For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
For the physical and mental well-being of older adults, rehabilitation that involves moving the arms and legs is ideal.
However, simply following a set rehabilitation routine doesn’t always lead to motivation.
In this article, we introduce enjoyable recreational activities that contribute to arm and leg rehabilitation for older adults.
From group activities that everyone can get excited about to options you can focus on individually, you’ll surely find fun ways to work on functional improvement.
Choose according to each person’s physical and mental condition.
We hope you find this helpful.
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- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
- [For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training: Fall prevention
- For seniors: Leg-strengthening exercises you can do without overexertion.
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
For Seniors: Effective Care-Prevention! Fun Recreational Activities (161–170)
Goldfish Game
At festival stalls, there’s usually a goldfish scooping game, right? Besides scooping, here’s a fun game that uses goldfish as the theme.
Two people hold the ends of a face towel, and place a goldfish plushie or a crafted goldfish on the towel.
While shaking the towel, they toss the goldfish into a basket that’s been set up in advance.
Assign points based on the size of the basket and the distance to the basket.
This innovative goldfish game should be enjoyable for older adults as well.
It also seems like it would be exciting to play as teams.
sweet potato pudding
Let us introduce a soft, easy-to-eat sweet potato pudding.
Microwave the sweet potato until tender, mash it, add sugar and milk, and blend.
Once it becomes a paste, add milk and eggs, mix well, and pour into containers.
Place the containers in a baking tray, add hot water to the tray, and bake in the oven.
After baking, let it cool slightly and top with whipped cream or the cooked sweet potato skins.
You can also steam-bake it by adding water to a frying pan instead of using the oven.
Turning cooked sweet potato into a pudding makes it smoother and easier to swallow than eating it as is.
It should be easier for older adults to enjoy sweet potatoes this way.
[For Seniors] Effective for Preventing the Need for Care! Fun Recreational Activities (171–180)
Shiritori
Shiritori, a word game many of us have played since childhood, is also a recommended recreation for people with dementia.
One of its strengths is how easy it is—no materials or preparation required.
It’s handy for filling small pockets of time, like on the bus when going out to the suburbs.
Another plus is that you can adjust the difficulty to match the person’s cognitive level.
You can customize freely with rules like “three-letter words only” or “food items only.” You could also set a goal, such as “finish after connecting 50 words.”
Daruma Stacking Game
Let me introduce the “Daruma Stacking Game,” a game that trains finger dexterity, quickness, and concentration.
Prepare paper cups with daruma drawings, and compete to see how many tiers you can stack within 40 seconds.
You can stack them however you like, but because speed and caution are both required, it demands not only concentration but also creativity.
Additionally, the quick hand movements used to grasp the cups are similar to the reflex of grabbing onto something when you’re about to fall, so it may help prevent falls.
It’s also recommended as a recreation activity for senior care facilities.
cat trinket box
A small cat-shaped trinket holder made by knitting yarn—the key point is its three-dimensional, soft finish.
After crocheting the base, you gradually thicken the side walls while shaping it into a cat.
Instead of assembling separate parts, you knit it from a single strand of yarn, resulting in a sturdy holder that keeps its shape when placed down or when items are put inside.
It’s also fun to customize: choose different yarns for varied impressions, or decide what you’ll store first and adjust the size accordingly.
picking up (food) with chopsticks by stabbing/spearing it
It’s a simple activity where you use chopsticks to pick up small sponges and move them.
Because it’s a game that uses everyday actions, it might also help you go about your daily life more smoothly.
Focus on speed as you transfer the sponge onto a plate, then move it to another plate.
If you add a step where you place it into a small container instead of just plates, you can further train more precise finger movements.
Once you’re used to moving the sponge, it’s also recommended to switch to harder-to-grab items like small pieces of wood and give it a try.
Solo balloon volleyball
It’s a game played solo where you repeatedly bounce a balloon back, similar to soccer juggling.
The key is to use a balloon attached to a long elastic so it returns to you, and to pay attention to the force you use when hitting it back.
Quickly predicting where it will come back and deciding how to return it on the spot also helps train your brain.
Choosing which part of your body to use is another important point; it’s a good idea to try moving parts you don’t usually use, too.