On occasions, my husband takes overnight business trips. To prevent loneliness, he often invites me to go along with him. Whenever I discover what city we will be visiting, I immediately start researching it. For instance, I map out landmarks we’ve never seen, restaurants with good reviews, entertainment options, and hotels that look appealing. By the time we get in the car, board the plane, or get on the train, every minute of our trip is already planned out. If your spouse travels frequently for work, consider mixing business with pleasure from time to time. On this blog, you will discover how to make the most of an upcoming business trip.
Business and Pleasure
4 Fun Activity Ideas For Assisted Living Residents
Delores Tucker
If you are in charge of coming up with different ways to keep the seniors at your assisted living facility active and entertained, you may be running out of ideas. Below are fun, fresh activities you could incorporate into the community's calendar of events.
Have A Yearly Craft Fair
Every year, you could let the residents showcase their own creations by having a craft fair. Booths or tables can be set up for each person so that they can display their handmade crochet, knitting, or other projects. By having it yearly, they can plan what they wish to show off, giving them something to look forward to.
If you wish, you can allow the residents to offer their wares for sale. You can have them either pay cash for items or set up a barter system that lets them trade one craft item for another.
You can also decide whether to allow family and friends of the residents to participate, as well as members of the general public. If you decide to invite the public, however, you may want to double check to see if any special selling permits are required.
Start A Daily Walking Club
For your more active residents, you could start a daily walking club. Walking greatly benefits senior citizens in several ways, such as strengthening bones and muscles and keeping the circulatory system working properly. A daily walking routine also provides them with a chance to socialize with other residents.
The members can meet every morning to walk different routes around the facility grounds. If you have a bus or van for transportation, you may also schedule outings to a park or down by a riverside. If doing this often is not feasible, you can plan the off-ground outings once a month to give the seniors a change of scenery.
Before any of your residents joins the club, you should make sure you clear the activity with their physicians. This will ensure that they are physically able to walk distances without putting their health in serious jeopardy.
Schedule A Monthly Wheelchair Bowling Night
If many of the residents require a manual or power wheelchair, you can still keep them active by scheduling a monthly wheelchair bowling night. Even if they cannot use their legs, the seniors are able to build up and move their upper body. This activity also gives them a chance to compete against each other in a sport.
To set up the game, you will need a standard bowling pin set and bowling balls that are ten pounds or less. Some balls have retractable handles to make rolling it easier for those with limited use of their hands.
Host Weekly Board Game Tournaments
For those who are not able to participate in physical activities, you can still give them a chance to compete with each other by hosting weekly board game tournaments. Some ideas for games include checkers, chess, dominoes, or dice games.
You can allow them to vote on which games they would like to play each week. Then, a couple of days before game day, find out how many are planning to participate. This will give you an idea of how many tables and game sets you will need.
The night of the tournament, pair the residents off for elimination rounds that will be held until only two competitors are left. A special prize can be awarded to the winner and runner-up.
Even if you do not use all of the ideas listed above, they may spark an idea for something that would be appropriate for your facility's population. You may also want to contact the activities directors at other assisted living facilities to get more ideas.
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