Welcome
Thank you for visiting my website. Please go to the SHOP tab to purchase the latest inspire magazines and other books and resources I have written. These are all downloadable PDF publications.
About Del Marie McAlister
Del Marie McAlister is an Aged Care Wellbeing Consultant and Counsellor, Author, Founder of The CARE Model, and the editor of inspire, a monthly magazine for Leisure and Lifestyle professionals who work at Residential Aged Care Homes. Del Marie McAlister’s extensive experience as a Leisure and Lifestyle Coordinator, Aged Care Chaplain and Counsellor, and Freelance Writer has equipped her to provide quality resources and services for people working in Leisure and Lifestyle in the aged care sector.
Aged Care Counselling
Del Marie is Counsellor specialising in Aged Care and Bereavement. Her services are available in the Gippsland region of Victoria.
The CARE Model
The CARE Model is a way of caring for people based on these values:
Compassion
Acceptance
Respect
Empathy
These values underpin all of Del Marie's resources and services.
The Inspire Magazine
The monthly inspire magazines are filled with ideas and information for Leisure and Lifestyle Professionals. There are activity suggestions for every day of the year, craft, quizzes, games, jokes, reminiscing, self-care, professional development, and much more. As from January 2023, an additional feature will be a section of large-print handouts and colouring in pages for residents.
Activities for Aged Care Series
New products coming soon!
Over 600 activity ideas!
Book 1: CREATIVITY (Art and Craft)
Book 2: EVENTS (Significant Events)
Book 3: GAMES (Brain Games and Fun Games)
Book 4: INTERACTION (Community Connections)
Book 5: CUISINE (Food and Beverage Activities)
Book 6: EXERCISE (Fitness and Fun)
Book 7: MELODIES (Singing and Music)
Book 8: REMINISCING (Discussing the Past)
Book 9: INTERESTS (Interest-based Group Ideas)
Book 10: MISCELLANEOUS (Large Variety of Activities)
Book 11: ENTERPRISE (Handmade Items for Craft Fair)
Book 12: WELLBEING (Laughter, Relaxation, Values, Identity)
Book 13: ENGAGEMENT (Dementia Specific Activities)
Mentoring
Del Marie is available to mentor people who work in Leisure and Lifestyle and / or Pastoral Care at Residential Aged Care Homes.
Zoom Seminars
Del Marie presents seminars and workshops either face-to-face or via zoom. Some of the topics are bereavement, creating a culturally safe place, spirituality, palliative care, self-care and more.
Endorsements and Feedback
Excellent presentation yesterday Del at the Diversional Therapy Australia spiritual care workshop. Love your philosophy, information and examples. Thank you.
I have looked at the March issue of the inspire magazine and I am so happy to see so many interesting items as usual. Thanks so much for all the effort you put into these resources. We value them a lot.
Well done Del! Again you have put together a practical activity book, that has activities with all the planning and thinking done for us. Relevant and fun with such a great range of activities, this is a win for residents, a win for lifestyle and activities staff, and a win for aged care and the professionalism of all our services. Cathryn McMillan, Chaplaincy Practice Lead
I cannot thank you enough for creating such a wonderful and resourceful activity manual. Thank you for all the wonderful and creative ideas which I can't wait to use with my residents. I would also like to acknowledge you as a great mentor to many people in this industry. Filidea DiBianco, Leisure & Lifestyle Coordinator, Leisure and Health Trainer and Assessor
We have been using Del Marie McAlister's material in the inspire magazine for some time now and it has been very useful in our Leisure and Lifestyle Department. This comprehensive, yet not-too-formal guide is written with the benefit of Del's personal extensive experience. Glenda Daly, BA Arts Social Sciences, MA Ageing and Pastoral Studies
The inspire magazine is an amazing and thorough resource which every facility should have a monthly edition of to guide activities with their residents on a monthly basis. The issues are delivered well in advance, so plenty of time to discuss new activities with the residents in resident meetings and embed the chosen activities into monthly calendars. Dr Julie Bajic Smith (PhD) Aged Care Psychology Consultant
I would not have made it through this year without your magazine. Thank you.
We absolutely love our Daily News for Seniors - it’s a special part of our daily program now. It's great in our groups and a great way to do a 1:1 for those in rooms. There's always something to talk about - trigger more memories and have a laugh.
Thank you for your recent edition of inspire. I love it. For once I have something that is relevant to Australians. This will give our residents meaningful and purpose activities.
Del - this book is an absolute sanity saver!!! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and expertise and at such an affordable price. Residents across Australia will benefit as well as the mental health of Leisure and Lifestyle staff.
What fantastic resources these books are. Identified a dozen improvements on my first read. Thank you so much for helping me out Del.
I have got every single book of yours Del and we love them at work. They are so well written and in a way we can understand. It certainly makes life easier, so thank you.
Awesome!! So needed in our area of endeavour! Well done you. I can safely say my degree didn’t cover a lot of this practical content.
I am finding your book to be a wealth of relevant information and ideas.
The inspire magazines are awesome and I can't wait for the next issue. I gave a copy to my team members and they all love it. Such a great resource.
