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Senior-Friendly Activities

Donna Nichols • November 27, 2020

Activities Every Senior Can Do

Don’t make age an issue!

The best thing to do for fitness and lifestyle while we age is to always keep moving, eat well, and stay social!

Easy, right??? 

As always, check with your doctor prior to performing any type of exercise.

Well, not so much, as we age, we limit ourselves. We don’t realize that we need to take small steps, baby steps.

As a placement service for seniors , one of the requests we get most is finding a home that offers a variety of senior activities. We’ve listed below some activities you can do whether you are at home or in an assisted living facility. 

Exercise for Seniors you can do at home.

Start with a walk down the driveway; go to the mailbox, or the stop sign, etc.

Lift a can of corn, a gallon of milk, a bag of groceries.

If you can’t walk, you can benefit from seated exercises. Chair exercises are safer and provide more support for seniors who are at risk of falling or have limited mobility.

Check out this 7 Minute Chair Exercise for Seniors

Exercising of any kind has shown to improve blood flow, mood, help build muscle, increase heart rate, and help your range of motion. Make sure there are no wheels on the chair , you also don’t want to use a folding chair as it can collapse easier. 

If you use a walker or cane, exercise is much more important to help improve your balance and you can use your device as an aid. 

While standing with your device, march in place, lift one leg out to the side as far as you can and as many times as you can , then try the other leg.

If you get tired, take a break. Remember…baby steps!!

You can do short squats with the aid of your device as well. We say short squats because we don’t want you squatting too far down. Do as many as you can, once again, if you get tired, rest.

Another great exercise is to stand at your device and lift your heels off the floor to stand on your toes. Lower your heels to return your feet to a flat position. Do as many as you can. 

If you have swelling in your feet or ankles, here are some exercises for you too.

Lie down (preferably on a bed or the couch) moving only your feet, point your toes upward then point down.

Repeat these steps as many times as you can. You can also just tap your toes while sitting, as long as your toes are moving.

Exercise Your Brain:

Perhaps you are unable to exercise your body, then please exercise your brain. There are so many activities in which you can do this.

You can do:

  • crossword puzzles
  • jigsaw puzzles
  • word search puzzles
  • solitaire if you’re alone
  • card games with others
  • draw
  • paint
  • or color to keep your mind active. 

Create a scrapbook or organize some old family photos.

Scrapbooking activity for seniors

Keeping your mind active can help increase your mood and reduce stress and anxiety.

One of the best ways to relax and boost your mood is to get outdoors !!

Vitamin D alone will help increase not only your bone density but your overall disposition. Fresh air is a great stimulator for the mind, body, and soul.

Do you see the pattern here?

As long as you start out small, you can graduate to more. Look at your area senior center, start out slow, you’re not only going to get into chair yoga classes, you’re going to make friends.

If you need help or encouragement as a Caregiver give us a call at  386-847-2322  or check out our  Caregiver Support Group. Our  Senior Advisors  are here to walk with you through this journey.

Make Valentine’s Day Special for Seniors

By Donna Nichols • February 5, 2025
Valentine’s Day tends to zero in on romantic love, but what about our seniors? They too often get forgotten. We have some ways to make Valentine’s Day special for them too. Spend the day with your loved one. Spending quality time with a loved one is more important to a senior than anything else. There is no greater gift than time and please make sure you have enough, so you are not rushed. Do your elderly loved one have a favorite meal? Perhaps you can prepare it for them, or if they are able, you can prepare it together. How fun would that be for you both? Be sure to discuss the enjoyment it brought you while you are sharing the meal together. How about a game of name that love song? You could prepare a playlist of love songs from the generation and play them to see how many they get correct. Or, if you can sing, you can sing some for them and see if they can recollect them. Take some time for reminiscing, go through old photo albums, or ask about old times. Ask them about when you were young and what trouble you caused; this will give you all something to laugh (or cry) about. Has your loved one been cooped up all winter? Take them out for a nice lunch, or weather permitting, a picnic in the park. Go for coffee and a donut, then head out to see a movie. Make a “date” of it. Maybe your senior is into crafts. You can design special Valentine’s Day cards for other family members. This way your senior can express their love for them and send it to them in their own unique way. You can create other greeting cards as well. Bake some special treats together. Does your senior have some favorite cookies or cake? You could bake it together, or you can bake it for them. Then you can enjoy it after you have the meal you prepared together. Yummy, delicious!! You can watch some romantic movies together if they prefer to stay in the house or the weather isn’t so good. If they like to color, you can buy them some of those large coloring books and you can color together. Don’t forget the decorations and the flowers! Make the house or apartment as festive as possible. Even if they live in as assisted living community, you can still decorate their room to the nines! Make it as festive as possible! If you live in another state or can’t be close to your senior for Valentine’s Day, how about sending them a specially crafted care package. You can hand make some gifts, add some photos of family and friends, and send a personally recorded message. You can bake some homemade treats and incorporate some things that are of personal interest to them. This will show how much you care for them and make their Valentine’s Day extra special even if you can’t be with them.  There are so many ways to make Valentine’s Day special for seniors. Let’s not forget about them; make sure to show them they are so loved too!

February is National Heart Month

By Donna Nichols • February 4, 2025
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Hydration Tips for the Winter

By Donna Nichols • January 8, 2025
I’ve written many blogs about the importance of staying hydrated in the summer, but did you know it’s just as important to stay hydrated in the winter months? I’ve shared some important tips on how to stay hydrated in the winter and why. Cold, dry air can dehydrate you easily and quickly. Even if you don’t feel thirsty. Proper hydration can help regulate your body temperature, maintain healthy organ function, and prevent fatigue, dry skin, and headaches. In the colder months, you do not feel thirsty, that’s why it’s so important to make sure you drink plenty of water. Why is winter hydration so important? Colder air tends to be drier causing moisture to evaporate through your breathing which can cause dehydration. In colder weather, you may not feel as thirsty, causing you to become dehydrated quickly. Also, wearing more clothing traps sweat inside your clothing causing more fluid loss. What are some of the benefits of staying hydrated in the winter? • Drinking enough water helps keep your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. This will help with that dry, itchy skin feeling we all get in the winter. • Water helps your body maintain a regular core temperature. Which is so important to maintain in the winter. • Drinking plenty of water supports your immune system, which helps fight off winter colds and the flu. We all want to fight those germs off! • When you are dehydrated, you become tired easily, so drinking plenty of water helps keep your energy levels up. How do you stay hydrated in the winter? • Make sure you drink plenty of water. Set reminders if you must; you probably won’t feel as thirsty in the winter, but you need to keep drinking that water! • You don’t have to drink cold water; room temperature water works. You can also drink tea or water with lemon, as long as you’re getting your water. • If you’re going out, carry a water bottle with you to ensure you have water to drink. • Eat fruits and vegetables that contain water. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumber, apples, and pineapple are just a few that contain high water contents. • If you think you’re dehydrated, check your urine; if it’s a darker color, that can suggest dehydration. Urine should be a pale, yellow color. As you can see, staying hydrated in the winter is just as important as staying hydrated in the summer, if not more. In the winter you don’t realize you are thirsty therefore you tend not to drink as much water as you should. This has the potential of wreaking havoc on your body. Please make sure you drink plenty of water in the wintertime as you do in the summertime. We have rebranded our company, we are now Assisted Senior Services! Call us for ANYTHING SENIOR!! 386-847-2322!
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