Teachers and administrators all around the county are busy making plans for the 2013-14 school year. And, it’s just the same at Troy Health and Rehabilitation Center where plans are being made for events and activities for the residents.

Jeanette Dawkins, TH&R activities director, said the residents enjoy a variety of activities and that churches, organizations and individuals often express interest in being involved in these activities and events.

“Different organizations want to know ways to be involved and there are several ways,” Dawkins said. “The first thing to do is to come out and fill out an application. When approved, we can discuss the opportunities that we have available.”

Dawkins said the residents are always excited to see new faces.

“The last Friday of every month we have a birthday party for all those who have had birthdays that month,” Dawkins said. “We serve ice cream and cake and always appreciate help with serving the refreshments.

“Southern Care was here Wednesday and made ‘ice cream in a bag’ with the residents and everyone had a great time. The residents really enjoy different things like that.”

Of course, one of the residents’ favorite activities is Bingo.

Bingo is usually facility-led but Dawkins said that, if a group would like to lead Bingo, they would just need to get approval through the application process.

“We usually have about 40 residents to play Bingo so prizes are always appreciated,” Dawkins said. “The residents like Honey Buns, Little Debbie cakes and, of course, bananas.

The residents like to be entertained and they all enjoy music. The kind of music doesn’t matter. They just enjoy music –church choirs, instrumentalists, gospel groups, bluegrass, country and children’s groups, Dawkins said.

The date for the TH&R Fall Festival has been set for October 27 and game booths will be set up for the residents and their guests.

“The families will be invited and we’ll decorate for Halloween,” Dawkins said. “The residents really enjoy the activities because they remember doing some of the activities when they were children.”

Prizes will be greatly appreciated for this family-oriented event and for TH&R’s newest game.

“We call the game, ‘What’s in the Box,’” Dawkins said. “The game is designed to jog memory and also as a way for the residents to learn more about each other.”

Each resident is read a question and asked to respond.

“The questions are life questions like, ‘Where was the first place you lived or where did you go to school?’ so there is no wrong answer,” Dawkins said. “Each resident who plays gets a prize in a box. At the end of the game, they all open their boxes and see what they got and what the others got. It’s a lot of fun.”

One of TH&R’s most popular involvement opportunities is the Adopt-a-Resident program.

“Every year at Christmas, people from the community will adopt a resident who doesn’t have family nearby or family at all,” Dawkins said. “The person who adopts a resident is given the resident’s wish list and chooses items from the list as Christmas gifts. This is a very meaningful way for the community to be involved.”

Groups or individuals who would like to assist in any way at TH&R are encouraged to call Dawkins at 566-0880 for more information.