5 Fun Things to Do With Seniors at Home
People who spend most of their time at home can get bored with the monotony of it. This is especially true for seniors who typically can't leave the house for long periods of time. While your primary job may be caring for their physical health, it's no less important to pay attention to their mental state. To help seniors combat boredom, try these five fun things to do with seniors at home.
1. Watching Movies
Most people enjoy watching movies. You can always put on something to watch and have a nice enough time.
However, a more creative way to go about it is to try to learn more about people through the movies they watch. Have seniors pick out movies they liked from when they were younger. Then, trade off between watching those and the ones you choose.
This can be fun and also helps foster better relations and trust between both of you. Also, this can be a great way to expand everyone’s entertainment horizons.
2. Scrapbooking
Seniors tend to have many pictures taking up space in their homes. If they aren't already organized in some way, these photographs may be crammed into boxes or stuffed haphazardly into albums.
Offer to help seniors transfer their photo collection into proper scrapbooks. Organizing photos and reminiscing about old times are fun things to do with seniors. Not only will they end up with a more organized and tidier home, but they'll also have the opportunity to talk about their lives and relive cherished memories.
3. Chess
People around the world love the game of chess for all sorts of reasons, seniors included. Not only is chess a fun hobby to get into, but research suggests that playing chess or other board games can help prevent cognitive decline and depression among the elderly.
Fun things to do with seniors that keep them engaged are always beneficial. In particular, seniors who actively strive to improve at a game like chess can increase their confidence levels.
4. Puzzles
Puzzles are another brain-stimulating activity. They offer a mental workout without the direct competition involved in board games.
Most importantly, puzzles of any kind are ideal for a more laidback activity you can enjoy with a senior. They're also much simpler to get into and don’t have lots of rules to learn.
5. Cooking
Plenty of seniors are great cooks with no one to cook for or with. Others don't have much experience but would like to learn. Either way, cooking is a perfect opportunity to get together in the kitchen and whip up something delicious.
Researching and testing recipes together can be tons of fun. It also doubles as a way to ensure that your senior has lots of good food to eat when you're not there. You can even send some to neighbors to help them meet new people.
Just because you're an in-home caregiver doesn't mean things have to be dull. Try out these five fun things to do with seniors at home to help everyone have a good time. For more ideas about how to care for seniors, contact Senior Helpers of South Shore Boston. We are pleased to offer senior services to Brockton, Quincy, Braintree, and the surrounding areas. If you’d like to discuss services such as overnight senior care and round-the-clock care, please get in touch.