pinic ideas?

[caringpct]

Every year my unit has a picnic for our patients. Usually it is real boring with the dietitian going around reminding everybody to watch what they eat and playing dialysis bingo. They come to the unit 3 times a week, do we really need to lecture and play dialysis related games at a picnic?!

So, I need recipes for food to take besides the same old boring hamburgers and hot dogs. Also, I want to do something fun for everyone.
I know some of my patients enjoy dancing (waltz, line dances, etc.) so I thought of bringing music. One of the patients is in a band and is willing to play for us. An ideas for things to do, remember some of my patients are elderly but I want people to get involved.

I also thought of oie in the faces of the staff by the patients. I'm open to any suggestions.

[Riki]

We used to have a picnic here too, but it was always done by the kidney foundation.  Since PEI doesn't have a kidney foundation anymore, I doubt we'll have a picnic either.  I never went to the picnics.  They were always on a day where I was doing something else.

[bette1]

You could bring cards, checkers, other board games.  A trivia contest - not dialysis related- for prizes.  There is also this party game where you tape names of famous people on everyone's forehead or back and they go around to each guest and ask one question and try to guess the person that is on their paper.  It's good for getting conversation started.

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

I had to laugh one time the Kidney Foundation sponsored a River Cruise up the Kennebecasis River. On the cruise the snacks were (get this) salted potato chips and salted peanuts. The meal was hotdogs/hamburgers and potato salad and then ice cream for dessert. Oh, and cola to wash it all down. WTH?? Were they trying to kill us all? Maybe they were testing us to see if we would indulge. The unit manager and several nurses were there also. Oh, there was a cash bar too. I partook. 

[sullidog]

Yes, it's funny how when we have a picnic we have stuff that we are suppose to watch like pretcils and stuff.

[RichardMEL]

Good grief.

I couldn't think of anything worse than a picnic with a bloody dietician basically saying "don't eat that!" - talk about ruin everything.

I like the idea, but I would NOT play dialysis or renal stuff games or trivia. Make it general trivia - stuff so that people can forget(a little) about the health stuff and enjoy. It's like our staff sometimes we have a birthday and there will be chocolate cake. So they give us some and don't tell us "no no!" but more "we're doing it in the first hour so the machine leaches out the K.. ENJOY!" - because Damnit life is about ENJOYMENT when you can and not always about rules and regulations and some drongo dietician telling you "NO!" all the time!!!!

Obviously yes, renal friendly food is a must, but don't shove it down people's throats (and yes, that's a pun and yes I know caringpct won't, this is just a general comment).

Is the picnic outside of the unit? I presume so. I think yeah making it as social as possible and showing that the staff(and patients) are human (and humane!) should be the goal. A nice social time away from the machines, pain (and dieticians) sounds like fun.

If it's only once a year, hey a small glass of something nice or a chocolate isn't going to kill you.

[RightSide]

Every year my unit has a picnic for our patients. Usually it is real boring with the dietitian going around reminding everybody to watch what they eat and playing dialysis bingo....

I'm open to any suggestions.

This time, don't invite the dietitian.

[Des]

There are lots of "other" salads. like mixed (green), cabbage salad, bread salad, (croutons with a sweet mustard sauce) 
Chicken breast strips folded into a kebab (zig zag) Paint or marinate it with goodies That "we" are allowed to have.
Drumsticks, small meatballs,
You can even serve the kebabs on mini  rolls. Diffirent types of rolls.
Jelly fingers..... and fruit kebabs.
Drumsticks, small meatballs,
I would make small kidney shaped tags to "tag" the renal friendly foods.

Everyone - should be  happy.

[natnnnat]

Wow.  You ladies with the recipe books are amazing.  I want to go to that picnic.
It would be like, when there's a vegetarian alternative on the smorgasbord, and all the omnivores eat it because it looks good!
Nothing left for the vegetarians.