How elderly people can stay busy at home
Collaborative Post
There are times in life when our parents need to stay in more. But whether they’re at home with family, share life with a live-in companion from a trusted care provider such as Country Cousins, or spend more time on their own, there are plenty of activities available to keep mind and body occupied.
A window on the world
The internet is a great doorway to conversations, activities and knowledge. A growing number of organisations have taken to the web to share their knowledge and views of the world that we might never otherwise see.
Your older relatives and friends might enjoy:
- Learning something new. The U3A is one of many educational bodies offering online courses on a wide variety of subjects.
- Visiting a museum or a gallery from the comfort of their own living room.
- Watching animal life on webcams all over the world in the wild and in zoos.
More traditional pleasures
Not everyone has access to the internet. But most will be familiar with home-style activities that they can work on alone or share with a companion.
- Puzzling. Crosswords, jigsaws, word searches and more are all tried and tested challenges to the brain and fun to do in downtime.
- Baking. Making bread by hand can need a bit of muscle, but cakes and scones are much easier – or just rope in a friend.
- Growing. Even mustard and cress grown on some kitchen towel would be a welcome addition to tea-time sandwiches.
- As people become less mobile they regularly take up crafting. It’s good for the brain to learn a new skill, and can be practised alone or with companions.
Decluttering
While reaching for the paint pot and wallpaper paste may be a bit hard, there are still ways to improve home life.
A useful and popular activity is decluttering. It’s normal for people to accumulate a growing number of possessions over the years. Removing the stuff that isn’t needed and isn’t loved is a practical way of freeing up space, and decluttering can also make life easier should the house eventually be sold.
Keep moving
There are plenty of good reasons for exercising at home, even for those can’t get out easily or have limited mobility.
Keeping the body as strong as possible can help to prevent falls, resulting in broken bones, visits to hospitals and long convalescence.
Exercise is good for mental health too, as at the right level it offers a feel-good factor both physically and emotionally.
Image by Erdenebayar Bayansan from Pixabay
