Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
This article introduces recommended recreational activities for preventing the need for long-term care.
We’ve gathered a wide range of options, including exercises and games that move the hands and feet, as well as quizzes that engage the mind.
Doing recreational activities is effective for physical rehabilitation and dementia prevention.
You can also expect benefits like increased appetite and improved sleep quality as your activity level rises.
It’s also a great opportunity to interact with other older adults who are participating.
Please use this article as a reference and enjoyably put it to use for care prevention.
[For Older Adults] Recreational Activities Effective for Preventing the Need for Care (1–10)
Makimaki Apple Game
Let us introduce the “Wind-up Apple Game,” which helps train wrist movement and concentration.
Attach a length of florist’s ribbon (Suzuran tape) to a long, thin stick such as an empty plastic wrap core, and fix a piece of drawing paper or cardstock to the other end of the tape.
Crumple drawing paper or origami, then wrap it with clear tape to shape it into an apple.
For the stem, use a green straw.
Place the apple on the sheet of paper to which the Suzuran tape is attached, and start! Wind the tape by turning the stick to reel the apple in.
It can be tricky to keep the apple from falling off.
This activity effectively supports dementia prevention by training concentration while exercising the wrists.
Give the Apple Game a try and make dementia prevention fun!
Newspaper Rock-Paper-Scissors
Guaranteed to get everyone excited! Why not try a fun approach to preventive care with Newspaper Janken (Rock-Paper-Scissors)? The rules are simple: Sit facing each other and place a long, thinly rolled newspaper in the middle.
Play rock-paper-scissors—if you win, grab the newspaper; if you lose, hold it down.
The person who ends up tearing the newspaper loses.
It’s a brain-engaging recreation where you play janken, instantly recognize the outcome, and act right away! It also helps train reaction speed and concentration, making it highly recommended for seniors’ recreation.
Plus, since it’s done in pairs, you can enjoy it while communicating with each other.
Give it a try!
Plastic Bottle Cap Scavenger Hunt
Here’s an introduction to a dementia-prevention recreation using paper cups! All you need are paper cups and plastic bottle caps.
Place the cups over the caps, and have participants find the one cap that’s been colored red.
Once a cup has been lifted, leave it open as the game continues.
To increase the difficulty, you can add a rule where players must put the cup back down if they chose the wrong one—this makes it even more fun.
It’s sure to be a hit as a team competition! This brain-training activity also includes a memory game element, so enjoy preventing dementia while having fun!
Word Fill-in-the-Blank Brain Training
Let’s use a word-fill activity as a recreation in senior facilities to help prevent dementia! This whiteboard-based activity is perfect for large groups.
Draw circles on the whiteboard and fill them with letters.
By placing letters in the circles, you form words.
To keep it clear, proceed while asking questions like, “Is there a two-letter word that starts with ‘A’?” There are two key points for making it enjoyable with many participants: choose questions with many possible answers, and invite responses from the whole group.
Even those who don’t like speaking in front of others can still benefit cognitively just by listening to others’ answers and thinking along.
Never force anyone to speak—keep the atmosphere fun and relaxed.
Change Calculation Game
How about “change calculation” as a perfect activity for preventive care recreation? To make it easy to understand visually, it’s a good idea to write the problems on a whiteboard.
Another fun idea is to prepare cards with items and prices, and enjoy a shopping-themed activity while practicing making change.
Calculating change is something we always do when buying things in daily life, but some older adults have fewer opportunities to go out shopping.
Encourage those individuals to give it a try!
Rhythmic exercises while seated
As an effective recreation for preventing care dependency, how about seated rhythm exercises? Move your arms and legs to the beat while counting.
Start by moving your arms forward and backward, and up and down.
Once you’re used to the arm movements, add leg movements as well.
Paying attention to maintaining good posture and moving your body firmly in time with the rhythm can make it even more effective.
Because it can be done while seated, it’s safe and accessible for older adults—one of its key advantages.
For older adults with stable standing balance, it’s fine to do the exercises standing.
Please do them within a comfortable range suited to each person’s condition, without overexertion.
finger exercises
Let’s do finger exercises to help prevent dementia! While counting from 1 to 10, raise and lower your fingers in order.
The key is to move your fingers while speaking out loud clearly! Once you get used to it, increase the difficulty a bit.
This time, add claps between the numbers.
Repeat the pattern of counting while raising your fingers, clapping, then counting while raising your fingers again.
Because this combines several actions—moving your fingers while speaking, remembering the numbers, and clapping—it’s effective for stimulating the brain.
This video also introduces a much more advanced version, so be sure to check it out for reference.