WESTFIELD - When asked what a clover symbolized, the residents at the Absolut Care of Westfield had several different ideas but there was one idea that they all agreed upon: this year clovers symbolized a lot of fun. The activities staff at the Absolut Care of Westfield thought it would be fun to hide green, paper clovers throughout the facility and have the residents search for and collect them. The activity was much like a traditional scavenger or Easter egg hunt, only this one was for clovers - appropriately called "Clovers All Over."
On the Thursday evening before Friday's big clover hunt, the staff helped to hide several hundred clovers all over the facility. There were clovers up and down the hallways, the ceilings, the door jams, in every unit lounge, the restrooms, the chapel, the front lobby, the beauty shop and some staff even wore clovers. Activities staff made an overhead announcement at the end of the day on Thursday reminding everyone that Friday morning would be the official start of Clovers All Over. The residents who collect the most clovers would win a prize (first, second and third prizes were awarded). All clovers needed to be collected and counted by 1:30 p.m. that day. The winners were Ethel Anthony, first place with 151 clovers; Herb Marker, second place with 96 clovers; and Jessie Warnshuis, third place with 48 clovers.
"I knew that this activity would go over well because the residents always love any activity that has do to with competing, they are fiercely competitive," said Jonelle Anderson, director of activities at the Absolut Care of Westfield. "It also roused so many different functions that we encourage our residents to used daily. They kept busy. They had to search high and low, use their recall skills, remembering where they had already been searching, stretch and reach for the clovers, use their fine motor skills to collect the clovers and when they couldn't get to a clover, they had to ask for help which initiated team-building. It just goes to show that there are plenty of scavenger hunt-esque ideas and really it's not just about winning the hunt."
Article Photos
Submitted Photo
The winners of Clovers All Over, from left: Ethel Anthony (first place), Herb Marker (second place) and Jessie Warnshuis (third place).
Absolut Care of Westfield is a five-star, 120-bed skilled nursing facility located in the quaint village of Westfield. Absolut Care of Westfield specializes in rehabilitation to home, long-term care as well as respite (vacation) care.
To compare nursing home ratings in your area, visit www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare.
For more information or to schedule a tour, call 326-4646.
