A Day in the Life of The Next Stop

Enriching and expanding the lives of adults with special needs

What does a "typical" day at The Next Stop look like? There are some things that are consistent, and some things that are different each day.

Our afternoons are routinely broken down into 4 components--social time, cooking, recreation and enrichment. It is the variety of what happens within each activity that provides a multitude of experiences. Each planned activity is goal oriented, rich with purpose and lots of fun.

Most importantly, members of The Next Stop have a place to belong. Psychologists have long recognized the human "need to belong" and its connection to our well being. The Next Stop supports this concept as we provide a group environment where everyone is accepted and valued.

Let's walk through a day and see what's happening at The Next Stop!

Each day our first hour is spent interacting and engaging with each other--the goal of this time. Members choose what they want to do and who they want to do it with. Our volunteers are excellent mentors during this time. There are games, themed art/crafts, puzzles, etc. for members to enjoy....or just a conversation on the sofa. No matter the choice, appropriate interaction is facilitated and strongly encouraged.

Each day our members prepare a recipe together in small groups. The groups are led by a member and facilitated by a volunteer. The member leaders (sous chefs) attend a meeting with our occupational therapist prior to cooking time to review the recipe and assign the group's individual tasks.

The basic goals for this activity are demonstrating appropriate social behaviors, working within a group and practicing leadership skills. Also, the tasks within a recipe provide opportunities to use fine motor and reasoning skills. We ensure each member's success in whatever their recipe task is by using adaptive equipment or other appropriate interventions.

Recreation gives all of us the opportunity to move our bodies, learn new skills, practice old ones and compete. Being a part of a team is always fun and building camaraderie with high fives for good attempts or successes is a wonderful way to support one another and develop friendships. Members enjoy Zumba at least once a month, yoga, themed relays, team sports, tennis, outside walks and many other leisure activities and sports.

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Now it's time to eat what's been prepared during cooking time! Not only are members enjoying the fruits of their labor, but there is pride in their accomplishment as well as being exposed to new foods. Members also spend this time in conversation with one another and performing clean up tasks.

The last hour of our days together are spent enriching and stimulating our minds. This can be a time of learning a concept, playing a game where thinking is required, music therapy, special visitors, art projects, etc. This is another time when our volunteers are invaluable to their small groups as they explain, prompt and engage each member. The goal is to have each member involved and included in the activity and also to successfully participate in order to maintain or grow their cognitive and social skills.

Before we know it, the day has come to an end!

Opportunities have been provided for a meaningful and productive day--our hope is that each member has had that experience.

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Contact Vicki at vicki@thenextstop.org

Thank You!

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