Liven things up at your aged care facility with a fun and engaging Animals & Staff Guessing Game! This activity is a fantastic way to get residents and staff interacting and having a blast together. It can be easily stretched into a week-long event for maximum enjoyment.
How to Run the Animals & Staff Guessing Game for Seniors in Aged Care
Check out our step-by-step guide on how to host this guessing game now! It’s simple and easy, all you need is to follow along!
Step 1:
To kick off the event, rally the entire staff across departments to participate by bringing in two photos of their pets—a solo shot of the pet and another capturing the pet with its human companion. The photos, ideally sized at 5 X 7, can feature a variety of pets, from dogs and cats to birds, mice, ponies, horses, reptiles, goldfish, chickens, and more.
Step 2:
Create a display board showcasing all the solo pet photos, ensuring clear numbering from 1 to 20. Accompany this with a list of pet owners displayed prominently. Now, encourage residents to embrace the role of detectives, attempting to match each staff member with their respective pets.
Step 3:
Set up a display board for everyone to view and display all the photos of just the pets on their own, make sure everyone can see them easily.
Step 4:
Number every photo on the board clearly. 1 to 20. Then, make a list of all pet owners and display it on the board.
Step 5:
Now get residents to choose which staff member they think owns which pet.
Step 6:
Print out entry forms with a list of numbers representing each pet on the board. Then, ask your residents to write why they think each pet on the board belongs to! Of course, don’t forget to help your beloved seniors to fill out the forms if they need assistance.
An example of the entry form is pasted below:
Step 7:
Organize a day to reveal which staff owns each pet. Have a special afternoon tea and make it a fun event for everyone at the reveal. Have prizes for the three top winners who guessed the most matches (cute soft stuffed animals).
Step 8:
Make a slideshow with all the photos of the pets and owners together to play on a big screen with nice backing music. You can also make another display board with the owners and pets together so the residents can look at it long after the activity is over.
Step 9:
As a heartwarming finale, invite staff members who might not be working on the day of the event to bring their pets to the facility. This allows residents the joy of interacting, patting, and cuddling with these adorable companions, fostering a sense of warmth and connection.
Step 10:
In essence, the Animal Therapy Day transcends the conventional bounds of activities for seniors. It is a testament to the therapeutic power of animals, the joy of guessing games, and the profound connections that can be forged in the heart of an aged care community.
