[May Health Topic] Introducing recreational activities for seniors!

Hyakunin Isshu

812 Hyakunin Isshu

May 27 is Hyakunin Isshu Day.

It’s a great opportunity, so I’d like to introduce it.

It is said that this date marks the creation of the first Hyakunin Isshu, because Fujiwara no Teika—a court noble and poet active from the Heian period to the early Kamakura period—selected representative poems by 100 poets from collections such as the Kokin Wakashu and the Shin Kokin Wakashu.

While it’s commonly played like a card game (karuta), it’s actually quite profound.

As you memorize the verses, locate the card being read, and snatch it, your mind is rapidly cycling through comprehension, thinking, judgment, and action.

It also works well as brain training and can be enjoyed by multiple people, so it’s recommended as a recreational activity in senior care facilities.

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kojifumi

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Funny Gesture Exercises

Recreation (brain training): Seniors smile and do gesture exercises — recommended for day service programs.

A gesture game where you don’t speak, but watch movements and guess the answer.

Because it’s often played on TV shows and at parties, many older adults may already be familiar with it.

In gesture games, you watch the movements, imagine what they mean, and answer.

Imagining is said to help activate the brain.

What’s more, having older adults perform the prompted actions themselves boosts the brain-training effect.

Since you’re getting older adults to move, it’s like gesture exercise.

Expanding prompts from “eating a mandarin” to “peeling and eating a mandarin” also stimulates the imagination.

Adjust the difficulty to suit the older adults.

The more movements you add, the more smiles you’re likely to see.

Quick brain training, “Ready, set!” game

No prep needed for senior recreation or props! Simple and exciting! Ready, set, go! Game

Here’s a simple brain-training game you can do while sitting, with no preparation needed.

Pair up in twos.

When one person calls out a number, like “Ready, five!” both players raise their hands or feet.

If the total number of raised hands and feet matches the number that was called, it’s correct.

You can also turn it into more of a game by intentionally raising too many limbs so the total doesn’t match the number called.

Aim to keep the mood light so even mistakes lead to laughter.

Raising hands and feet also works as light exercise, so give it a try with older adults as well.

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Nakajima Junko

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Practice swings exercise

[May 30 Today’s Brain-Training Telephone Care Prevention] Newspaper Air-Swing Exercise

Let’s do the “newspaper swing exercise,” perfect for preventing the need for nursing care! Roll up a newspaper from one end to make a newspaper stick.

Once you’ve made a straight stick, swing it like a kendo bamboo sword.

Hold the stick with both hands, raise it overhead, and swing straight down.

Start by moving slowly at your own pace.

Once you get used to it, move your arms rhythmically in time with the staff’s count of “one, two, three.” Moderate exercise refreshes your mood and helps relieve stress.

It’s also effective for improving arm strength and preventing the need for care.

Give it a try!

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moko

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Matching game

All you need are paper cups 😆 A matching game with paper cups ✌️ #dayservice recreation #braintraining #senioractivities #minigame #shorts #dementiaprevention

This is a game where you look at the pictures drawn on the bottoms of arranged paper cups and find and match the ones with the same picture.

By searching for matching pictures, you can train concentration, and by quickly stacking the paper cups, you can also encourage awareness of hand movements.

It’s also important to decide what kind of pictures to draw; for example, limiting them to a spring theme lets players enjoy the game visually as well.

Adding trick elements, such as pictures that look similar but are slightly different, is recommended, as it helps players focus even more on their hands.

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kappamaki

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Dropping Colored Balls

[Sports Recreation] Synchronize your breathing 👼🏻 Color Ball Drop 🔴🟡🔵 #shorts #minigame #dayservice #recreation #sports #elderly #rehab #caregiving #carefacility #Yamanashi #Kofu

We would like to introduce a color ball drop activity for pairs.

Have two older adults sit facing each other, each holding two sticks by their tips.

Place baskets labeled with colors between them.

Roll balls along the sticks and drop each ball into the basket with the matching color label.

This game emphasizes cooperation between the two participants.

Encourage them to communicate and synchronize their movements.

It’s a fun activity that can spark conversation and help expand social connections.

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Nakajima Junko

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Tea Jar Hand Play

Dementia Prevention: Hand Play to the Tune of the Tea Caddy Song!

May is the season when new tea tastes delicious.

“Tea Jar Hand Play” is a game that lets you fully savor that seasonal feeling! You can play it anywhere, so it’s fun even by yourself at home.

It’s also one of those easy games that work well as a group activity in senior care facilities.

No tools are needed, so it’s simple to try.

The Tea Jar song has the simple melody and rhythm unique to traditional children’s songs, making it pleasant to hear and familiar for older adults.

It’s also filled with elements of Japanese culture, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

Let’s all use our hands and enjoy it together!

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Nanaka

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