Family members, friends, activity directors, and senior citizen companions are often looking for interesting ideas for things to do with home-bound seniors and the elderly in adult care facilities. Engaging and taking pleasure in visits with failing, forgetful, or weak senior citizens is possible with a little effort and creativity. Improved time spent together is uplifting to all involved and can create nice memories.
Every individual older person will have their own tastes, capabilities and preferences, of course. The ideas presented here may be adapted to fit your own situation and your senior's likes. Senior care should always be as personalized as possible.
Following are easy ideas for things to do to bring out the personality, energy, and humor in your older family members or friends with simple activities.
Engage Elders with Fun or Interesting New Gadgets
Some home bound older people have not had much exposure to recent electronic technology. An iPad, a Blackberry, or some other "new-fangled" object could be of interest to a senior.
- A digital camera isn't much of a novelty for younger folk, but for a older senior citizen, one can be quite interesting. Take photos of the senior's favorite people, items, or animals. Pictures can be made into a slide show or printed and placed in a binder. Let the senior take pictures too.
- Digital photographs may be combined with asking questions and taking notes to create a senior citizen's life history, a weekly journal or a fun scrapbook. Scrapbooking is an activity that can be adapted to suit individual tastes and abilities.
Exercise is Important for Senior Citizen Physical and Mental Health
For older Americans, reversal of the brain shrinkage that occurs as people age is just one benefit of greater physical activity, according to research published in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences (Vol. 61A, No. 11).
Another article in The Journal of Gerontology showed that seniors who are at risk of losing independent functioning can benefit from a structured exercise program.
Here are some ways exercise can be incorporated into the lives of the elderly:
- Friends and family can encourage continuation of present physical activities and hobbies.
- If walks are appropriate, a stroll on a nice day is a fun and easy way to pass time with a senior. Even pushing a senior in a wheelchair outside can encourage him or her to point to flowers, pets, and such.
- If a senior has been inactive, one may still be able to encourage regular exercise. A doctor or physical therapist may provide appropriate exercise and equipment suggestions.
- See what types of exercise a frail senior can tolerate. According to April 2002 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, resistance training exercise just one day a week can give older adults the strength to maintain their independence and to avoid injuries (Researchers Scott Trappe, David Williamson, and Michael Godard).
Ideas for Physically or Mentally Frail Seniors or Elderly
- Soft clay-like products (Sculpy crafting material or Play-Doh, for instance) or special exercise items (such as balls) can be manipulated or squeezed to help strengthen the hands.
- Simple toys can be a good option for keeping seniors active while encouraging hand-eye coordination. Baby and infant toys are generally colorful, soft-cornered, easy to grasp, and mind stimulating. The amusing Tangle toy pictured below is an amusement for all ages.
- Games can help stimulate the mind. Some elderly folk enjoy Scrabble, cribbage, or card games, which use a variety of skills. Ask about individual preferences.
- See Online Senior Citizen Gift Ideas.
Great Movies and TV for Senior Citizen Care
Just about any show or movie is available today.Many programs are also available to view for free online.
- Shows like Animal Planet (a cable channel), videos of young children or baby animals, and classic musicals are good for all ages and can be funny and uplifting. Watch along with your senior. It's much more fun to laugh with a companion.
- Some great musicals include The Music Man (1962), The Sound of Music (1965), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Brigadoon (1954), and Singin' in the Rain (1952). Ask seniors about their favorite older films.
- Many seniors enjoy game shows, science programs, or vintage television. There are cable networks dedicated to each of these types of shows. The Discovery Channel covers scientific subjects, for instance.
Questions to Ask about the Senior's Childhood
- Who was his or her best friend and why?
- What games did he or she like to play?
- What was the best birthday present he or she ever got?
- Did he or she ever have a nickname?
Put on a tape recorder or camcorder and save priceless memories to keep forever. Add to it on each visit.
Bring Children and Small, Safe Animals to Visit Senor Citizens
- Children and babies can be a rare sight for older folks in a retirement home or other senior care. There are significant benefits to old and young that might come from greater age integration (Uhlenberg, P, The Gerontologist; v40 n3 , p276-279 ; Mar 2000). In lieu of the real thing, bring pictures or videos.
- Many older folks miss their companion pets. Borrow a puppy, kitten or baby chick for the day and bring it in an appropriate box. Be careful to avoid scratches or bites as elders often have fragile skin. The July 2002 issue of Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, found that even one animal-assisted therapy session of 30 minutes per week was effective in reducing loneliness. See Dogplay online for more information on this type of therapy.
Activities and Ideas for Musical Seniors
- Try singing old-time songs like In the Good Ol' Summertime.
- Search online for words to hymns, early barbershop quartet songs, and classic camping tunes. A highly rated campfire songbook on Amazon.com is Campfire Songs by Irene Maddox (Globe Pequot Pr; 2nd edition, April 1994) or you can look at the book The American Song Treasury: 100 Favorites by Theodore Raph (Dover Publications,October 1986).
- Just about everyone knows childrens' tunes such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How Much is That Doggie in the Window, and Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
- In a senior group setting, a choir or band could be formed.
The Brain and Body Connection
Treatments to keep the brain healthy can be just as effective as exercise is for the body, according to the latest special issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences (according to the June 15, 2007 press release from The Gerontological Society (by guest editor Neil Charness, PhD of Florida State University)
My grandfather loved reciting memorized poetry to me even at the age of 99. In his case, talking literature and prose, or chemistry and physics, was much more interesting than any game I could think up. He was a teacher and loved sharing knowledge. Tapping into his personal interests helped keep his mind active and strong all this life.
When visiting with seniors at home or in an elderly care home, it's important to bring up old memories, delight them with things that will engage their senses, and just have a little fun. Enjoying visits with a senior will enrich two lives at once. For more ideas, read about Fun Visits With Senior Citizens and Memory Help for Seniors.
For more information about senior living, see this Squidoo Seniors page.
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Article Updated March 2011
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
