Naming Ourselves So Others Know Who We Are
I am MARY, playmate from Extended Play Dates but I’m also MARY the artist who writes Bear Poems. 
So if you flip my name tag, you see both sides of me (although I have many more!).
When working with our playmates on their name tags, we went beyond their names and asked them to pick out things they like from themed background papers to stick on animals, plants, cars, planes, butterflies, and other objects. If we didn’t have an item, we tried to create it out of the supplies on hand.
Some residents immediately jumped into the project and completed two to four interchangeable inserts for their nametags on lanyards. Many were quite humorous. Others had trouble just choosing a background color se we discussed their careers, families, pets, hobbies, etc., and soon we had themes for their inserts.
Snippets from our workshops: Pushed by an assistant, Sophie always arrives in her wheelchair with a beautiful smile and dancing eyes. One hand is wrapped and she seems to have only the one index finger and her smile to use but it has never stopped her from participating. I help up things and she pointed or smiled: green background, black and white cat, golden butterfly. I made her name tag including those items and before I put the inset into the holder, I stuck a big pink heart on the back with a stripped cat sticker climbing it to reach a blue butterfly. I put the insert into the holder and showed her the name tag side and then my valentine to her. Sophie smiled, and then she touched her throat and whispered “Thank you.” I hugged her as my heart sang “Sophie spoke to me!” and I think I wore her beautiful smile all that day.
Because of scheduling , I found myself alone at the Riviera facility for assisted living, with nine women wanting to make their nametags. I presented the overview while passing out items and was quickly pulled from one side of the table to the other with questions and calls for help. “W” was very demanding that day and refused to do anything herself with the constant comment, “I didn’t see how you did it.” When I had to leave her to help Dee, I heard Rita say, “Look, I’ll show you one time and then you have to do it.” In the few minutes it took me to get Dee’s insert into the holder, “W” had learned to put her letters down on the paper. I looked about to see people helping each other all around the table because “Mary was busy.” The individuals became a working team helping each other and me. Karen arrived just in time to take their photos with their new name tags and our big grins.
At Golden Abby we grew from 7 or 8 playmates to 15! We had to ask people to work in shifts and they did so without complaint. Some sat on the couches and stuffed chairs till their turn at the table came up. But the amazing thing to me was that nobody left. Always our most chatty group, those who were finished moved back from the table in their wheelchairs or using their walkers and continued their conversations with each other and us while applauding each finished work of art.
Debby, who never participated before while taking great glee in bumping her walker into the chairs and table as she continually roamed through the area, decided that she wanted to make her name tag by herself. Though the stick-on letters were wiggly and running down the page, they looked delightful and so we added butterflies and called her style “dancing with the butterflies.” Then her friend Barbara who always sits and watches us but never comes to the table asked Debbie to make one for her too.
A new volunteer, Jane had no idea how special she turned out to be as Greta sat with her and made a name tag. We explained afterwards that Greta only came into the room to complain about our messes and tried to clean up while we were working. Now Greta had a name tag and went to the door to see us off!
At each facility Ellen seems to be able to draw out the life stories from the residents and so we get history lessons along with the art. Other residents will chime in with their own observations but more often they will call out and encouraging, “Tell about when you did….” proclaiming the speaker as their resident story teller and historian. Each day becomes richer for us all.
Note: the lanyards came from www.namebadgeproductions.com at a very reasonable price. We used the larger size so residents could place their house keys or credit card in the pocket.
Extended Play Dates 