Finding the correct variety of activities for care home residents to take part in can be a struggle, so we have made the job easier for you and provided a list of our favourite activities to provide our residents with.
The majority of care homes offer a full activities programme for their residents to partake in on a daily basis. As we age, our immune systems and motor skills weaken and this makes it more difficult to fight off any viruses we may contract, or carry out daily tasks we once found easy. Therefore, it is imperative to offer a range of activities that can counteract the effect of ageing, that keeps residents stimulated and that also provides something for residents to look forward to.
The activities on offer can both be non-exercise and physical. By partaking in physical activity on a regular basis, it can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by 35% and non-exercise activities can improve memory recall for residents as well as having multiple other health and wellbeing benefits. Some other common benefits of this can include an increase in social skills, improved mental health and building a foundation of routine once you have found something you really enjoy.
Organising activities can be difficult if you haven’t done it before or struggle to find a good enough variety. So, if you are struggling for activity ideas to hold in your care home or you are looking for something for you and your loved one to take part in, we have collated a list of the most popular activities to take part in all year round.
A brilliant way of getting residents up and moving is by switching on their favourite songs and giving them the chance to sing and dance along to them. There are numerous benefits of incorporating singing and dancing into your activities programme for elderly people which is also why it is such a popular favourite group activity amongst care home residents. Playing favourite songs of residents also is a great reminiscence activity for those living with dementia as it can elicit really happy memories. Such activities can include tribute acts for residents to perform alongside every once in a while, or taking them out to the local community hall to socialise and have fun spending time with others near them with live music.
Another popular activity that care homes often provide as an in-home activity are themed movie nights. Some care homes offer an in-house cinema room or access to devices such as TVs and iPads. These offer residents the chance to enjoy films on the big screen, whilst enjoying some cinema style refreshments amongst friends and loved ones. Older people will get to reap the rewards of reduced loneliness, empathy and emotion stimulation and some unwinding time. It is extremely important that residents are given the time to unwind and put their feet up as well as taking part in physical activity. It gives them a bit of time out and can help mental health by giving them a ‘mental break’. As well as this, it will help them reminisce on what films they used to enjoy in previous years, which could also increase memory recall. A brilliant way to give residents the best movies is by asking them beforehand what they want to see in order to keep this popular and fun for them.
Arts and Crafts is an activity so broad that it can be personalised to tailor your care home residents. Examples of arts and crafts that you can throw a session for include flower arranging, painting, themed decorations, collage creation, colouring and anything your imagination can come up with. It helps enhance social skills between residents and can be a brilliant way to boost their mental health or give them freedom to let their creativity go wild. No matter what the end creation is, everybody involved is bound to have a great time utilising their artistic skills, and residents can take pride and ownership in what they have created!
Gardening is an activity designed for the more green fingered residents within a care home, but is still open to anybody who wishes to take part. This is also typically carried out in the summer months, but each specific care home can tailor different activities as the months change. This activity is a brilliant one to include in your activities programme because as well as being a great outdoor team activity, it also has many physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits. Gardening provides vitamin D and fresh air and can also help strengthen bones and joints, which with the balance benefit can reduce fall injuries of care home residents and can help them feel more secure in their daily life.
Another activity that would be beneficial for an elderly activities programme is games. There are numerous indoor and outdoor games that everybody would thoroughly enjoy including chess, dominoes, cards, golf, bowls, ring toss, bowling, scrabble, puzzles and many more. It is a great way of bringing residents together and creating some healthy in-house competitons. All of these games are brilliant ways of getting the mind working and enhancing memory recall around residents, as well as improving their social skills and reducing any loneliness that they may have. Residents could be given the freedom to choose which games they’d like to take part in, which is a brilliant way of encouraging residents to live life the way they choose.
Amberley is a purpose-built luxury care home in the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester. We have a brilliantly full activities programme for our residents to experience on a daily basis. We offer activities such as indoor and outdoor games, various exercise classes, pet therapy, music therapy, routine events to take part in, arts & crafts, gardening, movie nights and many more. We also like to arrange events and activities for our residents to take part in in the local community, to get them used to their surroundings and also meeting new people.
Our private, luxury care facility offers unrivalled levels of 24/7 Residential Care, Nursing Care, Dementia Care and Respite Care services for elderly people in Sale. Within our first-class care home, we offer a range of all-inclusive facilities, private secure gardens, a fine dining experience, entertainment programme, full activities programme, a hair and beauty salon and much more. We take pride in the caring and supportive environment we offer to our residents where they can enjoy a rich, fulfilling and meaningful life.
If you are interested in finding out more about the care services and facilities we offer, please contact us on 0161 825 8222 or email us at info@amberleycarehome.com and one of our friendly team will be more than happy to assist you.
