How to Have Successful
Outings

Having successful outings is easy, IF you are organized.

Residents love going on outings. So to make sure that they have fun, it’s important to plan ahead. Here are a few tips on how to have successful outings in your facility:

One Month Before:

> Plan as far in advance as possible to ensure to include the activity on your monthly activity calendar.

> Plan the outing during a non-peak time. For example, go to restaurants around 11 or 11:30 in the morning to beat the lunch rush, or go to museums in the spring or fall instead of the summer to avoid crowds.

> Have a sign-up sheet so that you know who is planning to attend the trip. Although the list may change, it will help you to have an idea of which residents are planning to attend.

> Have a Trip Forum (a meeting about upcoming trips) each month to advertise and get residents to sign up for the outing. A Trip Forum tends to influence residents to sign up who might not otherwise be interested, especially if they notice that others are quickly signing up.

One Week Before:

> Make sure that you have resident information or emergency sheets for all of your residents that you can take with you. That way, you or the bus driver will know the needs of individual residents (e.g., who is diabetic).

One Day Before:

> Remind the residents who signed up for the trip about the departure time.

> Give the nurse’s station a list of residents who are going on the trip so that the residents’ medication needs are met.

Day Of:

> Be sure to take supplies with you on your trip. Take bottled water, peanut butter crackers (for diabetics), a pair of extra-large sweatpants with a drawstring, and disposable underwear.

> Call the place early in the day to remind them of your visit and to tell them how many people they can expect in your party. In addition, verify arrangements made for walkers and wheelchairs.

> Go over your resident list with the nurses to ensure that everyone listed is cleared to go on the trip.

> HAVE A GREAT TRIP!