As seniors sometimes find themselves with more free time than before, they may find it difficult to find enjoyable ways to spend their days. Help your elderly loved one find a way to get engaged and stay active by suggesting a new hobby. Read on for four fun activities seniors may find interesting.
1. Gardening
Gardening is a positive way for seniors to feel productive and in control. As with caring for a pet, tending to flowers and other plants can give your loved one a sense of importance by having something depend on him or her. As certain plants are easy to care for and require minimal physical labor, seniors with mobility challenges can also adopt this hobby.
If you think your loved one might be interested in gardening, start out with a small pot of geraniums or a tomato plant. Both of these plants are easy to grow, simply requiring daily watering and sunlight to stay healthy.
Even moderate physical activity such as gardening can reduce the risk of many chronic health conditions. If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of in-home care. Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
2. Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking can be a fun way to maintain fine motor skills while also revisiting old memories and familiar faces. For some seniors, making scrapbooks can be a way to stay mentally and physically engaged. Finding and sorting through photographs and then artfully organizing and posting them in a scrapbook can be a cognitive exercise for memory and creativity skills as well as a physical exercise for fine motor skills while cutting and pasting photos. As an added bonus, these kinds of scrapbooking projects can yield wonderful gifts for family members and friends.
3. Puzzles
Solving puzzles is an effective way to be mentally engaged and develop a sense of accomplishment. As some puzzles can be challenging, two sets of hands can make a jigsaw puzzle more fun. Encourage your loved one to do puzzles with other family members or a caregiver so he or she can discuss puzzle strategy or chat while completing the image. If your loved one develops a taste for puzzles, you may also want to consider purchasing a personalized jigsaw puzzle, which can be made from family photos or other images your loved one likes.
For families living in Tucson, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Home Care Assistance, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home.
4. Painting or Drawing
Painting or drawing provides an opportunity for creativity, brain stimulation, and a self-esteem boost for seniors. Whether it’s sketching with a pencil or charcoal or painting with watercolors or oils, many seniors love to create. To find art projects that appeal to your loved one, take him or her to an arts and crafts store to get ideas. Some of these stores also offer short tutorial sessions, so if your loved one doesn’t know what kinds of art to try, he or she can take a few for a test run.
In Tucson, elder care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. To learn about our quality-assured services, give us a call at (520) 276-6555 today.