The biggest pain point shared by activity directors across levels of care and states is the activity calendar. This visual tool that highlights the main events of a retirement community is a federal regulation for nursing homes but also a requirement in Independent Living and Assisted Living.

There are three main reasons why it is difficult to produce a high quality calendar on an ongoing basis:

• The calendar has to address the needs of new residents while taking into account changes in demands from the existing population.
• The calendar always needs to show creativity
• Rules and regulations such as minimum number of daily spiritual or physical activities increase the complexity of the task

And that’s without taking into account the design and graphical requirement that a calendar needs to be appealing!

Here are 6 tips to produce the best calendar ever – and have your residents come out to activities!

1. Plan ahead: Very often activity directors wait for the last minute – and are disappointed with their work. By planning ahead, there is more room for creativity and gives time to contact outside entertainers or lecturers.
2. Proofread: Once there’s a printed mistake, then it’s on the wall. Make sure you have someone proofread all text on each calendar.
3. Use templates: Re-creating a calendar is very time consuming.Having a template to start off every month will dramatically help you save time
4. Work with Marketing: The marketing department may have good ideas and input on what new residents enjoy. They may also have some budget to contribute if some of the activities help them sell the community.
5. Make it readable: A resident will not come to an event if they can’t read the title or description. Have short and clear names for all activities.
6. Assess the needs of the population frequently. Meeting with the residents council or interviewing individuals should be done often to get a good understanding of the needs of the group you are serving.