This Monday, we decided to have an enriching games session with the residents. We brought a bunch of games such as Jenga, Bingo, and mini-bowling among others. Whilst planning the activities, we thought carrying a chess board would be a good idea. Unfortunately, none of the residents knew how to play the game and it turned out to be a bad decision. However, most of the other activities we planned turned out successful. The residents especially enjoyed playing Bingo and Jenga. This time, the residents were much more engaged than normal as they had a refreshing break from the arts and crafts activities that we typically do with them. Moreover, games such as Bingo can really help them develop a sense of memory recollection and assist in rehabilitating their cognitive skills as they have to keep up with the pace of the game, along with having to process what numbers have been called out and what they need in order to win; while Jenga builds their fine motor skills, which deteriorate with age. Unfortunately, my resident partner, Kong Siew Ling was not really in the mood to participate in these activities and was going through what looked like a troubled phase. As I have learned from the sessions we have had so far, it is not really important for the residents to do the activities. Moreover, we must never force them to do so against their wishes, which defeats the whole purpose of us going there, which is to enrich and empower these people’s lives. This was of the biggest takeaways I had from this session. The success of the Bingo session was an indicator that this week’s session was a step in the right direction towards making a change in these people’s lives.
