Caregiving goes beyond medical care. Kind-hearted and compassionate caregivers make sure that your loved one stays social and active even during these challenging times. Isolation and stress can lead to disinterest in daily activities, depression, and loss of cognitive ability. But, with the help of caregivers, seniors can stay healthy and engaged from home. Here are some fun ways to incorporate activities and engagement into your loved one’s daily routine.
Brain Teasers:
Keep their brain engaged with fun activities like word searches, mazes, hidden pictures, and Sudoku. Working to complete these activities challenges the brain and encourages seniors to work together with their caregivers and others and helps improve brain health and concentration levels. Finishing an activity or solving an activity releases dopamine in the brain that can give your loved one a sense of accomplishment that can help boost their morale and overall mood.
Coloring and Crafts:
Encourage seniors to maintain dexterity with coloring and crafts. Coloring is a relaxing activity that encourages fine motor skills, and the finished pages can help brighten their room or living space. Or, get creative with crafting and make custom greeting cards to send to friends and family while social distancing. These activities challenge their imagination and keep them engaged with not only their immediate surroundings but with their loved ones from afar. Caregivers can help upcycle items that seniors already have lying around their house and safely hang their new artwork to display.
Memory Boosters:
Matching games and trivia are a great way to challenge their brain, help increase memory skills, and is a fun way for seniors and caregivers to engage with each other. For your loved one, it can be discouraging by constantly forgetting where they put something, why they started to do an activity, or how to complete simple everyday tasks. Not only are these games a fun way to pass the time at home, but they can help curb forgetfulness and help them complete activities of daily living easier.
Puzzles:
Puzzles can provide a relaxing distraction from everything else going on and is an excellent activity for people with busy minds who tend to worry, especially during these trying times. Puzzles help stimulate the brain and challenge your loved one to use their problem-solving skills and, if needed, caregivers can help them see the bigger picture to finish the puzzle. Exercising their problem-solving skills is an important part of brain health and can help seniors maintain their independence longer.
These are just a few fun and effective ways to engage with seniors and promote valuable communication and relationships with others to increase their mental wellbeing. It can be hard on families separated due to COVID-19, but Assisted is here to help your loved one during this difficult time. Our caregivers are here to help families navigate these unfamiliar circumstances; to learn more, call us at 800-949-6555 or visit us online at www.AssistedCares.com.
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