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Introduction:
A game room is a
wonderful place for residents of a nursing home to relax and forget
the rigors of nursing home life. Residents will enjoy having a place
to spend time with friends; talk; sit at a bar; and play games with
others or by themselves. A place they can call their own and enjoy
meeting people with similar interests. Indeed, a game room could
bring residents together who may never otherwise meet each other.
Breaking the feeling of loneliness that sometimes comes from
spending time alone in their room watching TV, or just staring out
the window.
One
of the first considerations is the amount of space available in the
nursing home. Smaller homes may have little room for such a project.
In this case an existing lounge or dinning area may suffice. If
space is limited a game table would be a good start: a card table
covered with an inexpensive tablecloth would be adequate, or an unused dining
table with a large basket in the center holding games such as cards, puzzles, Jenga, Monopoly,
chess, or backgammon would fit the bill. A dart board could also be a welcomed
addition. If food is normally served in the area, having drinks and
snacks available would be a nice touch. An
ideal situation is if the nursing home has a spare room to use as a
game room. If the room is large enough, a pool table may be an
excellent start -- those in wheelchairs could play using a bridge
stick to help support the cue stick.
Adequate room on all sides of the pool table is a major
consideration -- testing should be done to be sure those in
wheelchairs have room to play without interfering with other
patrons. Keep in mind that pool tables come in several lengths. A 7-foot
table or smaller is usually the best choice for a limited amount of space. The discount stores now carry some less expensive
styles, and you can often find used ones in the classified.
A
pinball machine; ping-pong table; air hockey table; bumper-pool
table; foosball table; and a variety of arcade style games should
also be considered. The
interior decorating ideas could come from the residents themselves or the
management. Choosing a rustic theme for the game room, setting the
mood of an Irish Pub or Mountain Lodge are popular popular ideas. A
material such as leather is always a good choice when there is food
and drink around. A
game room does not have to cost a nursing home a fortune. Making a
game room available for the nursing home's residents could increase
good will and the attractiveness of the home to outsiders -- the
benefits could far outweigh the cost. |
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