Co.As.It. DT Activities
ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR ITALIAN DAY CARE CLIENTS & RESIDENTS
ACTIVITIES
Italian lunch
Organise an Italian lunch on a special day for the Italian calendar such as Ferragosto (15th August ), Easter, or on an Italian saint day. You could approach a local Italian business to see if they would donate some pasta, gelato, etc and also ask families if they would like to contribute a traditional dish to share around with the clients. Put Italian posters up on the walls, have Italian music playing on CD, or invite an Italian entertainer to sing.
School visit
Find out what schools in your area teach the Italian language. Call the LOTE (Language Other Than English) coordinator in high schools or Principal at primary schools to discuss the possibility of inviting the class/students to visit with the Italian speaking clients. Perhaps the students could perform an Italian role play they have learnt in class during the year.
Cooking
Italians love to cook and eat good food. Ask the clients what special dishes they used to make and pick one of their dishes that would be easy to prepare as a group activity eg. pasta, gnocchi, traditional Italian biscuits. These can be prepared away from the kitchen and cooked later. Why not ask a family member to lead the cooking class. Other clients could be involved in this too.
Gardening
Clients could engage in seedling planting activities and plant cultivation and harvesting of fruits/herbs. Try Italian herbs and plants such as basil, continental parley, oregano, and tomatoes.
Famous Italians
Below is a list of some of the most famous Italian stars of the late 40s, 50s and 60s - very popular and well known amongst older Italian Australians today. You may like to create an activity using their photos and profiles. Reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ is something most older Italians enjoy. You can google the famous person’s name and Wikipedia online has the profile and photos of most of them. You can also search for CDs and songs by the singers.
Sofia Loren - actor
Gina Lollobrigida - actor
Nilla Pizzi - singer
Anna Magnani - actor
Silvana Mangano - actor
Claudio Villa - singer
Mario Lanza - singer
Domenico Modugno - actor/singer
Alberto Sordi - actor
Totò - very famous comic actor
Marcello Mastroianni – actor
Claudia Cardinale – actor
Federico Fellini – film director
Regions of Italy
Italians really identify with their region, city and town of provenance so any activity centered around the 20 regions would be interesting for them to be involved in. Provide each person with a map of Italy and ask them to mention the cities they have visited. The other clients can also locate the cities on the map.
Reminiscing
Ask the clients’ families to bring in some photos of their early days in Italy and get clients to tell a story about the photos. Photos could be photocopied (if originals can’t be used) and put on a poster with photo of the client in the centre. Many
activities can be centred on their photos.
Clients could also discuss their employment history.
Reading Club
Topics of conversation of interest to older Italians:
The Royal Family
Fashion
New recipes
Gardening/vegetable growing and flowers
Travel destinations in particular from Italy. They love to see pictures of Italy and learn about the different places they wouldn’t have visited.
Articles on their region of provenance or from Italy (see internet)
Italian politics (for older men)
Sport (for older men)
Gossip on famous people – actors and singers not just Italian.
CULTURAL RESOURCES
Bocce
Bocce is played at a number of locations across NSW on a formal and informal basis in both parks and bocce playing fields.
Calendar
Calendars with Saint days can be purchased online. The daily Italian newspaper La Fiamma gives a calendar out in the last week of December with the purchase of the newspaper. Contact La Fiamma for further information. ENIT - www.enit.it can also provide a calendar referring to regional celebrations in Italy. A calender of the Italian Year is available on the Co.As.It website ‘Caring for Older Italians’.
Clubs
Italian clubs in NSW are hubs of activity for many Italians who meet there regularly. For information on your nearest Italian Club visit the Co.As.It website or contact Co.As.It.
Food Recipes
The Transcultural Aged Care Service (TACS) www.nswtacs.org.au provides/sells an Italian recipe booklet for Aged Care Facilities. Most bookstores also sell Italian cookbooks.
You can also obtain recipes on-line eg http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/100-traditional-italian-recipes.page-3.html
Food supplies for special occasions
Good quality Italian produce can be obtained from Italian delicatessens and cake shops. For special events you may consider ordering some supplies from such stores in your area.
Language Aids
The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing www.culturaldiversity.com.au has a downloadable aged care glossary in Italian.
Co.As.It. can supply language wall charts which can be printed in colour and laminated. Co.As.It has also produced a language pocket guide, currently retailing at $10 per copy (as at 2013).
Library
Most local libraries will have a number of Italian books, CDs and DVDs for borrowing. Co.As.It has a media resource centre which lends out books, CDs and DVDs to members.
Magazines
Italian magazines can be purchased in certain newsagencies. If your local newsagency does not stock Italian magazines sometimes they may be ordered in.
Music & Films
Most music stores sell Italian music CDs or they can be ordered from their catalogue. Video stores and local council libraries also usually stock a range of Italian films.
Musicians
There are a number of Italian solo musicians (keyboard & piano accordion) who can perform at special events for the community. Contact Co.As.It. Sydney for an updated list of available musicians. Unfortunately as the community ages, fewer musicians are available to perform at community events
Newspapers
La Fiamma www.lafiamma.com.au is the main daily Italian Australian newspaper in NSW. It can be purchased or ordered from most newsagencies.
In Contatto is a free quarterly bulletin in Italian for Italian carers published by Co.As.It.
Posters and Maps of Italy
ENIT - The Italian Tourism Board www.enit.it provides free posters of Italy and other tourist information on Italy.
Regional Playing Cards
There are six different packs of cards available. The cards are called Triestine, Napoletane, Piacentine, Siciliane, Trevigiane, or Venete (named after the city or region from where they originated). They can be found in some Italian Tobacconists, delicatessens, newsagencies and even some Italian barber shops. Check your clients’ preferences before buying a pack of cards.
The most common pack available is Napoletane (red pack). These are available for purchase from the Co.As.It media resource centre (temporarily closed as at June 2015 but check availability by ringing Co.As.It. on 9564 0744 or check at Reception, 67 Norton Street, Leichhardt)) at a cost of $15 per pack. Also available are Triestine and Trevigiane (blue packs). Check your clients’ preferences before purchasing a pack. However all of the Italian card games can be played with any of the six packs.
Cards also available in western Sydney from Primo International Foods, Unit 4,18-20 Elizabeth St, Wetherill Park, NSW 2164 Tel (02) 9756 2447. They have all of the packs except for the Venete pack, retailing for $7.99 per pack (as at June 2015).
Social support & Centre-based day care groups
For details of your nearest Italian social support group or centre-based day care group call Co.As.It. on 9564 0744.
Tombola (Italian bingo) board game
Can be purchased from some newsagencies or online.
TV & Radio
Rete Italia Radio Frequency 1539 AM 24 hrs – this is the only 24 hour Italian language radio station.
SBS Radio 1107AM (Sydney). Check the website for details of the Italian program: http://www.sbs.com.au/guide/language/italian
WEBSITES
Co.As.It. Sydney
http://www.coasit.org.au/
Co.As.It. SA - Resources
http://www.coasitsa.org.au/index.php/resources
Co.As.It. Brisbane – CALD Resources http://www.coasit.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=66
Co.As.It. Melbourne – Aged Services and Community Care section currently under construction
http://www.coasit.com.au/aged_new.php
Enchanted Learning
www.enchantedlearning.com/language/italian/label/games
Parts of the website are free and sample pages with information can be downloaded. Once on the site click on Italian. (see handout samples)
Italians R Us
www.italiansrus.com
A great website containing lots of useful cultural information. It is a guide to Italy & Italian Culture on the Web. Enjoy as you learn more about the traditions, heritage and way of life that make Italians who they are. There is even an Italian language course.
Updated June 2015
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