3 Holiday Activities for Seniors
As we quickly approach holiday season, we start planning on spending a bit more time with our loved ones than we usually would be able to. After all, Christmas time is one of the best times to bond with your family members. Other than the usual strolls around the neighbourhood and dinners, here are 3 holiday activities we suggest doing with your elderly loved ones.
1. Play Christmas Bingo
Bingo serves as an excellent social activity while also enhancing the concentration of seniors. By listening for call combinations and marketing it down on their sheets, your loved one’s listening skills, short-term memory, and processing speed is enhanced, keeping their minds sharp. Adding physical elements to the game can even promote hand-eye coordination, such as letting them reveal the items on the table in the form of cards. Awarding prizes at the end also helps keep things fun and memorable.
If your loved one has dementia or impaired vision, we recommend using larger cards and props to make the process easier. The experience will still enhance their processing abilities without giving them additional stress.
2. Attend Community Events
Go online and look for events happening near you! Commonly held events include parades, tree lightings, and concerts. The best part is that these events are usually held by the city, are free to attend, and has attendees of all ages. Craft fairs and holiday bazaars provide an opportunity for your loved one to shop for presents. Even without making purchases, just gazing at handcrafts can be exciting.
If you would like to attend events that are more premium in nature, you can also take your loved one to a holiday orchestra, opera, or play. While you won’t necessarily have a conversation during these shows, there’s bound to be a discussion before and after the event.
If there’s a senior centre in your neighbourhood, there’s bound to be a Christmas party happening. Just make sure to check in and see whether you can bring your loved one along even if they’re not a member.
3. Decorate and Fill Stockings
One of the best social activities that grant a sense of achievement while still being very easy to administer – decorating and filling stockings with your senior loved ones is definitely one of the best on this list! Pick out a few materials from your local art store, pick a date, and start putting the pieces together. You may choose to order a blank stocking and attach pieces on them or to make it from scratch. Your options are practically limitless in terms of customization possibilities. This activity can span anywhere from 2 hours to the entire day, or even bits of each day for several days in a row.
After you finish making the stockings, hang it up beside the fireplace or on the Christmas tree if you have one. Keep it somewhere visible for the whole family to see!
