[For Seniors] Enjoy Your Alone Time: Perfect Ideas for Passing the Time
Among elderly people, there are likely some who have more alone time than they know what to do with.
Some live by themselves, and others spend much of the day alone because their family members are at work.
There may also be those who are thinking about how to spend their alone time while they’re in the hospital.
In this article, we introduce recreational activities that are perfect for passing the time and enjoying solo moments.
We’ve gathered easy options that you can start as hobbies without much effort.
If you find something here that seems suitable for an older adult you know, please share it with them.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy Your Solo Time: Perfect Ideas to Pass the Time (21–30)
Gardening
It is said that growing plants stimulates the senses—sight, touch, and smell—evoking old memories and enriching sensitivity.
This time, we’d like to introduce one aspect of gardening: “yoseue,” or container planting, where multiple flowers are planted together in a pot filled with soil.
By combining brightly colored flowers for a glamorous look or using cute blossoms to create a delicate atmosphere, each person can express their own style.
Even those who don’t often have the chance to handle soil can enjoy it both physically and mentally.
Now, let’s all give it a try.
movie watching
As a hobby you can enjoy while seated, watching movies is also recommended.
You can take your time and watch at home, or enjoy films at the theater.
You might choose to watch new releases, or revisit beloved classics.
The latter can also be a chance to reflect on memories.
By the way, in recent years, remastered editions and colorized versions of older films have been released, and DVDs have come out as well.
Even if it’s a film you’ve already seen, it may feel fresh again.
Music appreciation
Music that brings peace to the heart.
Listening to music in your free time can help relieve stress and refresh you during a hospital stay.
Even if you don’t have any particular favorites, hearing nostalgic songs may bring back old memories and help stimulate your brain.
With the extra time you have while hospitalized, it’s also a great chance to explore music genres you haven’t been interested in before.
By drawing inspiration from the unique worlds and cultures hidden within music, a boring hospital stay can transform into a more fulfilling experience.
Number Place (Sudoku)
Are you familiar with the puzzle game known as “Nanpure”? It originally began as a puzzle called “Number Place” that appeared in an American magazine; when it was introduced to Japan, it was first given the name “Sudoku.” Apparently, puzzles not produced by the company that handled that original introduction are labeled “Nanpure.” As for how to play, you prepare a 9×9 square divided into 3×3 blocks, and fill the empty cells with the numbers 1 through 9 so that no number is repeated within any row, column, or 3×3 block.
The rules are simple, yet the more you play, the more you realize how deep the game is.
It’s easy to enjoy and you can start over as many times as you like, so we recommend using websites that don’t require installing any free apps or software!
Crossword puzzle
Crossword puzzles, which have been gaining attention as brain training for seniors, are the kind of puzzle game that, despite simple rules—filling letters into white squares based on clues—becomes so engrossing that once you start, you can’t stop.
They often appear in newspapers and magazines, and many people probably enjoy crosswords to pass the time.
It’s a nice idea to give a crossword-only puzzle book to an elderly person who’s bored while in the hospital, but nowadays there are also websites and free apps where you can easily enjoy crosswords online.
So if they like new things, it might be great to have them enjoy crosswords on a tablet!
Jigsaw puzzle
A classic recreation for when you have plenty of time alone: puzzles.
They don’t require any special tools or difficult skills, so they’re a perfect, easy pastime for older adults as well.
Puzzles you can work on steadily and carefully by yourself are ideal for spending solo time at home, and they’re also great for passing the time during a hospital stay.
There’s a wide range from few pieces to many, so choose the scale you want to try.
Once you’ve finished, it’s lovely to frame it and put it on display.
haiku
Are you familiar with the variety show Prebat!! hosted by Hamada from Downtown? It’s a program where celebrities compete in different arts and literature each time, and the haiku episodes are especially popular.
I’ve heard that many people started writing haiku because of this show.
It’s not just about following a trend, but how about taking this opportunity to start writing haiku yourself? The beauty of haiku is that you can enjoy it alone or with others.
They say that just having others read and appreciate your haiku helps you improve.
With a single saijiki (season-word almanac) in hand, you’ll already feel like a true haijin (haiku poet).