We know that one of the hardest parts of caring for an older family member who needs a little extra help is making sure they stay active enough to keep conditions such as dementia and depression at bay. The right activities should engage both body and mind, so problems don’t follow later on.
The good news is that there are plenty of recreational activities for seniors that can give them a genuinely good time, whatever their current level of ability. You can suggest any number of stimulating activities to help improve your loved one’s quality of life.
Take a look at this list of 10 activities for seniors that support mental health, and use whichever ones feel right to help your loved one stay more engaged in life as they age.
1. Arts and Crafts for Seniors
Let their artistic side loose with a wide range of craft options. Invite them to paint with watercolours or acrylics, to draw and sketch (with anything from pencils and markers to chalk or crayons), to knit simple or more intricate patterns, to make jewellery, to try pottery, or to take up any craft that gives them a way to express themselves artistically.
Because art can help speed up neural connections and slow the loss of brain cells, seniors who take part in artistic activities tend to improve their memory, everyday living skills and mental health. Some can even earn money by selling the creative work they produce.
2. Gardening and Growing Plants and Flowers
For older relatives who love being outdoors, gardening is an excellent choice. Even if they no longer have the strength or agility for heavy garden work, there are always basic tasks to enjoy, such as planting, arranging flowers, watering and weeding.
Seniors can look after everything from flowers and shrubs to herbs, kitchen vegetables and fruit. Gardening stimulates the senses and gives them a chance to soak up some morning vitamin D. Those with more energy might try planting perennials or potted trees — and in time their plants will flower and bear fruit, making the whole thing even more rewarding.
3. Walking and Exercise
Exercise gives the senior you love a welcome endorphin boost — a stroll around the neighbourhood, for example, or joining a group class such as yoga for seniors, senior aerobics, or anything else that gets the heart pumping and builds strength. If leaving the house is difficult, finding some simple workout videos for them to follow along with is far from a bad idea.
Exercise for seniors has been proven to help prevent illness, improve mental health and general wellbeing, strengthen social connections and sharpen brain function, among other benefits.
4. Sign Up for an Online Course
If the seniors in your home never stop learning and are open to technology, encourage them to look for a course — photo editing on a phone, mobile video editing, or something completely different such as feng shui, drawing, knitting, wood carving or ballroom dancing. It’s a great way to stay mentally alert, and a chance to make new friends in retirement too.
Some senior communities and local community centres run courses like these. You can help the seniors at home look into a nearby community college, where they may find plenty of options across academic, artistic and cultural activities for seniors.
5. Reading and Writing
If the seniors in your home enjoy books and magazines, this could be a great excuse to set up a home library, or simply to buy books that match their tastes. They may also enjoy writing — perhaps starting with their own life story, short articles, a family history, poetry or an autobiography. Writing opens up creativity, and it can also bring a deeper sense of passion and purpose in life.
6. Cooking and Baking
Perhaps the senior you love is a keen cook. Involve them in planning meals, prepping ingredients, cooking, baking and serving. That might mean simple recipes such as cookies or pancakes, or more elaborate dishes that call for real skill in the kitchen. Show them how to use a tablet or computer to look up new recipes, and help pick up the ingredients they need so they can get cooking and baking. It’s a fun, exciting activity — with delicious results for the whole family!
7. Volunteering
Seniors may want to spend their time on charity work, fundraising or other forms of community service. Volunteering is a great way for them to ease loneliness, and it helps them feel valued too — using the skills they have to help others is a genuinely positive force in retirement. Volunteer work might mean cooking for orphaned children, knitting or sewing for people in need, visiting patients in hospital, or planning a fundraiser with a non-profit organisation to give something back to society.
8. Music and Dance Classes for Seniors
Even seniors with advanced dementia or cognitive impairment can benefit enormously from activities centred on music. Research shows profoundly positive effects from music therapy and various forms of musical stimulation.
Certain kinds of music can trigger memories and create a feeling of happiness. Your senior may be interested in going to a concert, an orchestra performance or a ballet. They may enjoy playing a favourite instrument, or want to learn a new one. And if they love to dance, signing them up for a ballroom or dance class could introduce them to new friends who share the same interests.
9. Pet Therapy
Having a pet for company can also help seniors feel far less lonely. Pets don’t just offer reassurance — they make perfect companions for older people living on their own.
If the senior you love is an animal lover, spending time with pets and other animals can be a deeply engaging activity. From dogs and cats to fish and birds, there’s plenty to do each day: taking the dog for a walk, playing with the cat and its toys, feeding the fish, even teaching a bird to say a few simple words. All of it is a good opportunity to keep loneliness away — and research shows it can boost seniors’ physical and mental wellbeing as well.
10. Relaxation and Lifestyle Treats
Finally, for seniors who want to unwind — or who still have a youthful streak — you could schedule a trip to the salon or barber to enjoy a new haircut, a colour or a fresh style, or take them for a spa day, a manicure, a skin treatment or a massage. These are meaningful chances for the older person in your life to feel cared for. Booking a tour in Thailand or abroad works too, giving them new sights to see, photos to take and great food to enjoy — another fine way to keep them from sitting still.
In the end, seniors who are happy and lead full lives live better and longer. That takes both mental and physical health, good care from family and the people around them, time spent on activities together, meeting new friends and chatting with old ones — all of which make an enormous difference to the overall health of the senior you love.
And of course, don’t forget safety, both outside the home and inside it. Installing an elderly lift is another way to keep seniors safe, especially during activities at home — whether going up to the third floor to read in the home library or write, up to the second floor to paint and finish a picture, or down to the first floor for the kitchen to cook and bake. A home lift is one more essential in the house, so seniors can move around conveniently and safely.
