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.
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[For Older Adults] Recreational Activities Effective for Preventing the Need for Long-Term Care (131–140)
Find the same items
We’d like to introduce a matching game that’s recommended even for people who find arithmetic or reading and writing difficult, as well as for seniors who aren’t comfortable with them.
Look for items in a picture that match the prompt.
Searching for images that are the same as the prompt requires observation and memory skills, which helps stimulate the brain.
You can focus and play on your own, or enjoy it while chatting in a larger group.
With a big group, forming teams of several seniors and doing a team competition could be exciting.
It may also encourage interaction with others.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Relay
This is a game where teams aim to pass a ring they’re holding by hand all the way to the last person, using rock-paper-scissors.
The rule is that you can pass the ring only when the next person wins at rock-paper-scissors, so both speed and luck are put to the test.
As you become more conscious of speed, you need sharper judgment to track who wins or loses each round and whether the ring can be passed.
Having teams compete against each other is key to making everyone focus on the game’s sense of speed.
Self hand care
Hand care is indispensable during dry seasons, and being mindful of it helps maintain beautiful skin.
This approach encourages performing hand care by actively moving your hands, adding the benefits of hand exercises as well.
With the image of thoroughly working hand cream or oil into your hands, proceed while also focusing on massage.
Using a hot towel to add warmth to the massage can also be expected to promote blood circulation.
Apple Song Exercise
While singing “The Apple Song” (Ringo no Uta), which is remembered as the first hit song after the war, this activity involves moving the body slowly.
The song has a uniquely calm atmosphere, so it gives the impression that you can move at an unhurried pace.
The movements mainly focus on the upper body, but by adding steps and singing, you can also stimulate brain activity.
Even if you’ve heard the song before, you might not remember the lyrics perfectly, so in that case, following along with the lyrics also adds a focus and concentration element.
Spring-searching walk recreation
To truly feel the changing seasons, the best thing is to look around outside—you can clearly sense temperature shifts from nature itself.
This recreation incorporates relaxation by encouraging participants to search for seasonal elements during a walk.
Rather than focusing on the game-like aspects, it’s more important to experience the season: have participants carefully scan the surroundings for things unique to that time of year.
Let them relax by connecting with nature, and enjoy the activity with an eye on their concentration as they observe their environment closely.
Mito Komon Exercise
This is an exercise routine that moves the whole body to the theme song of Mito Kōmon, a staple of period dramas.
Because it uses a song everyone knows, the music itself is enjoyable.
Despite its powerful feel, the song’s gentle tempo is another key point; moving your body while catching the rhythm helps you generate strength.
Once you get used to moving along with the music, doing it while singing is also recommended, as it is expected to help improve cognitive function.
Milk carton tower
This is a game where players compete to see how high they can stack cross-section slices of milk cartons within a time limit.
Since you’re stacking square cartons, your strategy—such as the angle at which you place each piece—and your ability to concentrate are put to the test.
The time limit is a key element: balancing speed with accuracy can help stimulate the brain.
If the carton widths are random, choosing which pieces to use also demands focus, making it an even more challenging and enjoyable experience.