Goals and Benefits
For the resident
- Promotes the use of language and other communication skills.
- Enhances the use of language and other communication skills as resident's sense of security and safety increase over time.
- Provides opportunities for decision-making.
- Promotes competence and success in filling a social role.
- Provides a failure-free environment in which the resident's attempts at communication are accepted and acknowledged, and errors are not highlighted and corrected.
For the staff
- Provides opportunity to observe and support resident's ability to use language.
- Provides opportunity to learn language supporting techniques and continue these techniques outside of the Breakfast Club.
- Provides opportunity to develop relationship with residents outside of usual professional caregiving role.
Rationale
Communication skills are stimulated by the process of preparing, serving, eating, and cleaning up after breakfast. This process provides very tangible sensory stimulation, where the sights, sounds, textures, and smells are experienced together. This common experience stimulates conversational language skills, further enhancing social interactions in the group.
In addition to communication therapy skills, the program also provides a meal, social contact, support for resident choices, maintenance of sequencing and perceptual motor skills, range of motion activity, sensory stimulation and intersensory integration
