Activities for Senior Citizens in Long-Term Care

Placing an elderly loved one into long-term care can be a difficult decision, but nursing homes do not necessarily signal the end of a busy or fulfilling lifestyle. Seniors in long-term care should have access to a variety of physical and creative activities designed to rehearse essential skills as well as provide stimulation to participants. Low-impact exercises, art projects and challenge games provide seniors with activities to suit all interests and abilities.

Brain Teaser Contests

• Seniors benefit from intellectually challenging games that stimulate memory, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Intellectual challenges are particularly important for seniors who struggle with memory or decision making. Long-term care providers can host brain teaser contests that use games like Sodoku, crosswords, riddles or trivia. Trivia contests place seniors in teams of three; a facilitator presents each team with a trivia question. Correct answers receive one point and the team with the most points wins a prize such as a day of beauty from a visiting nail technician. Other contests could be weekly or monthly events; for instance, each month the staff calculates which senior correctly completed the most Sodoku puzzles or crossword puzzles.

Craft Activities

• Craft and art projects promote fine motor skill retention and creativity as well as providing seniors with an opportunity to socialize and interact with one another. Many art projects can be adapted to suit the ability level of the participants. For instance, seniors with limited mobility can use large pieces of paper and large paint brushes to create abstract artwork. Seniors with more fine motor control can take up crafts that require more dexterity such as crochet or knitting. Facilitators host art classes that target specific skills or coincide with special events like holidays or birthdays.

Low-impact Exercises

• Long-term care often signals that daily tasks have become too difficult to manage independently, but seniors in long-term care still require movement in order to stay healthy. Low-impact exercises like tai chi, walking or yoga can all be adapted to suit the mobility levels of participants. For instance, seniors confined to wheelchairs can practice upper body exercises like arm stretches or bicep lifts. Patients with more mobility can walk for fitness or join an on-site tai chi class, in which slow movements are matched with careful breathing.

Outreach Projects

• Seniors in long-term care can remain connected to their communities through outreach projects. Facilities form partnerships with local school districts or churches that connect seniors with "adopted" grandchildren. Local school children visit the facilities and read books, share stories or do art projects with senior members. Older school children can also volunteer to run small errands or perform care tasks for seniors. Seniors can also participate in quilt-making projects for donating to homeless shelters. Maintaining a connection the the outside world is an important piece of increasing the quality of life during long-term care.