Nursing Home Help!

[Shoq T. Clown]

what can i do at a nursing home? Right now i go and talk and listen to people. thats about it... what can i make at home for props that are cheap and get good reactions?

[Willace-the-Clown]

It all depends on what their allowing when i did a nurseing home i did balloons it is a placei show up in clown at alot since my grand mother lives there

[Scruffy]

You don't need anything special. They laugh at the same types of things. It is their home. If anything, many would like to forget they are there for a little while. SO, just do your normal, schtick.
If you are going to an Ortho-rehab unit, Then I would take hospital type props, Make jokes about the Physical terrorists, the food,etc.

[saphireSue]

At the nursing home we go to, the activity director sets of the time, and we call to remind her and she gets all interested in the big dayroom/dining room for us. We do a regular show, and sing some silly songs and some regular as it's usaully requested [doing know why but for some reason they think clowns should sing so we sing' my fave. "Boom, Boom ain't it great to be Crazy". Then we go to the Alzhiemers unit, this I get concerned about but they alway ask us to go, but here it is very short and we visit shortly and sing some songs. They like magic as well. I want to get into doing some games with them so they can participate more. Just about any skill level can play balloon volleyball.

[Shoq T. Clown]

great idea sue! i could eaisly play balloon volley ball... i should have remembered that from robin williams patch adams movie... LOL now as far as the balloon animals and rubber band gun.. thats a different story

[Shoq T. Clown]

last night i sewn a busking style apron for my costume... i made a holder for a feather duster (or my HUGE pen, sharpies for balloons etc.) and two other pockets... large and medium...condsidering that iam 17 and a guy and i know how to use a sweing machine is a maricle in its self... i plan on going to the local scrapbooking store (my mom was a scrapbooking teacher for YEARS, i grew up in a scrapbooking store... being homeschooled...) and making me a couple hundred X's and brown E's from heavy cardstock.... this way io can use my feather duster to make clean x's... I am also making a small shirt for my rocky raccoon spring animal... ( a material tube) with a red E on it... so he can be a red e.. LOL

[stitches]

I took Bubba's class, seniors like it when you hold their hand or touch their hand.

He gives stickers when he visits nursing homes. They had to give up most of their belongings to move to the nursing home - giveaways, even a sticker, are like treasures to them.

He told us a story of two women. One had stickers almost all around her bulletin board. The other, a newcomer, only had one and said she wanted them all around like the first women. The first woman snapped back at her - something like, "not until you've been here as long as me, one sticker per visit!"

[saphireSue]

I remember that story, he told us about it too. We give out stickers too, and take our puppets. Our nursing home is large and spread out, and with HIPPA [the new privacy laws] they discourage any room visits, but we can visit in the dayroom and hall all we want.

[Joko the Clown]

Anything you do at a nursing home is appreciated. Even a smile or a Hello are often greeted with immense gratitude.

If the residents seem indifferent, cantankerous, mean, resentful or bitter, do not let it get to you. Their world is often a world of pain, loneliness, loss, grief, fear and hopelessness. Keep your chin up.

[BAshley B Flowers]

My mom is in a nursing home and dad assisted living. I have taken bubbles and come up behind some one in their wheelchair and have bubbles float over their head, then watch how they react and let them find me or eventually come out where they see me. Be careful not to blow too many in one place because they can make a slippery place on the floor. At Christmas my children went, none of us in clown, and used a giant bubble wand. We stayed in one spot and put down a beach towel. When we were finishing up I called houskeeping to mop just to make sure the floor wasn't slick. Always have stickers or balloons to do a quick animal. I go to their door and if you wave and are invited in you are welcome. Everyone knows a clown, and you're never a stranger. I have gotten people to smile as a clown that I usually don't see smile. Play with the staff too, their job is hard and they need a laugh too. I recently went to see a friend at a home I had never been to before in clown, the folks in the office saw me coming in the door and started smiling. Two ladies were out front and they immediately stopped me and wanted to know what I had for them. I whipped out my trusty balloon suitcase, made a balloon for them and had smiles on them both. It by far is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, in or out of clown. It's why I want to clown.