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Group Activities
Leader’s Guide
The facility is required to ensure that each resident is provided recreational and leisure programming bases on their interests. These activities will promote resident well-being and their physical, cognitive, and emotional status.
Restrictions in movement throughout the facility and community due to the COVID-19 pandemic and risk for transmission to residents have limited Activities which encourage residents to remain connected to persons and locations outside the facility. These changes have the potential to lead to social isolation and impact the resident’s physical and cognitive abilities.
The Activities Professional maintains awareness of each resident’s interests and programming needs and leads the facility response to ensure that meaningful programming to meet social, leisure, and recreational needs. Adapting assessment-based activities to the current resident’s status whether requiring individualized in-room programming or participation in socially distanced small groups if applicable, is essential.
Some areas to be considered for Group Activities may include:
- Staff Resources:
- Activities Professional and Activities Staff
- All Facility Staff
- Infection Preventionist
- Education:
- Infection Control Practices and Prevention of Transmission
- Policies and Procedures for Infection Control, including COVID-19 prevention
- Activities Professional with required qualifications, education, and certification (F680)
- Education for all staff: Providing small group and individual activities
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Observation of staff performance: Clinical Skill, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use, Hand Hygiene, Cleaning and Disinfection as well as additional COVID-19 Infection Control protocols
- Observation of socially/physically distanced small group programs and individual room-based programming
- All residents participating will wear cloth masks or face masks during activities
- Interview of staff and residents regarding program response and outcomes
- Documentation of activity participation
- COVID-19 cases/outbreaks within the facility and ability to provide small group programs
References and Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Infection Control Guidance for Health Care Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)”; June 3, 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes” June 25, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/long-term-care.html#core-practices
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services State Operations Manual, Appendix PP- Guidance to Surveyors for Long Ter Care Facilities (Rev, 173, 11-22-17): https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Nursing Home Reopening Guidelines for State and Local Officials”; May 18, 2020, Revised 09/28/2020; CMS QSO-20-30-NH; https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-30-nh.pdf
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Survey Critical Element Pathway-20065- Activities. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/GuidanceforLawsAndRegulations/Nursing-Homes
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes. November 2020, Version 13: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-toolkit-states-mitigate-covid-19-nursing-homes.pdf