The week of September 13, 2020, is National Assisted Living Week. This year’s theme is “Caring is EssentiaAL” and celebrates the care and commitment of essential caregivers in assisted living communities across the country.
Caregivers: More Essential than Ever
2020 has highlighted the heroic efforts of caregivers across the globe. Established by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) in 1995, National Assisted Living Week is a chance for residents, families, staff, and volunteers to honor the role of assisted living communities in caring for our senior generation.
Unforeseen challenges of this year have resulted in every person working in long-term care to go above and beyond daily expectations. This year’s theme strives to reflect the unprecedented call to duty on our long-term care workers.
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Honoring Caregivers, Respecting Social Distancing
We believe it is more important than ever to celebrate our workers. In May, we celebrated National Leisure Care Day, honoring our workers as heroes. Communities across the country celebrated workers with chalk art, food and flowers, car parades, and more.
We want our essential workers to know how appreciated they are, and we need to do it in a way that respects social distancing boundaries. Our staff needs to know how appreciated they are, while also being able to continue their critical role in caring for residents in senior living. Here are some ideas to let the essentiAL caregivers in your life know how much you appreciate them!
- Fun theme days
- Dance parties
- Ice cream parties
- Live outdoor performances
- Community hallway sing-a-long
- Virtual reality ‘trips’
- Taking tours of zoos, the space station, or a world-famous library via webcam
- Share a special meal via Zoom and FaceTime
- Encourage family and residents to write notes to the staff
- Make a video of residents and staff expressing their thanks
- Start a social media campaign, sharing photos of the week
- Car parade with signs for caregivers
How will you celebrate National Assisted Living Week this year? Share your ideas with us in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you!
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