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4 Activities for Seniors with Limited Mobility

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A senior woman is sitting on a chair with her arms in a meditating position doing yoga on a chair at home.

Seniors with limited mobility can enjoy a range of activities to help keep their minds sharp, bodies healthy, and spirits high. Even if mobility is restricted by illness, arthritis, or dementia, seniors can have fulfilling social lives and hobbies to enrich their days.

Through scheduled activities in memory care, respite care, or unstructured gatherings, seniors can join a group or enjoy independent activities even if their mobility is limited. 

How to Keep Seniors Active & Healthy

Seniors have varying degrees of mobility limitations, and the key to finding the best ways to keep your loved one active and healthy is to expose them to options. When seniors have access to meaningful activities, their mental, physical, and emotional health will benefit.

The easiest way for seniors to participate in events is within a senior living community. They have access to friends, neighbors, organizers, and staff to keep activities safe and appropriate for your loved one.

  1. Chair Yoga

Practicing yoga from a chair can help seniors improve flexibility and balance and get the blood circulation flowing. Chair yoga is a beginner-friendly, yet effective exercise adapted to suit limited mobility.

Not only does chair yoga perform wonders for your body, but it also has mental and emotional benefits. If you’re feeling stressed, in pain, and lethargic, chair yoga, like other exercises, can help release feel-good endorphins.

For chair yoga, you only need a sturdy chair to help relieve stiff joints and muscles. There are several yoga poses accessible to seniors to try and practice.

A senior woman is sitting at the table coloring a painting on a canvas at home with a small bottle of paint colors,and  paint brushes

  1. Arts & Crafts

Working on artistic muscles can help seniors’ cognitive functions. Research shows that those engaging in arts and crafts like painting, drawing, knitting, woodworking, and more are less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who don’t engage in artistic activities.

Arts and crafts have many more benefits. Artistic activities can:

  • Provide an opportunity for socializing and making friends
  • Offer physical benefits
  • Give a sense of accomplishment
  • Stimulate fine motor skills
  • Support mental health
  • Reduce cognitive decline

Mild cognitive impairment can lead to memory problems and decreased mental function, and arts and crafts can be a protective factor for those experiencing cognitive issues. Increased socialization from doing artistic activities in a group can also help delay memory and cognitive decline. 

  1. Indoor Games

Exercising the mind is critical for seniors, and there’s no better or more enjoyable way to do so than by playing games. They can be enjoyed with friends or family members, they can play independently, and online games and apps allow you to have several different games at your fingertips.

Some of the best types of games to play include:

  • Trivia quizzes about history, general knowledge, literature, or television and media
  • Sudoku puzzles for logical thinking
  • Word puzzles like word searches and crosswords
  • Bingo for socialization
  • Chess for strategy and logical reasoning
  • Jigsaw puzzles

You can play many of these games online, and there are apps for your phone or tablet specifically designed for brain training that can help challenge your mind and memory.

  1. Listening to Music

Music can connect to the brain like nothing else. Seniors can benefit from the positive effects of listening to and engaging with music.

Memories are tied to music. Listening to a song from your youth can take you back to the moments you listened to it, whether it’s your graduation, your wedding day, or a personal accomplishment.

Seniors diagnosed with dementia can increase positive feelings when they listen to music. Your favorite songs can help resurface memories, and research is finding that music:

  • Benefits mental health treatments
  • Helps you fall asleep
  • Improves quality of life
  • Reduces depression and anxiety

Songs can be powerful, no matter the genre. Seniors that use their record players and rediscover their favorite vinyl albums can find enjoyment and cognitive stimulation.

Improve Quality of Life with Community Activities

Cresent Fields at Huntingdon Valley offers respite care, memory care, and assisted living for your loved one with socialization activities and events to help nurture their friendships and improve their well-being. Even those with limited mobility can participate in inclusive activities within the community.

Contact us to schedule a visit and learn about the services that can benefit your loved one in the next phase of their life.

Written by Crescent Fields

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