10 Ways to Keep Seniors Happy in Nursing Homes

As we grow older in age, our lives begin to change in many ways. When it comes to living a happy and carefree existence, senior care services can make that transition happen by instituting a succession of activities that stimulate the mind, body, and health for seniors.

There are plenty of benefits of human interaction and seniors deserve to socialize to maintain relationships that ultimately can boost your immune system.

When it comes to having individuality and claiming that independence we all strive for, seniors should be able to live comfortably in their own homes with kind-hearted professionals. There’s no better way to do that than with home care assistance.

Here’s a list of 10 ways to help keep seniors happy and fulfilled with social interaction in nursing homes.

Incorporate family time

Whether it be sitting down with a senior and reminiscing about their favorite memories with family or simply creating a zoom call for them to interact with their family, this is one of the best ways to keep them maintaining those relationships. It’ll make their day, seeing either their daughters’ or sons' faces and catching up with them.

Amada Senior Care states that- “There is a strong correlation between health and the strength of one’s family relationships. The benefits associated with elders who report having stronger ties with their families. Elders who are more socially involved with family members are more likely to live longer than those who remain isolated. This is even true for those who are experiencing late stages of dementia. Although you may not be able to tell, a family’s presence is prolonging their life as well as improving the quality of their remaining years.”

Go for a stroll

Nothing brightens the day more than a breath of fresh air. Planning specific times to take a walk will help lighten the mood and keep them feeling happy and refreshed. A huge benefit of picking home care assistance for your loved one is that activities such as this one builds a stronger bond between the caretaker and senior. Personal activities such as basking in the sun and creating conversations will make memories that will last a lifetime.

The Caregiver Space states- “Walking may be the best form of physical exercise for seniors. Packed with health benefits, walking has all of the hallmarks of senior-friendly physical exercise: it can be performed at low or moderate intensity, it’s easy on joints, it has a low risk of injury, and it’s easy to get started with. Walking Improves Cardiovascular Health. The biggest health benefits of walking for seniors are in terms of cardiovascular health. Countless studies have linked regular walking with heart-health benefits.”

Craft time

What’s more therapeutic than creating crafts and spending quality time with someone you trust and care for? The answer is nothing at all. This is a great mental activity due to the fact that it forces you to stay focused and reach the finish line of the craft. Providing a number of crafts such as painting, knitting, and making jewelry will guarantee a smile on both faces.

Make a meal together

Now, one thing that can bring instantaneous happiness to almost anyone would be food. Making a meal together is another activity within senior care services that would be the highlight of their day. Instead of the caretaker being the only one making the meal, including your senior will make them feel wanted. It can be a fun time to make a creation you’ve both been wanting to try or simply make a favorite meal that will not disappoint.

Read a favorite book

Spend some quality time with each other by bonding over an insanely intriguing book. This activity gives the senior something to look forward to. Planning a specific time to read their favorite book gets them excited about what’s to come. Not only is this something fun to do, but it can also help improve a senior’s life.

Home Instead Senior Care states that- “Seniors who read often enjoy much more than just a good story. Scientific studies have found many benefits of reading for older adults, from reducing stress and enhancing sleep to improving memory circuits, sharpening decision-making, and possibly even delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Invest in storytelling

No matter the age, storytelling is such a fascinating way to learn more about someone. Take an hour out of the day or more, it depends on you, to share stories that have happened in your lifetime. Older adults enjoy sharing their past endeavors and all of the mischiefs they’ve gotten into over the years. Another great bonding exercise to incorporate in the home care assistance.

Movie time

This one's self-explanatory but movie time can be a way to make an activity more personalized. Sharing screen time with each other and laughing builds that emotional connection that’s important to have. If you add some delicious popcorn to the mix then it’s as if you’re at your own home theater.

Have a picnic

Another great way to get some vitamin D is to have a picnic outside, including favorite snacks, drinks, and meals. Who doesn’t love the combination of food and sunshine? So, make sure to incorporate this activity at least once or twice to catch that bright smile that will come across the seniors' faces. Especially, if it’s a beautiful day out, then a picnic would be a perfect way to get out of the house for a few hours.

Take a small road trip

A fun way to keep the excitement going and keep the seniors happy is to take a small road trip. Depending on the location, if you’re close to the beach then a trip to the beach would suffice. The sounds of the ocean crashing onto the shore and the entire view is aesthetically pleasing for both of you to enjoy. If the beach is too far, a trip to a park with a beautiful view would be a perfect alternative.

Pull out the board games

Board games, the best route to take in order to have a friendly competition and keep the mind running. Playing classic games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, UNO, and many others make you think about what your next move is to wipe out the opponent. It’s a fun way for seniors to compete and spend hours feeling content.

When it comes to the 10 ways to keep seniors happy in nursing homes, there’s only one main goal of achieving happiness within them as being their caretaker and that is to just have fun. Having fun with seniors by constantly including new activities that stimulate the body, heart, and soul can leave them feeling fulfilled.

Senior care services can be stressful, due to not knowing what to look for. But, just remember, to make sure seniors are cared for and living a lifestyle you’d hope to live in years to come, incorporate as many exciting activities as possible to keep them exhilarated for what’s to come.