Activities
Activities Department:
Objective:
Surprise Valley Health Care Activity Department is concerned with the needs and interests of each patient, on an individual and group basis. Activity programs planned and implemented are in keeping with the needs and interests of each resident to maintain remaining capabilities and prevent further deterioration. Our activity program is designed to stimulate and support the patient’s desire to use his or her physical and mental capabilities to their fullest extent and to enable them to maintain their highest social, physical, and emotional functioning level, as well as maintaining their sense of usefulness. We continually strive to motivate the individual to further involvement and aid the patient to continued independence and dignity.
Philosophy:
All of our lives are spent in active social situations. Some of these situations are directed, others are not. Yet activity remains the very basis for our existence. The type and style of activities we are involved in change as our interests and abilities change. The meaning we attach to the activities we are involved in creates for us the "quality" of our life.
Our residents have the same need for meaning in their lives as they did prior to coming to us. It is up to us to provide the opportunity for these special people to choose activities that create meaning for them. Many of our residents have special needs that limit or reduce the number of options and choices for meaningful activity. Limitations, in and of themselves, do not alleviate the need for choice and option. It is our ability to choose that makes us human.
All of our programs are designed to provide and environment in which the resident has the opportunity to function at the highest level possible for as long as possible. Activity Coordinators recognize that each activity has a purpose beyond the obvious. Activities are designed to meet the specific therapeutic needs, the need for social interaction and meaningful leisure time for residents that will build competence in ones self and the confidence of having control of their own destinies. Social rehabilitation is no less important than physical rehabilitation. Our purpose is to rehabilitate the "whole" person, not just part.
As professional members of the health care team, Activity Coordinators are part of the therapeutic community concept, the interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation. It is the role of the Activity Coordinator to raise the awareness of the other members of the team: nursing, dietary, physical therapy, etc, as the importance of social rehabilitation. It is the Activity Coordinator's role to involve the other disciplines directly and indirectly in the social rehabilitation process. The success of this consciousness raising is evidenced by higher functioning patients, good patient & staff morale, and positive community relations.
As most of our residents have spent the majority of their lives living and working in the community, it is essential that community remain a part of their life. Our philosophy and purpose of social rehabilitation is to have that interface with the community at large. The loss of usual social contacts is one of the most difficult adjustments that our residents have to make when entering our facilities. Our goal is to make that adjustment a smooth and easy as possible.
Volunteers:
The Surprise Valley Health Care Activities Department is always looking for volunteers. If you have a special skill or simply time you can spare, we need you. Please contact Deanna Rosecrans 530-279-6111 ext 1248, drosecrans@svhospital.org