Adopting healthy hobbies helps older adults keep their minds engaged, bodies active, and spare time occupied. Here are six healthy activities seniors should consider.
1. Scrapbooking
Maintaining a scrapbook is a great outlet for creative seniors. While making a scrapbook, your loved one can utilize several artistic skills, ranging from drawing to arranging photographs.
Scrapbooking can also be a healthy way to memorialize the past. While arranging old photographs in a scrapbook, your loved one may recall treasured memories and share them with friends and family members.
Creating a scrapbook with family members and friends is just one of the many ways older adults can socialize. For families living in Potomac, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home.
2. Cooking
By the time they reach their senior years, most adults have rudimentary cooking skills. For seniors who love food but don’t know how to cook, retirement is the perfect opportunity to master the art of cooking. Your loved one could take a cooking class to learn specialized skills like bread making or how to prepare sushi.
Taking cooking classes allows your loved one to prepare delicious, healthy foods that meet his or her dietary needs. As many seniors don’t get the nutritional content they need, cooking skills can be invaluable.
3. Swimming
There are plenty of sports and exercise options available to older adults. Some seniors enjoy yoga, while others prefer to get their weekly exercise on the golf course. Swimming is an excellent choice for seniors because the buoyancy of the water reduces stress on the joints and bones. Your loved one can also try other water-based exercise options like water aerobics.
4. Ballroom Dancing
Ballroom dancing is perfect for senior couples looking for a hobby they can participate in together. Dancing boosts the heart rate and overall cardiovascular health. Partner dancing may also enhance cognitive health because it requires instantaneous decision-making skills, which activates key parts of the brain.
From dancing to managing basic household chores, seniors may need help with an array of tasks. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable home care service. Families trust Assisting Hands Home Care to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.
5. Joining a Book Club
Seniors who love reading should join a local book club, as it turns the love of books into a social activity. Socialization is essential for seniors because it prevents isolation, depression, and anxiety. Reading keeps the mind sharp, and a monthly book club meeting could help your loved one stay emotionally fulfilled.
6. Gardening
Gardening is a beloved pastime for many seniors. During the retirement years, seniors should consider maintaining a garden. Being outside in the sunshine for a few hours helps seniors meet their vitamin D requirement for the day, and gardening activities offer invigorating exercise.
Pursuing healthy hobbies helps seniors retain their independence and enjoy a high quality of life. If you have a senior loved one who needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading provider of home care Potomac families can trust. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. Reach out to one of our Care Specialists today to schedule a free in-home consultation.