Activities
Understanding Seniors and Customizing Sessions
- What makes an activity successful is how the participant authentically connects with it. No two people are the same.
- Understanding the individual participant and what they need is critical.
- Each activity session is customized to meet the interests, backgrounds, and abilities of the participant and to honor their past.
- To effectively connect with a senior the approach has to be sincere and with the right touch, tone and sensitivity.
The Two Developmental Tasks of Seniors
To the surprise of many people, seniors are still developing. Activities are tools to guide a senior through these developmental tasks
Defining Legacy
How a senior touched the lives of others is their Legacy. Whether it be by work they did, passions and interests they shared, traits they possessed, pieces of wisdom given or things they did for others- they are working through what they are going to be remembered for.
Legacy building happens naturally through activities that invite a senior to open up and share about their lives with stories, experiences and lessons learned in their life. Being a good listener and asking questions plays a big part in this.
Maintaining Control
One of the hardest parts of aging for a senior is losing control- not making the decisions and choices they once did. It is so important to include seniors in the process of decision-making, even the small daily choices, as much as possible. This helps them feel more in control and feel good about themselves.
Letting the seniors interests and input determine what activities are done gives them control. As well as giving them choices during activity sessions.
Music
- Music Appreciation- “Name That Tune” with songs from the senior’s life and the artists that sang them
- History and fun facts about the music and singers lives along with pictures
Reality Awareness
- Activities that bring about the recognition of the day/month/year/season/weather.
- Current events/things that have happened on this date in history.
Brain Games & Brain Health Activities
- Familiar trivia from the senior’s life
- A variety of word games, which promote memory skills in a fun and relaxed way!
Outdoor Activities
- Fresh air and sun can lift anyone’s spirit!
- Indoor activities are often brought outdoors to take advantage of our California weather.
- Gardening is an activity loved by many, which fosters a sense of nurturing and purpose.
Sensory
- Stimulating the senses can trigger happy memories from the past!
- The senses are incorporated into all activities with visuals, objects to hold and touch, smells and sounds from the past, familiar tastes in cooking/baking activities.
- We do aromatherapy too
Reminiscing
- All activities are designed to bring about reminiscing by allowing the senior to express themselves and share memories and life experiences.
- Reminiscing can be initiated by a familiar object, a picture, story, song, and much more.
Arts & Crafts
- An opportunity for a senior to use their creativity, express their individual personality and make something they can feel proud of!
- It’s also an opportunity to work on hand dexterity and eye-hand coordination.
“Thank you for all you do to engage my parents in the activities at Grandview. The weekly newsletter is great, but you also manage a personal note to keep us updated when mom and dad do something. We truly appreciate the effort.”
— Kathy and Janet Shishino