Bethlen Naptár, 1980 (Ligonier)
Deborah Mondon: "Something to do, Something to love, Something to hope for”
214 BETHLEN NAPTÁR Friday is shopping day; Residents give the Activity Director a list of items they would like to have and she shops for them. Residents who are able often go along to shop, too, and we sometimes have lunch out at a restaurant before returning to the Home. Not all of our folks are able to be so active in these programs. We have considered this in establishing morning group sessions, held daily for them. Just getting out of their rooms, listening to music, and seeing other people is stimulation for them, and looking at a fresh vase of flowers or the color changes on the mountains is a pleasant experience. Residents who are bed-ridden are visited in their rooms if they are able to have visitors. Talking Book machines, on loan from the local library, enable such a person to enjoy the latest books and magazines, which are recorded on discs for them to listen to. Large print books are also available. We have a rythym band set and many folks like to play along with the music. It’s always a rousing performance, to say the least. Music touches all of us in a special way, and our elderly ones at Bethlen Home are no different. Some clap their hands and sing along when they know the words. Some just smile and tell me what excellent dancers they used to be. (Some prove it by taking me for a whirl around the room.) Other activities include weekly crafts. There is always a “grand stand” audience to view the happenings and enjoy the fresh air. Spirited discussions always follow such activities. Community outings are looked forward to with eager anticipation and made much easier now by the acquisition of our own 10 passenger Sportswagon Van. This purchase was made possible by our Bazaar earnings and
