One thing that all elders have in plenty is free time. Yes, elders leading a retired life do not have any main chores to do or responsibilities to handle, owing to their advanced age. So, seniors often lead a sedate life at home or in senior communities. But some professional senior living homes understand the need for an interesting pastime for seniors and hence evolve some stimulating assisted living activities.
When compared to individual homes where elders are often left alone or at the mercy of caregivers, assisted living facilities offer better opportunities for elders to interact with their peers and engage them in special activities to pass their time. Every program at senior living homes is designed to involve fun activities for seniors that keep them mentally and physically healthy and happy.
Let us look at some fun activities for seniors that are made a part of every caring assisted living facility.
Programs at senior living homes that offer an interesting pastime for elders
Elders, when left alone, often feel isolated, neglected and uncared for. Then, they succumb to depression and other mental issues. To avoid all this, assisted living activities are evolved in every professional senior retirement community to make them interact socially and exercise their body and mind. These fun activities for seniors may include a hobby, game, sport or even volunteering service.
Healthy hobbies for seniors
Seniors can develop a new passion or renew an old hobby to pass their time usefully at assisted living homes.
Painting
Painting is one of the best hobbies that an elder can develop. It helps seniors to express their innermost thoughts and feelings and give vent to their suppressed emotions. It relaxes them and helps them use their cognitive ability to express their talent. Your elder needn’t be a Picasso, but even scribbles and doodles can make seniors giggle and feel happy!
Dancing
Elders who have no inhibition can take up dancing as a hobby. Seniors can learn ethnic dance or modern Zumba, tap or even ballroom dancing. This activity helps elders exercise their body and mind and de-stresses them to eliminate toxins. Even shy seniors can be included a part of group dances to dance a step or two.
Music
Music in any form is pleasing to the mind and soul. Elders can be encouraged to sing individually or in groups and those who know instrumental music can provide the background score. Singing can be made a daily activity at the senior living homes as it liberates the mind and exercises the vocal and hearing faculties of seniors.
Fun activities for seniors
Seniors too need their share of recreation and enjoyment to savour their retirement years. These fun activities for seniors can make them feel relaxed and rejuvenated while exercising their cognitive function.
Scrabble
Seniors can play Scrabble to recoup their vocabulary and refresh their memory. Scrabble is a group activity involving 2-4 players and invokes social participation and team spirit.
Dumb Charades
This group game can be fun and can even be used as a contest to engage elders. since this game is all about emoting, even the hearing or vocally challenged elders can participate.
Monopoly
This interesting board game can be played by many elders in teams. Elders get excited playing this game with paper money.
Puzzles for elders to pass their time
Puzzles offer a great mental challenge and help elders to pass their time fruitfully by exercising their cognitive skills. Crossword and Sudoku are great for the elders with sharp IQ. Simple jigsaw puzzles or Lego or building blocks are ideal for elders with dementia or Parkinson’s disease to exercise their memory and motor skills.
Service activities
Elders who are physically fit can participate in volunteering and service activities. This volunteering can be done within the premises like teaching their peers a new language or offering disabled colleagues some pleasurable company with book or newspaper reading etc. Those elders who are proficient in art and craft can knit or stitch garments for the underprivileged children or hospital patients. such service activities help elders to find a new purpose in life.
Assisted living activities involve healthy hobbies and fun activities for seniors to keep them mentally, physically and socially active and healthy.
