[Care Facility] Exercise activities everyone can enjoy: improve physical function, relieve stress, and help prevent dementia
Because exercise activities are a staple in care facilities, it can be hard to decide what content to include.
In this article, we introduce a variety of exercises that involve moving the body to familiar music for older adults, using props, and incorporating brain-training elements.
All activities can be enjoyed safely while seated, making them accessible to everyone and full of ideas that promote mental and physical refreshment and help maintain health.
Please make use of these ideas when planning exercise activities that older adults can enjoy comfortably and without strain!
- Summary of exercises for seniors: introducing preventative care movements by body part.
- Recommended simple exercises for recreational activities for the elderly
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [Seated] Fun Health Exercises for Older Adults and Seniors
- [For Seniors] Simple Rhythm Exercises: Recommended Songs and Routines
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Fun Classic Caregiving Activities
- [Elder Care Facility] Move Your Body to Relieve Stress! Exercise Activities You Can’t Help but Get Absorbed In
- [For Seniors] Fun Exercises You Can Do While Seated
- [For Seniors] Rehabilitation exercises targeting each body part: Introducing easy routines you can incorporate without strain
- [Care Facilities] A Sports Day Activity Guaranteed to Get Everyone Excited! Classic Events and Seated-Participation Activities
- For seniors: Enjoyable exercises done while seated, accessible for wheelchair users.
- [For Seniors] Stretching Exercises: Easy and Safe to Do
- [For Seniors] Exercises to maintain and improve lower-limb strength. Ideas that can be enjoyed by both large and small groups
[Care Facility] An exercise activity that everyone can enjoy: also improves physical function, relieves stress, and helps prevent dementia (71–80)
Soran-bushi Shamisen Exercise
Let’s try a loosening exercise to the rhythm of Soran Bushi played on the shamisen.
First, place your hands on your shoulders and rotate your shoulder blades.
Then bring your palms together and raise them overhead, flip your palms, and bend your arms to lower your hands down beside your head.
Next, draw your elbows together in front of your body, opening and closing them.
Do these movements to the music to relax stiff shoulders and back.
Moving with the music makes it more enjoyable.
There’s always tomorrow
Do the Bon Odori to the song “Ashita ga Aru Sa,” a tune everyone’s heard at least once! Known for lyrics that capture a male student’s feelings of first love, this song often brings back memories of youth for many listeners.
Let’s try the Bon Odori—an essential of summer festivals—with this nostalgic number.
The choreography is very simple: cross your hands in front of your body, clap in front of your face, and so on.
There are steps for the walking parts, so if you can dance standing up, try copying those footwork moves too.
In conclusion
Exercise activities at care facilities are not only for maintaining physical and mental health, but also precious moments where everyone can share a fun time while laughing together. Try incorporating movements that can be done while seated without strain, as well as programs set to nostalgic music, to add color to everyday life. Please be sure to match the pace of the participants and create a lovely time where comfortable smiles spread!