Michele Dyson, APC, ADC of Port Monmouth was named Recreation Director at Care One at Middletown, Care One administrator Anthony Sessa announced this week.
Dyson is replacing long-time director Karen Cohen, who stepped down from the administrative position but will remain active within the department. Cohen recently became grandmother to her second grandchild and expressed the wish to spend more time with her growing family.
Dyson, a native of Port Monmouth and a graduate of Middletown High School North, comes to the position with energy, enthusiasm, and a host of ideas, some of which she has already put into practice. She is a professional in the field of activity directorship, is a licensed skin care therapist and a certified CNA.
She began her work in the medical professional as a CNA and found she also thrived in the activity department and liked the idea of providing programs and activities for residents of a care center. She noted that while residents share a residence, meals and friendly and efficient staff, each has different hobbies and activities they have enjoyed, in addition to needing new activities that help them thrive and meet challengers of age or health changes.
“The best part of the job is being able to extend the residents knowledge of different topics from music and the arts to movies and current events,” she said, explaining why she enjoys going to work every day. But she added, with a laugh, “the worst part of the job is waking up early , as I love to sleep.”
Dyson’s work includes conducting initial admission interviews that enable her to assess the wants and needs of each resident coming into Care One, as well as care planning for each activity, and creating activity programs for individual or group enjoyment.
The director also seeks out and schedules performances and activities inviting local talent in to perform for residents, or present programs of interest on a variety of topics. Currently she is finalizing plans for a Summer Luau, a Community Bingo, when the community is invited in to share games with the residents and a Paint and Sip, when she plans to have a charcuterie board and nonalcoholic drinks along with a painting class.
“My main goal is to enrich the lives of the residents living in the facility,” the director continued, “ I want to fill their days with fun programs they can look forward to every day.”
She’s already done that.
During her first week on the job at the Middletown facility, Dyson initiated a weekly newspaper, the Care One Times that includes fun facts about May, birthdays of both residents and famous people….Bing Crosby’s birthday is May 5 and President John Kennedy’s birthday is May 29…
The newsletter also includes information on Nursing Week beginning May 6, special days honored during the month including Mother’s Day and Memorial Day as well as Cinco de Mayo and World Laughter Day.
Nursing Week this week included a luncheon one day, a gratitude wall so residents have an opportunity to thank the nursing staff, and a coffee and fondue station.
Nursing Home week is celebrated the week of May 11, and under Dyson’s plan, that week will start with a building wide tapestry decorating event that will hang in the lobby for the entire week. There will also be snow cones, ice cream floats and more for residents to enjoy and celebrate.
There’s even a poem for MAY in the Care One Times:
M Morning sun warns the skies
A As flowers bloom and spirits rise
Y Youthful energy fills the air
A MONTH of joy and love to share.
When she’s not on the job at Care One during the week, or occasionally on weekends as well, Dyson enjoys life at home with her boyfriend, Garrett, enjoying movies together, sewing and doing makeup. As a certified makeup artists she is specializing in special effects and admits her favorite is “crazy makeup. ” She’s great at creating colorful and harmless gore and bruise designs for fun.
Not only that, she laughs, but “I plan to do a makeup day with the residents as well. I’ve done it in the past when I was an activity assistant and they loved it.”