Boomers are quickly finding themselves in a predicament, with their kids living hours away and their day-to-day responsibilities coming to an end. This begs the question of how seniors pass the time when they are home alone. Nursing homes, senior communities, and assisted living facilities to provide a wide range of activities for those who are staying there. Some seniors do not feel at home in these settings and wish to continue living in their own houses. The problem is that activities for these seniors are often limited and expensive.
Trying to entertain yourself can be an impossible task, especially if you are not as flexible or agile as you once were. A lot of older adults feel lonely, which makes it all the more difficult to find things to do when they don’t have family or friends over. People over the age of 60 are not as active as they once were. This can lead to tremendous feelings of pressure, which can even push some into depression.
Socializing as they play board games
Chess, free bingo games, scrabble, monopoly and connect four are all great ways to spend time with others. These games are also intellectually stimulating and help to maintain cognitive fitness. Even if you’re not near someone’s home, these games can occupy your time at home just as well.
Competing with your family members, or friends from out of town is a great way to have some friendly competition around the dinner table. Family reunions, filled with family members competing for bragging rights, can be an excellent way to spend time with your immediate relatives.
Board and card games are a great way for seniors to interact with one another. Seniors may also decide to play these games in order to strengthen their cognitive abilities, which is important for senior citizens who would like to keep their minds healthy as they age. Memory-training games like “Cards Against Humanity” or “Uno” can be played by seniors who want to learn how to create stories from what they were dealt, and how many points they have left at the end of each round.
These card games also promote strategic thinking, which can be beneficial for seniors who want to keep their brains active as long as possible.
Watching TV, movies or comedies on DVD
Older adults should still watch their favorite sitcoms from the ’60s or even the ’70s with the same enjoyment as they always have. A few episodes of Seinfeld where Kramer and George spout their crazy theories on the world and on life, or The Cosby Show where Cliff Huxtable is dealing with his wife’s pregnancy and still manages to be a good husband is great entertainment.
Classic movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Casablanca” are great for seniors who would like to go back in time to see how life was like in those days. “Rocky” is another timeless classic movie that no senior should watch without acknowledging its influence on bringing boxing and the sport of mixed martial arts into mainstream culture. Seniors can also watch comedies such as “Airplane!”, a parody of disaster movies, or “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, a sketch comedy that has gained cult status among young adults and adults alike.
Depending on their taste in movies and TV shows, seniors can watch a variety of comedy or action movies. “The Matrix”, “Terminator” or “Kill Bill” are just some of the action-packed films that can keep seniors entertained for hours. The same goes for classic romantic comedies, like “Love Actually” or “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, which will make the sometimes hard task of “killing time” fun again.
Joining an art class
The beauty with art is that it’s subjective. There’s no good or bad art, because nothing is ever really perfect. Art teachers often make the best art teachers for their students, so this is a great way for older adults to build confidence as they work on drawing. Art also allows seniors to express themselves through many types of mediums such as oils on canvas, watercolors, pastels or sculpture. The sky is the limit with art!
Most hobbies are artistic in nature; pottery, knitting, and cross-stitching are all hobbies that can help seniors express themselves through art. Older adults who are new to these hobbies can easily find tutorials on YouTube to help them get started.
The act of picking up a paintbrush and putting paint on a canvas is an empowering activity for seniors, who can develop their creative side by working with various mediums to produce pieces of art they can hang up in their homes or give as gifts.
Reading as a form of entertainment
Reading is important for everyone, but it can be especially meaningful for older adults who may have lost their physical and mental abilities. Reading encourages feelings of maturity and understanding about the world around you, which can stimulate a sense of peace. Some seniors become so engrossed in the books they read that it becomes difficult to put them down.
Reading relies more on physical movement than it does on intellectual stimulation like any other hobby or activity that is enjoyable for all ages. Seniors who are starting to show signs of senility should only begin to read sections of books that they can comprehend without difficulty or confusion.
Short reads are better than long books for seniors, and books that have pictures in them are easier to read because they have more pictures with fewer words. Seniors who have trouble remembering what the text says should try reading a book out loud, which will help them remember details that are more difficult to remember by simply looking at it.
Seniors can bond with their children or grandchildren by sitting down and reading a book out loud together.