We are now entering month six of our elder community members staying “safer at home.” For those who are mobile and require little assistance, these months have been particularly difficult being apart from family and friends, but there are more than a few ways you can encourage your loved ones during the Coronavirus pandemic with some safe, enjoyable activities for seniors.
Many of you are probably wondering how you can help your loved ones escape boredom while keeping them busy and encouraged as they wait for the pandemic to be brought under control.
The trusting and caring team at Jewish Family Home Care offer these activities for seniors to keep your loved one busy, having a bit of fun and staying safe at home.
Contact us online or call us at 954-908-5677 to learn more about our services and how we can help.
Enjoy Reading Together
If you are caring for your loved one at home or social distancing to keep them safe, reading is a great way to spend time together. Share the gift of reading by choosing a:
- Favorite classic
- New book of interest to you both
- Collection of poems or short stories
- Devotional book
You can assign weekly readings and get together in person or via FaceTime or Skype to discuss what you’ve read. If you have younger children, have your beloved older family members read favorite childhood classics to your little ones, or vice versa.
You can even gather the family together via Zoom and all join in on the fun. Whatever works best for your family members, but either way, you’ll keep your loved one occupied and enjoy a fun activity together.
Reintroduce Favorite Hobbies
Some older adults may have continued with their favorite hobbies while others have let them go along the way. Encouraging favorite hobbies or reintroducing them is a great way to keep your loved ones engaged.
You’ll want to keep your loved one stocked with the needed supplies whether they enjoy activities for seniors such as:
- Knitting
- Crocheting
- Painting
- Crafts
- Puzzles
- Model building
- And more!
If your loved one doesn’t have a favorite hobby, try suggesting some new ideas they may enjoy trying. You can use a video chat platform to connect the entire family in creating something together virtually.
Games and Cards
Older adults enjoy playing games and cards and still like to learn new things. If you can visit in person, there is nothing more fun than playing a new game together – whether it is a board game or card game.
If you must play virtually, consider setting up a board game on each end and playing together. With the latest easy to use technologies like Grandpad and similar devices, older adults can enjoy new electronic games which they can play alone or with other members of the family in an ongoing battle of wits.
Choose familiar games, old favorites, and new games like those included here:
- Scrabble
- Chess,
- Mahjong
- Rummy
- Backgammon
- Skip-Bo
- Rummikub
- Monopoly
- Go-Fish, Bingo
- And more!
Movies and TV Shows
Watching movies, documentaries, series, and game shows together can be fun even if it is enjoyed virtually. If you can’t visit in person right now, coordinate times to watch favorite movies and game shows together.
You can easily bond over story-lines, characters, and more. You can also join in the game show fun by challenging one another to see who can answer first or get the most correct answers in a single show.
Cooking and Baking
If you can get together in person, have your loved one share favorite recipes and show you how to achieve the exceptional results only they can through years of experience.
If your visits are virtual, consider helping your loved one with meal planning and then enjoy meals together during the week via video chat. You can also watch cooking or baking shows together and try new dishes and new cuisines together. You could even gather other members of the family and have a family cooking competition like “Chopped” or “Iron Chef.”
Gardening
Gardening is a great way to keep your loved ones busy and engaged. Whether they prefer flowers to vegetables, there is nothing quite as enjoyable as gardening for the reward that comes as the fruit of one’s labor. Plus, gardening can be done anywhere, from containers on a patio, deck, or front porch to garden beds to raised beds.
Your loved one will enjoy the result, whether that is a beautiful vase of cut flowers or delicious veggies they have grown.
Providing the Best for Your Loved Ones
Keeping your loved ones safe and busy during the pandemic is not easy, but these tips should help you get started, improving their quality of life, and allowing you both moments of bonding – even if only virtually.
Your loved ones deserve the best and Jewish Family Home Care, the leading provider of home care in Sunrise, FL and nearby areas, can help. Please contact us and discover how our well-trained caregivers can help you provide reliable and compassionate care, as well as engaging activities for seniors, for your loved ones.