Boosting resident wellbeing with activities planning care management software

How to use Blyssful's activities planner to boost resident wellbeing

Incorporating person-centred activities into care plans is an essential way of not only meeting the physical needs of residents in care homes, but also of enhancing their quality of life and wellbeing by focusing on their social and emotional needs.

It can be challenging to organise a range of accessible activities for all residents of a care home, that take into account the various physical and mental needs of the individuals, as well as their personal preferences.

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The solution lies in Blyssful’s activities planner. Blyssful by Ablyss is an award-winning, cloud-based care management system, which is set apart from other systems due to its innovative activities planner, calendar, and features.

Getting started with Blyssful’s activities planner

Blyssful offers a range of smart features to schedule activities, share upcoming plans, and book resident places.

Following an event, the activities coordinator can record which residents did or did not attend the activity, add notes, and attach images and videos to an event. This way it can be easily reported how an event went overall.

Blyssful takes it a step further by allowing notes and documents to be made against each individual resident, such as sharing photos of them at the event with family members, and stating how they found the activity.

A calendar can be created so that residents and their family members can see upcoming events and be aware of plans. This also makes it easy for family members to log in to the website, or the Blyssful Go app, to see which activities their loved one has been enjoying, and bring these up as talking points on their next call or visit.

Creating a comprehensive activity schedule

The data that Blyssful records makes it easier for carers to create a schedule of activities that would be most beneficial to the residents, based on their various needs and preferences.

Blyssful gathers information on individuals such as their interests, fitness levels, hobbies, and disabilities, which allows for tailored activities to be created that meet the needs of everyone when activity planning.

The programme’s activities coordinator can collect data on residents’ interests and categorise these into groups, making a range of activities based around these groups, such as sporting events or arts and crafts.

There are a wide range of meaningful, impactful activities that can be suitable for different interests, and any personalised activities can be added into the Blyssful calendar, such as swimming, walking, bingo, movie nights, food tasting, gardening, board games, arts and crafts, quizzes, puzzles, meditation, and exercise classes.

It is important to balance the number of physical, cognitive, and social activities regularly taking place, so that there are tasks which are accessible and beneficial to all residents. Research suggests that engaging in a variety of these activities may act as a protective factor against age-related changes in cognitive functioning.

Implementing & managing group activities

It has also been shown that group activities and social interaction have a positive impact on health and wellbeing by increasing enjoyment, sense of community, and slowing down cognitive decline.

Social interaction and feeling a sense of community can be a great way to encourage residents’ sense of belonging and wellbeing, reducing the risk of loneliness and bringing likeminded people together to create new friendships.

All residential care staff staff should have training on managing group dynamics and ensuring inclusivity for activities. This can be achieved by creating activities that give an option for a range of abilities, upskilling the team to communicate effectively about what individual attendees can expect, and offering the option for individuals to spectate if they feel unsure about taking part in an activity for the first time.

Tracking & evaluating activity impact

A huge benefit of the Blyssful activities planner is that it makes it simple to gather feedback from residents, staff, and family members, and to analyse this data in order to assess the impact of activities on resident wellbeing.

Users can access uptake information against each activity, or review all activity participation per individual in their own records. They can then set measures such as targets for participation and assess what impact wellbeing has on the ability to complete care plans or to make progress with goals.

This tool is incredibly helpful in meeting the latest CQC Single Assessment Framework, which requires the evidencing of people’s experiences of care. The Blyssful records and reports are an ideal way of sharing with the CQC the detail of what residents have been doing, and gaining real-time feedback to report back and continuously improve the service.

Blyssful also enables care providers to meet the aims of the National Activity Providers Association, which is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals by championing the importance of integrating activity and engagement into overall care provision.

The analysis and feedback received from Blyssful allows for continuous improvements and updates to the innovative system, such as adapting the activity plan to keep it fresh and as inclusive as possible, and engaging all staff in the planning process and policies.

In summary

Planned activities are a wonderful way of allowing care home residents to maintain their own personal identity by providing opportunities for enjoyment, to develop their interests, and to socialise with other likeminded people.

Taking the time to learn what means something to an individual helps staff to better support them and focus on impactful activities that bolster all areas of their wellbeing, from physical and social, to cognitive wellbeing.

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Organising events is made simpler and smarter with the Blyssful activities planner. This insightful system is an incredibly helpful tool for activities coordinators, allowing them to create a calendar of events for all residents, while also tailoring activities to each individual resident’s needs and requirements, ensuring it is inclusive for all.

Not only this, but its intelligent reporting tool means you can analyse the popularity and impact of activities at the touch of a button. With Blyssful, you can create a vibrant and supportive care home environment and share the data to back up your results with the relevant regulatory bodies.

Contact our product specialists today to learn how you can start using Blyssful’s activities planner to boost resident wellbeing in your residential care setting.

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