Seniors sometimes feel bored, which has the potential to contribute to depression, stress, agitation, anxiety, and even cognitive decline. However, doing certain activities can stave off boredom. Prevent boredom by keeping your aging loved one’s general interests and limitations in mind as you consider the activity suggestions mentioned below.
Art-Based Activities
Drawing, painting, making pottery, woodworking, and other creative and artistic activities stimulate multiple parts of the brain, including areas that help with concentration and focus. Art-based activities also promote calmness and relaxation. Encourage your loved one to experiment with a variety of mediums and techniques until he or she finds something interesting and motivating.
Crafty Creations
Creative crafts such as scrapbooking, knitting, quilting, and creating purposeful items with recycled materials can fine-tune mental focus and stimulate parts of the brain responsible for creative thinking and pattern recognition. Such activities can also help with manual dexterity and concentration.
Redecorating
Aging adults can keep mental planning and cognitive skills sharp by simply redecorating. From making creative wall art and picking out new drapes to figuring out how to rearrange furniture, there are many ways older adults can feel useful and productive while redecorating favorite rooms.
Cooking & Baking
Activities of this nature present opportunities to explore healthy variations of longtime favorites to get an added nutritional boost. These are also inherently social activities that can give seniors a chance to share recipes with grandchildren or bond with family caregivers.
A professional caregiver can help your loved one work in the kitchen safely. Senior care experts are available to provide high-quality care to seniors on an as-needed basis. From assistance with mobility and exercise to providing transportation to the doctor’s office and social events, there are a variety of ways professional caregivers can help your aging loved one continue to live independently.
Card & Board Games
Card and board games can be more than just time fillers for seniors. Activities of this nature can boost both motor and cognitive skills and encourage socialization. The short-term memory skills often needed for most card and board games may even ward off dementia.
Music-Related Activities
Multiple studies suggest music benefits seniors by promoting relaxation, lowering stress, and sharpening recollection abilities and other memory-based skills. From singalongs and musical chairs to playing instruments and exercising to a pleasant beat, there are many options with music-based activities for aging adults.
Walking
Walking boosts circulation, naturally eases pain by increasing the production of “feel-good” hormones called endorphins, and keeps aging bones and joints healthy. It’s also a great activity that can be done as a solo effort, with a friend, or with a cherished pet. Additionally, it’s an excellent way for aging adults to interact with neighbors.
Prolonged or frequent bouts of boredom can result in mental, emotional, and physical challenges for aging adults, but they don’t have to handle them alone. In Oshkosh, homecare agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Senior Stride Home Care, 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.
Swimming
Seniors with mobility issues can enjoy many of the benefits associated with walking by swimming instead. Flotation devices and other pool accessories can help aging adults do other water-based activities, including water walking and water yoga.
Yoga
Speaking of yoga, it’s a senior-friendly activity that can be done practically anywhere once the basic techniques are learned. Increased mental clarity, better posture, and more restful sleep are just some of the numerous benefits associated with yoga for seniors.
Hobbies
Hobbies have the potential to provide numerous physical and mental benefits for aging adults. For instance, options like golf and tennis can be physically stimulating, while activities such as stamp and coin collecting can stimulate the brain.
If your loved one usually relies on you to alleviate boredom but you need a break now and then, consider having a professional caregiver take over for you. Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs live-in care, Oshkosh, WI, Senior Stride Home Care can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home. Trust your loved one’s care to the professionals at Senior Stride Home Care. Reach out to one of our compassionate Care Managers today at 920-717-1767.