If you have senior loved ones residing in nursing homes or assisted living, frequent visits are essential to keep in touch with them and express your love. Spending time with them helps brighten their day, and letting them know about your next visit gives them something fascinating to look forward to.
Some relatives feel embarrassed every time they visit their older adults in assisted living since they don’t know what to do throughout their visiting days. Luckily, we will look at some fun activities you can do with your loved ones to make your get-together worth the time.
What to Do in Retirement Facilities
Bringing activities to your loved ones and having some exciting concepts in mind can make your visit entertaining. We’ve rounded up five senior-friendly, safe, and interesting activities for a successful visit you and your senior loved one will always remember.
1. Reminisce over old pictures
Looking at old photos or videos with your loved ones is an excellent way to boost your bond and hang around together. Moreover, pics are great communication starters; you do not know what your older adult wishes to share about stories or memories they remember. Another method to keep your loved one entertained inside a nursing home is doing small projects like family history or family tree to keep their mental functions engaged and active.
If you and your senior loved ones agreed to move them to assisted living facilities and are looking for a place, you may search the web for the retiree residences nearby to see accurate results.
2. Gardening activities
Gardening activities are social activities that entertain most elders and enable them to form great connections with their fellows. Planting various types of seeds, digging in the dirt, or cultivating plants or lovely flowers helps keep them immersed and relaxed as this also gives them a serene experience with nature. Golden-agers in senior housing Thousand Oaks will delight in pulling out weeds and planting, keeping their movement in good condition.
3. Eating together
Eating is always better when you are with another person. You may take your senior loved one outdoors or eat together in the retirement home, but sharing meals with them is a very good activity to do when visiting them. For example, you might organize an indoor or outdoor picnic inside the senior residence or cook dinner. Also, you may cook their favorite meal or prepare something the two of you used to enjoy before.
4. Cards and board games
Board games are a fun and exciting activity for elders. It’s an incredible way to communicate with their fellows, laugh, and have a good time. Moreover, board games also have numerous health benefits for senior citizens. These can help improve their dexterity and mental function, lower blood pressure, and prevent mental diseases. In addition, board games can improve the elders’ lifestyle as they will likely enjoy these activities.
5. Furry pets
Cats or dogs are great sources of comfort and trustworthy companions for those in assisted living. Furry companions can aid with loneliness and provide elders something to care for. Petting cats or dogs is a reassuring and therapeutic activity, particularly for the elderly. Bringing pets along when visiting your loved ones is certainly an excellent idea to help keep them delighted.
If they are pet lovers, they will appreciate it and be happy to hang out playing and engaging with a beloved family pet. Moreover, research shows that spending quality time with pets can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, and heart rate and prevent depression, stroke, and heart conditions. However, it is necessary to inquire with the care community before bringing along a pet to make sure furry pets are permitted.
