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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- Recommended recreational activities to help seniors enjoy their time in care facilities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Extremely Effective Brain Training! A Fun Collection of Hand Games
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[For Seniors] Recreational Activities Effective for Preventing the Need for Care (41–50)
Karaoke Contest
Going out to karaoke can be a bit of a hassle, but a karaoke contest that you can hold in a facility or at home would likely be a big hit.
Singing out loud is also great for your health.
It’s a good idea to combine it with some light exercise and vocal warm-ups for everyone as a warm-up, and having people waiting for their turn keep time with instruments like bells or tambourines is also recommended, as it gives their hands a workout.
A karaoke contest is a surefire winner—give it a try!
Seated Rhythm Exercises to Classic Showa-Era Hits
This time, we’ll introduce a singing exercise routine that moves your body to nostalgic Showa-era classics.
Since it involves physical movement, it’s best to start with songs at a slower tempo.
When you move your body to music, your brain continuously engages in activities like keeping rhythm, coordinating movement, and deciding what to do next.
Because of this, the abundant stimulation activates the brain and is said to offer cognitive training benefits.
Once you get used to it, adding singing while you move can further stimulate your brain.
Do it within a comfortable range, and enjoy yourself as you go.
playing rock-paper-scissors after seeing the opponent’s move (i.e., acting with hindsight/cheating)
Aft-hand rock-paper-scissors is a recreation where you throw your hand in response to the already-shown hand according to the instruction “win,” “lose,” or “tie.” Because it’s an arrangement of a game everyone knows, it’s simple enough for anyone to join, yet it also serves as brain training that requires split-second judgment and quick hand movements.
You can also add various rules like “win with your right hand” or “lose with your left hand,” so you can keep it interesting without getting bored.
It can be played anywhere, so it’s highly recommended.
Recreation using a bat and ball
This is a recreation activity where everyone sits in a circle and passes a ball or a stick to the next person, increasing the elements to think about by changing how the item is passed.
Start with a simple movement—passing a stick or ball to the person next to you—then, once everyone gets the feel for it, branch out into different forms.
For example, if you balance a ball on a stick and pass it along, it tests your sense of balance; clarifying which ability you want participants to focus on is an important point when designing the rules.
After setting the rules, increasing the speed or the number of items further stimulates brain activity.
Catch with a ball on one leg
This is a recreational activity aimed at strengthening the power used to move the legs by rolling a ball with your foot and passing it to the next person.
Because you perform the entire sequence—catching the incoming ball and rolling it—using only one leg, you can really focus on how you move your foot.
Whether you kick the ball to roll it or use the sole of your foot will change the ball’s speed, so be mindful of that as you proceed.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to increase the cognitive challenge by getting creative with where you roll the ball or by increasing the number of balls.
foot bath
Foot baths are really good for your body.
Soaking your feet in warm water and then massaging the soles and the tops of your feet improves circulation and can make you feel revitalized.
Adding bath salts, regular salt, or baking soda helps you warm up, too.
Even people who don’t want to take a full bath or find it a hassle might be willing to try just a foot bath, so please give it a try.
It also helps at the first signs of a cold.
Make sure the water doesn’t get lukewarm—add hot water as needed to keep it warm while you soak.
A stroll activity to the nearby park
When the weather turns warm and mild, I highly recommend a stroll activity.
In fact, going for a walk is packed with benefits! Exposure to sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D, which strengthens bones.
Planning a date and destination for an outing engages orientation skills—the ability to understand your situation—while getting ready to go out and following a route use executive functions, the abilities needed to achieve goals.
If you’re walking, you can also expect various effects such as maintaining muscle strength and improving circulation.
Even in a wheelchair, spending the day differently than usual can refresh both body and mind, so please give it a try.