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

Dads and Pops: Your Good Health Matters to Us 

Did you know  June is  Men’s Health Month  and Father’s Day anchors Men’s Health Week ?   Celebrate dad on Father’s Day and thank him for all he  has  done, but  also  make sure to seize an opportunity sometime this month to have a conversation with him about his health. This awareness campaign has the critical purpose of informing men   that avoiding preventive healthcare puts them at real and serious risk of  contracting a disease or  acquiring  a chronic condition.   Studies consistently  show the numbers go against men , particularly as they advance into their senior years.   Even with dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment over the past 100 years, men’s life expectancy still lags significantly behind women. According to  Harvard Health ,  the gap is widening. In 1900, the life expectancy for women was 48.3 years vs. 46.3 for men. In 2017, it was 81.1 years for women vs. 76.1 for men. Harvard...
Post a Comment
Read more

Memorize These Six Signs of a Scam

An 88-year-old woman is one of the latest victims of the sweepstakes scam. She lost $160,000 in order to get the millions the scammer claimed she’d won through the Publishers Clearing House. She’s not alone. This scam has been around for years and has affected tens of thousands. Be aware of the six signs of a scam to avoid losing money. The Caller Insists You Not Tell Anyone In a scam, the caller will insist that you cannot tell anyone. This is more likely to happen with the grandparent scam. The caller will say that the grandchild’s parents cannot know. Secrecy is important to the “grandchild.” If your parents are told not to tell anyone, it’s very likely a scam. Your parents should immediately report the scam to local authorities or the FTC at 1-877-382-4357. The Contact Arrives Out of the Blue A scam is going to start with a random call, email, or unsolicited mailer. Your parents didn’t enter a contest. It could be a scammer posing as a police officer, IRS representative, or ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to prepare for eldercare medical emergencies

Older adults are fragile and that is often accompanied by a decline in mobility. This makes them more vulnerable to medical emergencies such as a fall or sudden illness. As these health crises are unexpected and the elderly cannot always take prompt action, you need to be prepared. This will result in saving a lot of crucial moments and getting on-time care for the older adult. We have curated pointers that will give you an insight on how to carefully prepare for the eldercare emergencies and ensure the wellbeing of your elderly.   Doctor on Call  As you begin preparing for the eldercare emergencies, you must assemble a list of doctors and home nursing services that will be available 24×7 to provide emergency facilities. The list will come handy and will result in taking quick action. Samvedna Senior Care offers doctor visits at home for senior citizens in times of emergency. The team of skilled doctors is available round the clock to provide special assistance. The...
Post a Comment
Read more