Question for ICHD'ers- activity ideas?

[unvaso]

Hello!  I'm looking for some suggestions for group activities/games that you enjoy while on dialysis.  We currently do bingo once a month.  Have you tried anything else at your center that works? (and that's easy to explain and do, and only requires one or two people to organize and carry out...)  Other things already in place- we have Wifi and IPads (about 6 or 8- but honestly only a few of the patients regularly use them), books to borrow in the lobby, tv at each chair, and we have a DVD player linked to the tvs, so occasionally we have movie and popcorn days...Also every few months we will have a cookout, or protein samples, or food for the holidays...
thanks for any suggestions...

[Lillupie]

Wow
 Where do you live??? What kind of center do you go to? Wow. When I was in-center no wtay did we get any of that. Ive seen books at a few centers I have visited. No popcorn. You are not allowed to eat at all in dialysis.
 Every seat did have a tv. Thats it.

Lisa

[jbeany]

My favorite was when the local Humane Society brought in puppies and kittens to socialize.  =^..^=

[cattlekid]

Honestly, when I was in-center, I just wanted to be left to my own devices.  I wanted Wi-Fi that worked, so I could keep in touch with my office.  I actually worked for two hours of each treatment, then after the first two hours I was usually too wiped out to think about being sociable.  I usually just read or watched TV. 

[unvaso]

I'm at an ARA clinic in Ohio (the social worker).  Jbeany, thanks for the suggestion. We have talked about bringing in animals, but there's a lot of safety/potential allergies/infection control concerns so it's never been carried out.  Do you happen to know how your center dealt with those issues? 
Cattlekid, I understand where you are coming from. Personally I think I would also pass on the Bingo...but I'm trying to reach the rest of the patient population who don't feel the same!   

[Rain]

In my center, it was for christmas,they brought it a band (voilin and singer) and played christmas songs, going from pod to pod.

The nurses also made cookies and brought in juice to share with the patients.

When i first started, any patients that wanted to decorated a square that then hung on the wall to form a quilt.

[jbeany]

  Jbeany, thanks for the suggestion. We have talked about bringing in animals, but there's a lot of safety/potential allergies/infection control concerns so it's never been carried out.  Do you happen to know how your center dealt with those issues? 

It's been a long time - but I do remember them asking about allergies before bringing the animals in.  I was in a very small center, so it's not like there were a lot of people to ask.  The shelter brought only the smallest puppies and kittens, so the safety/biting issue wasn't a problem.  The animals were not brought into the room until mid-run, and taken out long before anyone came off the machines, to minimize the infection risks.  Anyone who didn't want to hold a fur-baby didn't have to, certainly.  And we all got liberal doses of hand sanitizer when the pets left.