Skip to main content

Look Beyond General Activities for Seniors; Find Activities That Foster Purpose and Value

Perform an online search for the term “activities for seniors” and you’ll probably find a variety of crafts, games, memory stimulation puzzles, and of course, the requisite bingo. What you will not find, unless you search much harder, are the meaningful, philanthropic activities that provide meaning to our lives. Yet, if you ask seniors what they’d most wish to do, the majority of them won’t mention games, art projects, or bingo. What they want more than anything is to feel useful.

The University of Minnesota highlights how the most vulnerable times in our lives are the first year of life, and the initial year after we retire. Losing a sense of purpose that comes from a rewarding occupation can bring about substantial health concerns – and even an earlier mortality rate, if that sense of purpose is not redefined in some way to enable the older person to experience a continuing sense of being useful.

One very powerful program, the Baltimore Experience Corps, pairs older adults with young children in schools that are understaffed, providing them with the invaluable opportunity to mentor, provide help with reading abilities, and serve as a welcoming and nonjudgmental pal to the children. And they are undoubtedly helping themselves in the process as well. As Michelle Carlson, Ph.D., of the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health explains, “By helping others, participants are helping themselves in ways beyond just feeding their souls. They are helping their brains. The brain shrinks as part of aging, but with this program we appear to have stopped that shrinkage and are reversing part of the aging process.”

When supporting older individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, it might take a bit of creativity to discover enriching activities for seniors that increase their sense of purpose and meaning. Providing home care services in Dallas and the surrounding area, Heaven at Home Senior Care offers the recommendations below to help get you started:

  • Explore local and nationwide organizations that assist those in need – veterans, the homeless, animals, women and children in impoverishment or a crisis situation, etc.
  • Determine if these companies have any volunteer options that older adults or those with cognitive difficulties could assist with, such as:
    • Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving have ribbon campaigns that involve folding, cutting, and stapling lengths of ribbon to cards for distribution.
    • Animal shelters and humane societies are often in need of donated towels and blankets that need to be washed and folded up at home; or older individuals and family members may be able to make homemade pet treats together, or possibly even take dogs for walks together or play with kittens.
    • Create care packages for the homeless or veterans with travel-sized toiletries, snacks, etc.
    • Work on coloring pages or other simple crafts together, letting the older person know they will be given to a local domestic crisis shelter to brighten the day for women and children.

Make sure the older adult has opportunities to assist with as many tasks as possible around the house: sorting and folding laundry, snapping beans, setting the table – letting the senior know how much his or her help is needed and appreciated.

At Heaven at Home Senior Care, our expert providers of home care in Dallas and surrounding areas go beyond simply providing care in the home; our caregivers are devoted to helping seniors live lives full of purpose and meaning. For more tips on helping older adults maintain the highest quality of life, contact us at (972) 245-1515 to learn more. See our full service area here.

The post Look Beyond General Activities for Seniors; Find Activities That Foster Purpose and Value appeared first on Heaven at Home Senior Care.



from Heaven at Home Senior Care https://ift.tt/3hWI0Tc
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Connection Between Aging, Exercise, and Healthy Lungs

Enjoying a long and healthy retirement requires taking good care of yourself. While many people focus on living a heart-smart lifestyle, taking proactive steps to maintain healthy lungs is essential, too. As we age, the lungs become weaker and less flexible. This can contribute to a variety of diseases and chronic health conditions. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , lung-related illnesses are the 3rd leading cause of death in this country. That includes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma—adding up to nearly 235,000 deaths a year. Here are a few tips you can use to keep your lungs healthy: Stop smoking. Talk with your primary care physician about smoking cessation programs. Avoid secondhand smoke. Research shows it can be just as deadly as being a smoker. Stay away from harsh chemicals. It’s important to avoid breathing in damaging fumes (e.g., home cleaners and weed killers). Prevent infections. Many infections can lead to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How You Can Join the Fight Against Alzheimer’s

World Alzheimer’s Month in September is an opportunity to raise awareness about this complex disease and to challenge the stigmas surrounding dementia. Launched in 2012, the awareness month spotlights the fact that 2 out of every 3 people globally believe there is little understanding of dementia in their countries. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia and it is the 6 th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual report. With the senior population growing quickly, Alzheimer’s and dementia cases will continue to increase as well, unless researchers can find a cure. This upcoming Monday, Sept. 21, is World Alzheimer’s Day, a call to action for all of us to educate ourselves on how to take preventative steps, identify symptoms and support loved ones who have been diagnosed. Read more below to learn how to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease. Know the Warning Signs Detecting Alzheimer’s disea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Screening at Samvedna Senior Care

On 30th September, 2019, Samvedna Senior Care Foundation hosted the 2nd film festival of generations in association with Heidelberg University, Germany. The film Sputnik Moment – 30 years and beyond was screened at our senior citizen centre in Gurgaon for our members and staff. The film highlighted how senior citizens in Germany and the US were taking up second careers to fill their time, engage meaningfully and also get support through additional income. Post the screening Dr. Martin Gieselmann, Executive Secretary, SAI, Heidelberg University and Dr. Constanze, Coordinator DAAD Project, Heidelberg University along with our team engaged with the audience in an interesting discussion on the Indian scenario. Members shared that in India it is not easy for senior citizens to pick up jobs after retirement, however it was interesting to see that many in the audience did have jobs post retirement. They also spoke about stereotypes and social attitudes towards ageing and shared their per...
Post a Comment
Read more