensions are captured in a wellness program is incredibly important for residents’ quality of life.

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4. They inspire creativity
   

The most creative people we’ve ever met are activity professionals! They are required to come up with new and exciting activities constantly which is no easy feat. Their creativity inspires residents, keeping them excited and engaged!

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5. They wear many hats
   

Activity professionals do a lot more than planning activities. They must know their residents' diet, medical needs, and mobility along with understanding their likes and dislikes. They also spend a lot of time doing administrative work and keeping up with charting. They really are the ears and eyes of the community!

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6. They are like family
   

Some residents engage with activity professionals more than with their own family members. Seeing each other so often leads to long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationships.

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7. They are advocates against ageism
   

Activity professionals see the impact that older adults have on their communities every day. They are advocates against ageism and believe that people of all ages have so much to contribute to society.

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8. They prevent loneliness and isolation
   

Loneliness can be as dangerous as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. This is why activity professionals are so important to their communities. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, they ensure their residents are getting daily interaction via technology, one-on-one interactions, or distanced gatherings.

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9. They work hard despite many challenges
   

Burnout is a real issue facing activity professionals. They work tirelessly to create amazing experiences for their residents, but with lots of added administrative tasks, the demands can be high. Despite this, they work hard each day to ensure the best for their residents.

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10. They create enriching life experiences
    

Whether it be through creative experiences, helping residents stay active, planning exciting outings, or creating a relaxing environment, activity professionals create enriching life experiences that help their residents feel fulfilled.

To all the activity professionals, we would like to extend a sincere thank you from everyone at Welbi. Thank you for keeping our older adult community happy, engaged, and fulfilled. We understand the importance of what you do every day. We also understand the challenges that come with facilitating a recreation program. High turnover, tedious administrative tasks, and lengthy decision making get in the way of what you love most, time with residents.

This is why we created the Welbi platform. With activity professionals in mind, the platform provides recreation teams with meaningful insights and smart tools to help eliminate 40% of administrative tasks. It is easy to use, saves time, and keeps everyone on track.

To book a demo, click here, and we can show you first hand how we can help keep your community safe, organized, and running smoothly. Always.