Activities for Senior Citizens

A lot of emphasis is put on keeping ourselves fit and occupied while we are in our salad-days. But, we should spare a thought about our old-age as well. It is the stage in which we need maximum attention and it is the stage in which we can very well become a couch potato. While working for as a customer service agent for a UK-based online-shopping company, I was impressed with the zeal and enthusiasm with which senior citizens kept themselves involved. From art and craft items, to hot-air balloons, their attitude towards life was exemplary. That is one of the reasons why I thought of writing an article on the activities in which our senior citizens can indulge themselves in. Let us take a look at some activities for seniors.

Fun activities
Mix about 200 small safety pins in an ice-cream bucket along with dry oatmeal. Blindfold a person and time them for around 10 minutes and let them see how many pins they can find in the dry oatmeal. Let everyone have a turn (blindfolded), and the one who finds the maximum number of pins, wins a prize.

Auction
Pick up some inexpensive items from your local grocery store. Good choices would be toiletries, kitchen items, personal care products and home decorations. These items should be gift-wrapped as mystery prizes. You will also require some fake money, which is equally distributed along the participants. The auctioneer will pick up a single prize at a time, and so, the bidding begins.

Senior Fishing Day
Everyone is supposed to get their own fishing pole and bait along. It will help the seniors relax as well as keep themselves occupied. There should be prizes for the maximum fish caught and the biggest catch.

Yoga
Organize a yoga class. This is extremely beneficial to senior citizens, and each person should do only those yoga exercises that they are comfortable with. However, this activity needs care and caution.

Some other activities which you can plan for seniors are:

1. Organize a one-mile walk. This is something which is within the capability of most senior citizens.
2. Mental exercises like solving puzzles and doing mathematical calculations without using a paper and pencil could be undertaken. This might delay the onset of serious old age diseases like Alzheimer's, or delay the progress of the disease in people already afflicted by this disease.
3. Monthly birthday parties can be a good way for senior citizens to catch-up with each other. Also, it will make the birthday a memorable experience.
4. Have a quiz regarding movies, songs, TV shows, actors, and other categories that the seniors are familiar with or are enthusiastic about.
5. Playing Favorites - We guess each person's favorite choices, for example, their favorite sport, favorite food, or favorite music genre. Keep prizes for those who guess it right and win.
6. Sculpting for seniors - You could use the soft clay products, which are made for children. There should be a prize for the quickest sculpture created and the best looking sculpture. This activity would also help in strengthening the seniors' dexterity and muscle control.
7. A holiday trip to a scenic spot could be organized. Nature is one of the most effective healers for the mind.
8. Hold a flower decoration competition. Supply the flowers, vases, and scissors. You are allowed to take your handmade creation home.
9. Supply the seniors with cameras. Each one can take pictures of their favorite items, and display them to others as a slide show.
10. You could also place your favorite recipe among many recipes, and ask the seniors to guess it.
11. Each senior can talk for a few minutes offering personal advice and tips on health-related issues.

These were some activities for seniors. As we mentioned before, it is very important that senior citizens keep themselves occupied with some of the other activity, otherwise life can get a bit monotonous. Not only will these activities keep the senior citizens busy, these will also help them in being healthy and spontaneous. We hope that this article would be useful to everyone, especially our senior citizens.