Top Ten Winter Activities for Seniors

When the winter comes around, finding stimulating activities for the elderly can be even more of a challenge. But don’t let something like the weather get in the way of fun. There are tons of things to do with aging parents or grandparents that doesn’t involve being out in the cold!

Here are our top winter activities for seniors:

Indoor Gardening

Gardening is beneficial for people of all ages. The activity stimulates all of the senses and awakens our fundamental connection with nature. For seniors, it’s especially rewarding when the activity is done in pairs or groups, since it can reduce social isolation.

In the wintertime, it’s significantly harder to spend long periods of time outdoors, tending the outdoor garden —- let alone actually growing and harvesting anything! Caring for houseplants is a great activity for older adults. Plus, air purifying leaves will fill their home, enhancing the environment where they spend most of the colder months! In conclusion, if physical activity isn’t possible for your aging parent or grandparent, simply being around plants is therapeutic.

Sit by a fire

Gathering around a fireplace – or a facsimile of a fireplace, such as a television playing a loop of a fire burning – is a soothing activity especially in the colder months. Converse or sit in silence; it is a great time to self-reflect or share stories. Bonus points if you have hot chocolate!

Indoor exercise

The cold shouldn’t cause a decrease in physical activity. It’s one of the most important ways to maintain overall health. A mall provides a great space to walk around in with an elderly loved one. Some malls even have facilitated ‘mall walking’ clubs or programs. Other low-impact exercises that can be done indoors are tai chi, yoga, stretches, and chair exercises.

Arts & crafts

Art-based therapy is a great way to ward off the winter blues. Depending on your aging parent or grandparent’s physical ability and dexterity, they may enjoy dabbling in some arts and crafts. Painting, pottery, and clay sculpting are classics. Our pick? The new trend in adult colouring books!

Cooking or Baking

Cooking or baking is not just a simple activity to ease boredom; it’s a crucial event that feeds the households’ mouths! Spending time together making a meal or a baked treat is a social activity that contributes to the community — thereby also giving them a sense of purpose.

Reading

Stimulating all year ‘round, reading does wonders for mental well-being. Depending on their cognitive ability, you can read to your loved ones one-on-one, in a group, or have them do it on their own. Reading the news can become an insightful daily activity and reading fiction or poetry can be relaxing.

Animal therapy

It is proven that pet companions presents many health benefits to seniors. More and more often pets are being utilized at senior facilities for therapy. They lower cholesterol levels which can prevent heart attacks and strokes! They also lessen the symptoms of depression, since caring for living beings gives elderly adults a sense of purpose. Many facilities have organized for kittens to be brought in for feeding by patients.

Did we miss something? Let us know what your favorite senior activities are in the comments section below.