Senior Home Care Activities For Your Local Park
June is National Great Outdoors Month and with the warm sunny weather June is famous for seniors should be spending as much time as possible outdoors. Studies show that spending time in nature can have significant health benefits for seniors. Being outdoors can lower the risk of anxiety and depression, lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and lower a senior’s chances of developing serious health problems. Hiking and walking on trails are great activities for seniors, but they’re not the only outdoor activities that seniors can enjoy outdoors. Here are a few ideas that even their senior home care provider can help them with.
Having a Picnic
Picnics are a lot of fun for everyone. Your senior loved one can enjoy a picnic with a senior home care provider if they have senior home care. Or they can have a picnic with friends. Maybe you can meet your senior parent in the park for lunch during the week when you’re working. Picnics don’t have to be elaborate to be a great time. A senior home care provider can pack a couple of sandwiches and drinks and head to the park with your senior parent on any day of the week to get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air. Walking to the park for a picnic and then walking back home is a great activity for seniors.
Taking a Yoga Class
During the summer many local parks offer classes for all ages in things like yoga or Tai Chi. Doing exercise outdoors can be a lot of fun because it’s a different environment and that can make exercise a lot more interesting for seniors. Especially for senior that typically don’t like to join exercise classes doing a class outdoors can be a great way to get them interested in exercising.
Seeing a Play or Watching a Movie
Often during the summer local parks will host community theater plays outdoors in the evening or show movies on a giant screen. Seniors can go to see the plays or movies under the stars and have fun experiencing a summer night movie or play. Check with the local senior center to see if they have groups of seniors that go to events in the park on summer nights. Many senior centers offer transportation so that seniors can go without having to drive. And some offer snacks and beverages too.
Tossing a Ball
Tossing a large ball back and forth with another senior with a care provider may not seem like a lot of fun, but it really can be. Tossing a ball is a great occupational therapy exercise as it helps with grip strength, hand and eye coordination, and spatial relationships. Plus, it just happens to be a lot more fun when done outdoors at the park. Make sure that your senior loved one has a large ball like a beach ball or a kick ball that they can play with at the park.