Activity Directors at Skilled Nursing Facilities play a vital role in developing and implementing different activities that will engage residents, give them something to look forward to and encourage socialization.
Cheryl Woodward has been our Activities Director for ten years now, planning and implementing the daily and annual activities for our residents. Cheryl lives locally in Taunton, MA and in her free time enjoys painting, decorating, arts and crafts and anything that gets her creative juices flowing.
Cheryl works hard to reconnect our residents with the hobbies they love to make their lives feel fulfilled and meaningful. Each month a thoughtfully planned calendar outlining activities gives residents something to look forward to, which helps tremendously with their mental well-being. There are also many events that occur on a regular basis including coffee hour & word games to keep residents minds sharp, fitness fun to encourage an active lifestyle, painting classes for artistic residents, spa days, restaurant outings, casino trips and more! Cheryl’s favorite activities to plan are the ones that involve bringing the resident’s families together. Some of the annual family events are the Winter Holiday Celebration in December and National Nursing Home Week in May.
Each season, our residents work collectively on a mural that graces the front lobby of Copley. Each resident participating is given one to two squares of a larger picture to complete. The individual paintings are then put together and revealed to the residents in a grand unveiling ceremony. This is one of the most looked forward to events each season as it takes hours of hard work and dedication. Cheryl started incorporating these murals into our activities three years ago, and past and present residents have now completed twelve collaborative murals, and we recently started donating the older ones to town buildings. Our spring 2015 mural entitled “April Showers Bring May Flowers” is on display at the Stoughton Public Library. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area.
Cheryl enjoys working here for many reasons but said that what she appreciates most about her job is how it feels like home. It is not only a comfortable environment, but she loves the people she works alongside and the special bond she has with our residents.