By Mountain Pacific
June 21, 2024
At the Veterans’ Home of Wyoming Skilled Nursing Community, Brittney Hull shines as the activities director qualified (ADQ), life enrichment coordinator. With a passion for care and a commitment to enriching the lives of residents, Brittney has inspired new activities and community engagement within the facility.Brittney, a seasoned health care professional with extensive experience, assumed the role of activities director at the Veterans’ Home a year ago. Her journey in health care has always been guided by a dedication to building relationships and ensuring residents’ lives are filled with purpose and joy. “Getting to work with the senior community is wonderful,” she says. “Getting to know them and helping them live their best life is wonderful. For me, it is the simple things, singing with them, having a cup of coffee or going for a walk.”
Brittney emphasizes the importance of activities beyond mere entertainment. She says a robust activities program serves to enrich the lives of residents, pushing them to learn, grow and maintain their abilities. Through a resident-centered approach, Brittney actively involves residents in shaping their daily experiences, ensuring their voices are heard and their preferences honored.
Collaboration is at the core of Brittney’s philosophy. She works closely with various departments, including nutrition and social services, to integrate activities seamlessly into residents’ lives. By pairing activities with food, conversation and traditions, Brittney fosters a holistic care environment that nurtures physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being. “We use a couple of different strategies to get people connected with others or their community” she says. “First, we like to have different cultural celebrations or get-togethers. These are always a great way to bring people together. The second thing we do is help our elders find something they like doing that allows them to contribute to the community they live in. This can be anything from setting the table in the dining room to helping make small repairs around the home. These sorts of tasks help them feel connected to the community, because they are contributing and taking some ownership.”
Brittney says the Veterans’ Home has embraced diversity and inclusivity in its activities and celebrations. By honoring various cultural backgrounds and traditions, Brittney creates an environment where every resident feels valued and respected.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of technology in maintaining connections with loved ones. Brittney highlights the role of technology in facilitating virtual gatherings and ensuring that residents feel supported and engaged, especially during special occasions. “During outbreaks we do our best to have as many hallway activities as possible” she says. “Bingo, trivia or group crafts are easy to convert. For residents who choose not to join in group activities, doing two to three individual visits is super important. For those visits, we do what we can to ensure everything is able to be disinfected and can be used more than once to help save materials where we can.”
Through collaborative efforts, resident-centered approaches and a celebration of diversity, Brittney continues to inspire positive change and enrich the lives of those under her care.
We look forward to sharing more of the good work from our partnering nursing homes, including activity ideas and tips. If you work at a long-term care facility and have resident engagement ideas you would like to share with other nursing homes, we invite you to connect with us. Email Marcy Gallagher at mgallagher@mpqqhf.org or reach us through our Contact Us page on our website at https://dsiohn098w.mpqhf.org/QIO/contact-us/. Stay tuned for more inspiration and collaboration.
This material was prepared by Mountain Pacific, a Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. 12SOW-MPQHF-AS-NH-4/24-409
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