Finding senior-friendly activities is especially challenging when the weather has been cold and harsh for months. We love these winter activities for seniors from Vive Health – they’re sure to add warmth and good cheer to everyone’s day.
Are you on the lookout for ideas to keep your older adult active during these cold, wintry months?
Depending on their mobility and health condition, the idea of staying active during months of snow, ice, and cold weather can seem daunting.
Fear not, there are loads of creative, safe, and meaningful senior activities they’ll love that will warm their heart too.
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1. Cook together
Making a delicious, hot meal with your parent or spouse has surprising, heartwarming benefits.
Not only can you spend time together actively doing something, but the act of reading recipes, measuring, setting timers and cooking is great stimulation for the brain and helps fight cognitive decline and memory loss.
For those with limited mobility or who use a wheelchair, tasks that don’t involve standing at the stove are best – reading the recipe, setting a timer, or stirring ingredients together on a low table are creative ways to involve them in the cooking fun.
2. Knit, crochet, or quilt
Can the person you care for turn their hobby into a way to care for others?
Knitting, quilting or crocheting make great indoor activities during those winter days spent by a warm fire with a cup of tea.
These activities also carry a positive outcome.
Seniors could knit hats to donate to local homeless shelters or hospitals, make a quilt for a grandchild, or crochet blankets for children in need (check out Project Linus).
These are engaging activities for your older adult as well as a way for them give back to others and feel good about themselves.
(Not a knitter? It’s easy to get started with a loom, some yarn, and quick tutorial videos on YouTube.)
3. Exercise
Literally warm the heart by pumping up the blood flow with low-impact exercises your older adult can do at home.
Routine exercise is hugely beneficial to older adults and can include activities like daily walks, yoga, swimming, tai chi, or even getting in a good stretch while sitting in a wheelchair.
Exercise is critical to preventing illnesses and ailments that are more prevalent in advanced age (like dementia, back pain, high blood pressure, and diabetes).
It also boosts feelings of positivity and confidence.
Regular physical fitness also helps with coordination and balance, which are key to preventing falls in the home.
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4. Video chat with family and friends
Cold winter days can lead to seniors spending a significant amount of time indoors.
Combat feelings of isolation or loneliness by taking the time to reach out to friends and family who may live far away.
Many free apps make it easy to video chat – Skype, Facetime (on Apple devices), Google Meet, Zoom‘s free option, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp.
Set up regular video chat dates during times of the day when your older adult is most awake and alert.
Not only does connecting with others benefit your older adult’s overall well-being, it also gives them something to look forward to during seasonally darker days.
5. Make “blessings bags”
Warm the heart by helping your older adult show their community some love.
Needing help in their daily life or having to use an assisted walking device or wheelchair can leave seniors feeling helpless or like they’ve lost the ability to help others.
Show them this isn’t the case by helping them with a project that makes a positive impact on their community.
“Blessings Bags” are simply bags filled with helpful supplies, snacks, and drinks that can be handed out to homeless people around town or at a shelter.
At your local grocery or pharmacy store, purchase:
Warm adult socks
Bottles of water or sports drinks
Small snacks like granola bars, crackers or fruit snacks
Trial size toiletries like toothbrush with toothpaste, deodorant, chapstick
Other helpful items like wet wipes, hats, and gloves
Give your older adult some one-gallon size plastic bags and all the supplies to go in them. As a fun activity, they can assemble the “Blessings Bags” and could even write a nice note to place in each one.
Deliver the bags to a local shelter or stock the car with the bags to have on hand when you go on outings together.
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Guest contributor: Jessica Hegg is the content manager at ViveHealth.com. Interested in all things related to living a healthy lifestyle, she works to share valuable information aimed at overcoming obstacles and improving the quality of life for others.
This article wasn’t sponsored and doesn’t contain affiliate links. For more information, see How We Make Money.
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