Look online for the words “activities for seniors” and the results will likely be an assortment of memory stimulation puzzles, crafts, games, and of course, the requisite bingo. What you will not find, unless you really search much longer, are the meaningful, philanthropic activities that provide purpose to our lives. Yet, if you ask older individuals what they would most wish to do, the majority of them will not mention art projects, games, or bingo. What they want above all is to feel useful.
The University of Minnesota reveals facts on how the most vulnerable times in our lives are our initial year of life, and the initial year after we retire. The loss of a sense of usefulness that comes from a fulfilling career can result in extensive health problems – and even an earlier mortality rate if that sense of purpose is not redefined in some way to enable the older adult to experience a continuing sense of being useful.
One very powerful program, the Baltimore Experience Corps, matches older individuals with young children in schools that are understaffed, furnishing them with the invaluable chance to mentor, offer help with reading skills, and serve as a warm and nonjudgmental pal to the children. And they are truly helping themselves in the process also. As Michelle Carlson, Ph.D., of the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health notes, “By helping others, participants are helping themselves in ways beyond just feeding their souls. They are helping their brains. The brain shrinks as part of aging, but with this program we appear to have stopped that shrinkage and are reversing part of the aging process.”
When supporting aging adults who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, it may take a bit of innovation to identify enriching activities that encourage their sense of purpose and meaning. Compassionate Care Home Health Services offers the following senior care tips for caregivers to help get you started:
- Check out local and national organizations that assist those in need – the homeless, veterans, animals, women and children in impoverishment or crisis, etc.
- Determine if these agencies have any volunteer options that aging adults or those with cognitive impairment could help with, such as:
- Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving have ribbon campaigns that necessitate folding, cutting, and stapling lengths of ribbon to cards for distribution.
- Animal rescue shelters and humane societies often need donated towels and blankets that can be cleaned and folded up at home; or aging adults and family members may be able to make homemade pet treats together, or maybe even take dogs for walks together or pet and give attention to the cats.
- Put together care packages for veterans or the homeless with travel-sized toiletries, snacks, etc.
- Work on coloring pages or other easy crafts together, letting the older person know they will be shared with a local domestic crisis shelter to brighten the day for women and children.
Make sure the older person has opportunities to assist with as many tasks as possible around the house: sorting and folding laundry, shelling peas, setting the table – letting the senior know how much his or her help is needed and appreciated.
At Compassionate Care Home Health Services, providers of in home care in Saginaw, MI and the surrounding areas, our senior care services go beyond simply providing care in the home; our caregivers are committed to helping seniors live lives filled with meaning and purpose. For more senior care tips on helping older adults maintain the highest quality of life, call us any time at 877.308.1212. To learn more about all of the different areas we serve in Michigan, please visit our Locations page.