[For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
In nursing care facilities, there are residents with a wide variety of backgrounds.
Many use wheelchairs as well.
As people grow older, they tend to have fewer interactions with others, which can lead them to stay in their rooms more often.
In such circumstances, some may wonder whether there are recreational activities that anyone can enjoy.
This time, we’re introducing recreational activities at nursing care facilities that everyone can enjoy.
Please engage in these activities while interacting with those around you.
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities in Nursing Homes
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities at Special Nursing Homes That Everyone Can Join
- Recommended recreational activities to help seniors enjoy their time in care facilities
- Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Recommended Handmade Activities! Simple Ideas
- [For Seniors] Fun Even Without Sight! Recreation Ideas
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- Liven up the Respect-for-the-Aged gathering: A roundup of recreational activities everyone can enjoy.
[For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Nursing Care Facilities! (61–70)
Head and shoulder massage
Giving a head and shoulder massage on Mother’s Day is a wonderful way to show your appreciation, and it’s highly recommended.
Playing some relaxing music while you massage can help create an even deeper sense of calm.
For a head massage, the key is to use pressure that comes from your elbows and gently massage as if you’re grasping the scalp.
This can help ease muscle tension and pain, providing a pleasant, soothing sensation.
For the shoulder massage, loosen the shoulder muscles with friction as you work.
It may also be a good idea to use a massage cream, but be sure to check for any allergies beforehand.
Clap-along brain training
It’s a game where you keep the beat with handclaps while adding other movements, training your decision-making as you move your body.
Start by inserting simple hand gestures between claps—like raising your thumb or pinky—and then, as you get used to it, gradually expand into movements that involve your whole body.
As these movements combine and become more complex, there’s more to think about, which enhances the brain-training effect.
If you focus too much on the sequence of movements, your motions can become stiff, so it’s also recommended to include some stepping and consciously loosen up your body.
Color-Coded Singing Game
It’s a game where everyone claps to the rhythm while singing, with an added element of judging your own color.
Each person wears a band of their assigned color on their wrist.
When your color is called, you keep clapping; when it isn’t, you stop clapping.
You keep singing even if you stop clapping, and when no color is specified, everyone claps—so it really tests each person’s judgment.
Once everyone gets used to the rules, try speeding up the song to make players decide more quickly whether they should keep clapping.
10-minute full-body workout
In just 10 minutes, you can do a full-body workout while sitting in a chair.
Move your legs by lifting them while seated and spreading both legs apart.
These exercises strengthen your leg muscles and make walking easier, and they may also help prevent falls.
You can also work your upper body and abs by sliding your arms sideways at face height and leaning forward to bring your elbows and knees closer together.
It’s only a 10-minute routine, but it engages your whole body.
Since it’s done while sitting, it’s safe for older adults as well.
15-minute lunchtime exercise
In many senior care facilities, some may incorporate exercise as a daily lunchtime routine.
However, doing exercises every day can make them feel repetitive.
So here are some seated exercises you can try.
Let’s get the body moving by touching knees and elbows, lifting the hips slightly from the chair, and more.
While seated, you can move not just your hands and arms but your whole body.
Long exercise sessions can be tiring for older adults, so about 15 minutes seems manageable.
Try it while taking breaks as needed.
Korokoro Push Game
It’s a game where you use a stick to keep balls from falling as they roll toward you.
Since the field where the balls roll is far away, your ability to control a long stick that can effectively transfer force to the balls is put to the test.
The rules increase the number of balls gradually over time, which adds a decision-making element about which ball to tap.
It’s a game that can train various skills—judgment, speed, control, and how you apply force—by keeping all these factors in mind.
Valentine Game
Place colorful cans on a base framed by a heart—a classic Valentine’s motif—and have the person on the opposite side pull a string to reel the base toward themselves.
It’s a trust-based game that tests how many cans you can stack and whether you can bring them over without dropping them.
There are also steps and bumps along the pulling path, so pay attention to how you arrange the cans to keep them from falling when going over obstacles.
Balance in placing the cans and control of force while pulling may be the key elements.