5 Lifestyle Activities That Benefit The Elderly

Are you or an elderly loved one living life without much excitement? Does their usual day consist of a drab routine they’ve lived for weeks, if not months?

Living a life shackled in a room can take its toll on anyone–especially the elderly. The feeling of stagnation and lack of stimulation can be physically and mentally distressing.

However, don’t despair. If you want to step out of a dull and monotonous life, it’s not impossible. There are many things you can do to live a fulfilling, happy, and healthy life, even if you’re not as energetic as you once were.

To give you some inspiration, here are some lifestyle activities that you can consider for yourself or your loved one to step out of their downward spiral.

Knitting

Knitting is a creative hobby that’s both mentally engaging and easy to do.

For one, it demands constant concentration, helping keep one’s cognition sharp and active. Secondly, it also keeps one’s hands and fingers dextrous, keeping one’s motor skills intact.

It also has the active benefit of being able to produce something tangible, which can help you or your loved one have something to offer to the rest of the family.

With Christmas fast approaching, knitting can be a good way to produce gifts to give to family and friends. Whether it’s a scarf, a pair of socks, or a new sweater, knitting can be an effective way to help the elderly in your life pass the time and enjoy themselves in the process.

Reading

Reading books, whether fiction or nonfiction, is a great way to keep the mind mentally stimulated.

This is because, to follow the story or message portrayed in the book, you’ll need to pay constant attention to the text.

When you forego reading for instant activities, your cognitive faculties can slowly deteriorate. In the worst cases, it can potentially lead to mental disorders like dementia.

That said, you don’t have to read books by yourself to enjoy the full benefits of reading. Reading books aloud can also be a way to spend time with the grandchildren and help them learn through storytelling.

Furthermore, their questioning can also keep you articulate since it forces you to think back on what you said and give them a proper answer.

Exercise

You don’t have to pump a hundred pounds of cold iron to reap the benefits of exercise. Even a simple walk around the block, at-home exercise, or a stroll on a nature trail can come with physical, mental, and emotional benefits.

When you get older, your body’s physical abilities start to wane and you’ll have a lot less stamina than before. Instead of writing these conditions off as a normal outcome of growing older, religiously maintain a healthy exercise routine—even if it’s not at the same intensity as your prime.

Exercising helps keep your body and mind in top shape. In particular, exercising improves blood flow circulation and muscle health. It also comes with the added benefits of elevating one’s mood and helping improve concentration in both men and women. Exercise also improves your sleep, helps you relax and sleep longer to achieve 7 - 9 hours of sleep.

That said, it’s important not to get too overboard as well. Consulting a physical therapist is a good idea since they can prescribe you a proper exercise plan while minding your physical limits.

Gardening

If the weather and season permit, get your elderly outside of the house and into the front lawn or garden. The feeling of being surrounded by nature is something that anyone of all ages can enjoy, the elderly included.

On top of enjoying the moment outside the four walls of the bedroom, gardening also helps the elderly stay active and useful. They can trim overgrown plants, mow the lawn, plant new seedlings, water growing plants, cultivate the soil, harvest crops, and do a lot more things in the garden.

If the season isn’t suitable for outside activities, it’s more than possible to bring the garden inside too. You can put up potteries and planters with houseplants inside the house and have the elderly care for them as needed. You can also spend time with them and help them create a terrarium that they can admire and look after. Up to you!

Socializing

It’s no secret that people are social creatures. Whether you’re eight or eighty, having friends and family to confide in is incredibly important. Even if aged individuals may not have the energy to go out as often, social activities can be conducted in various ways.

Having weekly video calls with family, for instance, can be a great way for elderly people to stay in the loop and see their children from the comfort of home.

It’s also more than possible to integrate any of the activities listed above with social elements. If the elderly in your life are able, they can join clubs or volunteer groups to help them keep in touch with people of similar interests.

Joining Zumba clubs, for instance, can help them reap both the physical and social benefits of the activity. Joining a local book club and discussing the events in a particular novel, on the other hand, can give mental and social benefits.

Getting close to a companion nurse or neighbor in an aged care facility like Banfields Aged Care can also help the elderly feel a sense of community. By upholding all aspects of an elderly’s life, their quality of life can improve significantly.