Picture this: you’re the activity director at a large senior living facility, and you’re whisked away by an impromptu meeting. Suddenly, your staff has to find a way to entertain and enrich your residents for the next few hours. Without the proper tools, they might be stuck.

Planning lessons, speakers, and activities that appeal to the myriad interests of residents can be time-consuming. With Eversound’s members portal, existing customers will gain a helping hand in thoughtfully filling up your residents’ activity calendar, and keeping you ready for unexpected down time.

On the menu bar, you’ll see five helpful categories to get you started:

  • Entertainment
  • Fun & Games
  • Fitness & Wellness
  • Education
  • Arts & Crafts

Enrichment methods like games, crafts, social groups, and technology use aren’t just ways to pass the time. These programs are responsible for up to a 30% decrease in cognitive decline in residents 70 and older, according to data from Reuters Health.

Here are five ways that Eversound’s members portal can augment your program planning (while saving you time and stress!):

1. A goldmine of content and activity/program ideas

When you first log in to the member portal, you’ll find an interactive calendar with suggestions for activities and programs based around holidays, themes, seasons, and more. In the winter, for example, you might find a seasonal activity like “DIY Snow Globe,” or something as spontaneous as “Billy Joel Day.” As you see activities you like in the portal, you can save them for easy access at the top of the homepage under “my saved ideas”.

The homepage also features “popular content right now” that rotates every month. This content ranges from printable games and writing prompts, to guided games of Clue and lectures on astronomy.In this section, there is also dementia-friendly activities highlighted under “memory care.”

Below the featured content on the homepage, you will find downloadable activity packets, calendars, and templates for helpful forms like resident council meeting notes and program participation logs.There’s also Spotify and YouTube playlists, conveniently grouped around themes, artists and musical genres.

Beyond the monthly content, you can find our complete library of 100s of activity programs by navigating through the category tabs at the top of the home page, or you can click on the magnifying glass to search for specific content.

Whether you need a planned activity for several hours, or just want to play some music in the background at mealtime, the member portal has you covered with new programs added every month.

2. Guided Programs when you’re in a pinch

Maybe your day’s been incredibly busy, and you just need 20 uninterrupted minutes to check your email. Perhaps, like described above, you have to pop out for a few hours and leave an activity assistant with the reins.

Guided programs can be your solution when you can’t be fully engaged with your residents. Click on any of the five categories on the menu and navigate to the Guided Programs tab. Here, you’ll find built-in “lesson plans” with videos, discussion questions, printouts, fun facts, and more. With these turnkey programs, your residents can virtually travel to Italy, or get moving with a 1960s music workout.

These guided activities don’t require intensive planning; all of the tools you need are ready-to-use right in the member portal.

Related Content: 12 questions to ask during an activity assistant interview

3. Community of peers to crowdsource ideas

In the “Extras” section of your portal’s homepage, you’ll see a button to sign up for the private Eversound members Facebook group.

The group features hundreds of Eversound members, alongside Eversound support staff. You can interact with like-minded activity directors to brainstorm ideas and draw inspiration. If you’ve got a question, crowdsource a solution with a network of experienced senior living community professionals.

Related Content: Best Practices in Social Media Marketing for Senior Living Communities

4. Training for Eversound products

The purple “Support & Training” button on the menu bar is another useful aspect of the member portal. You’ll be able to access our training courses, which walk you through the basics of setting up and using your Eversound system.

It’s easy to onboard your staff and help them maximize Eversound’s impact on your residents. These courses typically last less than 30 minutes, and teach users how Eversound helps you increase engagement and spark moments of meaningful connection. Built-in quizzes help test knowledge and make sure you and your colleagues are ready to deploy Eversound in your senior living community.

Related Video: Eversound members portal walkthrough

5. continuing education for professional development

Beyond product-specific training, the member portal’s “Professional Development” and “Additional Resources” sections are a useful resource for continuing education for you and your staff.

Through a variety of webinars, interviews with industry experts, and printable guides, Eversound can help your staff master topics like dementia care, resident engagement, and managing burnout. They can even gain credits through the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals (NCCAP) with a webinar and complementary test on The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss.

Getting started with the Eversound member portal

If you’re an existing Eversound user, navigate to the “members” button on the top right of the Eversound homepage to get started. We suggest bookmarking this page on your browser for easy access. Contact your customer support representative or email support@eversoundhq.com, if you have any questions about the portal.

Want to to learn more about Eversound? Get in touch today to see how Eversound can help spur a 77% increase in engagement in your community, all while offering activity directors an expansive catalogue of content and activities in the member portal.