Pioneer Network’s Hot Topics: Culture Change in Action

November 21, 2019: Creating Daily Pleasures in Outdoor Spaces: Making It Happen in All Seasons
Guide: Maggie Calkins, PhD, EDAC, Ideas Institute

Panelists: Betsy Miller, Director of Resident Services & Hilary Boucher, Life Enrichment Manager, White Horse Village, Newtown Square, PA and Barbra Hileman, Activity Director, Garvey Manor & Our Lady of the Alleghenies Residence, Hollidaysburg, PA

For you and me, spending time outdoors is a normal part of life, and something we miss when weather and circumstances keep us indoors for extended periods of time. But for residents living in nursing homes and assisted living communities, and even for elders living in their own homes, opportunities to enjoy outdoor living are often rare, even in ideal weather, but certainly when conditions are less than ideal due to cold, heat, snow or rain.

In this webinar, Maggie Calkins, will share WHY being able to enjoy time outdoors is important and HOW caregivers and families can support making it happen. She will discuss the health benefits of spending time outdoors in terms of stress, mood, concentration, sleep and more. She will also explore the differences in designing for active and passive use of outdoor spaces and share creative ideas for non-traditional outdoor elements, from green houses to hydroponic gardening to fishing, golfing and yerts.

And then team members from two Communities will share stories of how they are making it happen, how outdoor living is a part of life for the residents in their homes.