When Rick first visited Open Circle Hopkins in 2011, his skepticism ran high.
“I was nervous; I didn’t know what to expect when I first came,” Rick says. “I told Carol, ‘I’ll stay a week and that will be it.’”
Thirteen years later, Rick still attends the adult day services center twice a week.
Why?
“It’s my second family here,” Rick says. “People are friendly, the staff is helpful and the food is pretty good.”
Rick’s Picks
Not only does Rick attend, but he also contributes to the programming.
When he first started, he disapproved of the music selections. So he did something about it. He started submitting “Rick’s picks,” 10 songs for the staff to learn and play.
“He told them immediately when he started that their music was boring, hence his song picks,” says Terri, the director of the center.
Staff members take Rick’s picks seriously.
“Staff have quite a commitment to Rick to do his songs,” Terri says. “Carol, our social worker and choir director, and Mark, our therapeutic program director, provide daily music after lunch. Carol will often be on her ukulele in our office trying to figure out a song. Sometimes staff say, ‘I don’t know if we can do this song, but it’s one of Rick’s picks, so we have to do it.’”
Songs range from Gene Pitney’s “Liberty Valance” to Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man.”
“I like theme songs and ballads and western songs,” Rick says.
Contributions Uplift Others
His contributions don’t end with musical selections.
“During the pandemic, Rick started sending good news stories—stories and ideas that are not normally found on our regular news channels,” Terri says. “The staff then puts them into a daily PowerPoint with stories and video links, and it is part of our afternoon schedule.”
Rick has learned what types of stories the other members enjoy the most and tries to cater to those interests. Popular submissions include animal news and inspirational quotes.
Person-Centered Focus
Terri says that the staff truly values each member, focusing on their unique abilities and talents.
“We try to be very person-centered with our members and what they can offer,” Terri says. “We have different members who give different things. David does magic. Bob plays the accordion. We have Julianne, who does quilting and arts and crafts programs. Bob brings in ideas for culinary.”
Together, these contributions create meaningful programming that benefits everyone.
“We try to take our members’ talents and let them continue to share those,” Terri says. “I think that makes a difference.”
Cassia has five adult day services centers in Minnesota; serving Hopkins, Apple Valley, Minneapolis, Buffalo and Princeton.
