An Activity Director Walks into a Bar…
An Activity Director Walks into a Bar…
Recorded on: 03/16/2021
Obviously, the seriousness of COVID-19 is no laughing matter, and we certainly get that. However, a little shot of humor might be just what the doctor ordered during these extremely challenging times. Humor is healthy, no joke.
This presentation by Nancy Ewald, Chief Content Officer at Activity Connection explores the history and science of humor and what the research says about the health benefits of a good belly laugh. We’ll answer such questions as “Where can you find your funny bone?” “Can humor help people with dementia?” and “Will a sense of humor help you live longer?” After all, Betty White just celebrated her 99th birthday in January, and George Burns and Bob Hope were both centenarians, so maybe there is something to it.
Activity Directors wear many hats, but being a comedian is not usually a comfortable role. There is concern that humor might be too silly, not “adult appropriate,” or will offend. So, we will provide some guidelines, techniques, resources, and tips to help you flex your funny bone. Finally, we’ll get the last laugh with lots of funny programming ideas.
Participants who join this webinar will be able to:
- Understand the physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits of humor and laughter.
- Learn what to do and not to do when it comes to humor programming.
- Be able to list at least 10 new ways to add humor to an existing program.
- Laugh a lot.
Nancy Ewald
Chief Content Officer
Nancy Ewald, is the co-founder of Activity Connection.com, the industry-leading resource for activity professionals. Her novel ideas and creative approaches to programming have made her a sought-after consultant as an expert in the field.
After attaining a MS degree in allied health education, Nancy’s early “activities” involved teaching microbiology and working with pipettes and Bunsen burners. However, while taking some time off to raise three children and care for two ailing seniors, Nancy discovered her true passion and decided to make a mid-life career change. She returned to the workforce as an assistant activity director for a full-service community. It wasn’t long before the success of her innovative programming caught the attention of industry leaders.
That was over 30 years ago. Nancy went on to author six manuals for three national companies. She eventually accepted a position as a national director, overseeing training and program development for 170 communities with all settings and levels of care. When Nancy left the corporate world a few years later, she was determined to help solve the challenges of the profession she had seen firsthand. She devoted herself to expanding and developing Activity Connection, which now serves activity professionals in all U.S. states and all Canadian provinces and territories, benefitting over a million and half seniors every month.
Charles de Vilmorin
CEO
Linked Senior
Charles de Vilmorin is the co-founder and CEO of Linked Senior. He is passionate about honoring the older adult in our society. From his master’s thesis on nursing homes and memory care, to his close connections with the older adults in his family, to creating and leading Linked Senior, a resident engagement platform for senior living, he is an advocate for the person-centered movement. With Linked Senior, he has more than twelve years of experience building solutions that value meaningful engagement to meet the changing needs and preferences of every older adult. Charles is on the board of the Validation Training Institute that promotes the Validation Method, work of Naomi Feil and on the Innovation Council for AMDA, the American Medical Doctor Association. He also started the Old People are Cool initiative to combat rampant ageism in our society and build intergenerational conversations and collaboration.
