Seniors can participate in several activities regardless of their health. However, elderly people who have physical, emotional, or cognitive challenges often begin therapeutic recreation. Here are 5 therapeutic activities to enhance your senior loved one’s health and happiness.
1. Arts and Crafts
Art and crafts can help your loved one have a great time and also relieve stress. Doing arts and crafts can enhance self-esteem, increase awareness, and alleviate trauma.
The following forms of arts and crafts are suitable for recreational therapy:
- Painting
- Paper crafting and scrapbooking
- Writing a poem or book
If your loved one needs help participating in arts and crafts or other therapeutic activities, consider hiring an in-home caregiver. Green Valley senior care professionals can be a wonderful boon to seniors. Whether they require around-the-clock supervision or just need assistance with exercise and household tasks a few days a week, seniors can enjoy a higher quality of life with the help of trusted in-home caregivers.
2. Chair Volleyball
Chair volleyball allows seniors to interact with others and enhances their socialization skills. The objective of this therapeutic recreation activity is to boost hand-eye coordination. Seniors can play chair volleyball without standing, which helps with motion and fitness. Chair volleyball is a great way to promote teamwork, and it also develops problem solving skills.
3. Cooking
Cooking helps seniors with certain physical conditions become more independent. It can help your loved one relive old memories while learning new skills. If your loved one has had a stroke, this therapeutic recreation activity can help him or her recover.
4. Brain Games
Brain games are an especially important form of therapeutic recreation for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s because they can boost cognitive function. The games can keep your loved one’s mind stimulated and challenged, which helps with critical thinking and preserving memory.
Examples of brain games include:
- Cards
- Board games
- Crosswords
- Word searches
- Puzzles
- Trivia
Dementia can be challenging for seniors to manage, but they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional dementia care. Green Valley seniors can benefit greatly from the Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), an activities-based program designed to promote cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. CTM is included at no additional charge with any of the in-home care plans provided by Embrace In-Home Care.
5. Dancing
Your loved one can enhance his or her emotional wellbeing by dancing. This therapeutic recreation activity provides physical challenges in a structured environment, which makes it more like a leisure activity and less like exercise or physical therapy. Dancing can enhance your loved one’s quality of life by relieving pain, increasing muscle flexibility and strength, bringing back old memories, and increasing independence.
Engaging in daily therapeutic activities can make it easier for older adults to boost their quality of life. If you have a senior loved one who needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Embrace In-Home Care, a leading provider of home care families can rely on. All of our caregivers are bonded, licensed, and insured, there are no hidden fees, and we never ask our clients to sign long-term contracts. If you’d like to schedule a free in-home consultation with one of our friendly Care Managers, please give us a call today at (520) 625-2050