10 Stay at Home Activity Ideas for Seniors
The stay-at-home orders that have recently been put in place are particularly important for seniors. But all that staying at home by yourself can harm anybody’s mental health—whether they’re a senior or not! While most younger people can spend their time doing circuit training and playing computer games, these aren’t typical activities for elderly people (although you never know!). So, to help seniors make use of this time away from family and friends, we thought we’d pitch 10 ideas for activities that can be done during prolonged times of staying at home.
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Reading a great book
Whether you’re an avid reader or not, it’s never too late to start. Getting engrossed in a brilliant tale can make the time fly, is mentally stimulating, and can help relieve any anxiety that the current global situation is causing.
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Do some puzzle books
Puzzles such as crosswords, sudoku, and word searches are fun and mentally stimulating. If you’re at home by yourself, why not get into the habit of completing one or two puzzles per day? Many puzzle books get harder as you go on, so your challenge will be increased every day, helping to build that sense of achievement once you complete them all.
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At-home exercises
If you have a workout book, an old VCR or DVD of a great workout routine that you can do at home, or even a laptop where you can YouTube some great senior exercises, you should make the most of these now. Exercising is more important than ever when you’re not regularly walking outside. If you don’t have any of these, why not ask if your children or grandchildren have any laptops they can spare while you need to stay at home? You’d be surprised what people have lying around the house nowadays!
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Having a virtual meeting
The last point also links to this one. If you have your own computer, smartphone, or tablet, you can use this to chat with friends and family through apps such as Zoom, Skype, and Facetime. The days of the technophobic grandparents are over! If you don’t have access to one of these devices, maybe a loved one could lend you one for the time being. These apps are brilliant for socializing when you can’t go outside, helping to relieve anxiety and boredom.
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Pick up a paintbrush
Painting is a relatively cheap yet highly fulfilling hobby that can be done at home. Whether you want to paint your favorite memory, a portrait of a loved one, or create a surrealist masterpiece, your canvas is waiting for you to start!
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Talking on the phone
Despite the popularity of high-tech meeting apps, the good old telephone isn’t going anywhere any time soon. If you want to talk with friends or family without all the fancy bells and whistles that come in the modern age, pick up the phone and get dialing.
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Get enthralled in a movie or TV series
Is there a movie you’ve always wanted to see but just never go around to it? Well, now’s the time! It might even be worth signing up for a service such as Netflix or Hulu if you think you’d like to get involved in some high-quality TV watching. These services often have a month-by-month subscription model so once the global situation in back to normal, you can just cancel your subscription…unless you’re hooked on your new favorite show!
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Cooking up a feast
If you’re able-bodied enough to cook for yourself, it’s a great time to try out some new recipes—at some point, things will go back to normal, and you may want to invite friends and family over for dinner! This is your chance to master your menu for when the stay-at-home order is lifted.
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Getting your garden in order
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, this is a perfect opportunity to get it ready for the coming summer. Most areas with stay-at-home orders allow people to use their gardens as normal—providing nobody from outside the household is present. Getting some outside time is very important for relieving stress and keeping fit.
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Watch the birds
Spring is an exciting time in the natural world—bird eggs hatch, many bird species return from the south, and all sorts of animals are out and about. Why not install a few bird feeders and get a pair of binoculars and see what comes along? It can be fascinating just taking a moment and watching nature in all its glory!
We can’t say for sure how long the stay-at-home order will be in effect, but it’s important that seniors stick to it as they are at higher risk than the rest of society. Staying at home doesn’t mean being sentenced to a period of boredom—just take a look at the list above if you ever find yourself twiddling your thumbs! Here at TruCare Home Care, we help seniors who live at home every day, so give us a call if you’d like to enquire about ideas for yourself or a loved one during this time.
