Fun, engaging topics for conversations with older adults!
By chatting with older adults, you can get a sense of how their body and mood are that day.
This time, we’re introducing conversation starters—questions about nostalgic Showa-era memories—that can help increase interactions.
Having photos or videos makes things easier to understand and helps the conversation expand even more.
It’s also great for sparking lively nostalgic conversations among older adults themselves, so we recommend it.
We’re also sharing ways to offer encouragement that can boost motivation, so please try incorporating them during meals, bathing, and other daily situations!
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- Conversations Made Easy! A Collection of Topics That Elderly People Enjoy
- Introducing words that will delight elderly people
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Liven Things Up! A Collection of Brain Training Activities That Will Spark Laughter
- [For seniors] Dice talk: engaging prompts
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- Entertainment ideas for year-end parties that seniors will enjoy
- [For Seniors] Uplifting Words That Comfort the Heart
- [For Seniors] Fun and Informative! Trivia and Quizzes Introduced
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [For Seniors] Liven Things Up with Trick Riddles You Answer!
- Introducing old-fashioned words that are useful for conversations with elderly people!
Fun conversation starters! Talking with seniors (1–10)
Ask for a celebrity’s name
The “ask the celebrity’s name” game is great for conversations and recreational activities with older adults.
Give hints for the answer or show photos of famous people and have them guess.
The key is to choose people where they’ll recognize the face but struggle to recall the name.
It can be tricky, but if the topic is too obscure, it will be hard to get answers.
It may help to pick from well-known former prime ministers, athletes, or entertainers familiar to older adults.
The act of recalling stimulates the brain and can help prevent cognitive decline.
If the person featured is someone they like, the activity is sure to be lively.
Old names for clothing
“Gaitō” and “kōruten.” Do you know what these words refer to? In fact, they’re names for clothing from the early Shōwa era.
By the way, “gaitō” means a winter coat, and “kōruten” refers to corduroy trousers.
Many older people may be familiar with them.
Since we all wear clothes in daily life, this can be a great conversation topic for anyone, regardless of gender.
If you include the origins of these old terms and some trivia, the conversation will likely broaden and become even more engaging.
Conversation through cooking
Many people with dementia may find themselves unable to do things they used to do.
Some older adults feel irritable from anxiety and become uneasy.
Conversations through cooking with older adults can help them live a vibrant, authentic life.
Encouraging them to take an active role in cooking and household tasks is said to slow the progression of dementia.
When older adults stand in the kitchen and cook, the facility becomes the best place for them to be.
Moreover, when they receive words of gratitude like “thank you” for what they’ve done, it inspires the motivation to “try it,” which in turn helps them lead a life that feels true to themselves.
Fun conversation starters! Conversations with older adults (11–20)
Invitation idea
Some older adults may find it difficult to start activities like eating or bathing because they want to do something else or just aren’t interested.
In such cases, a recommended approach is how you phrase your requests.
First, try inviting them by saying, “Would you go with me?” Adding a bit of humor—like calling a wheelchair by the name of a foreign car—can bring more smiles.
It also helps to use familiar, friendly words, such as saying something like “bepin-san” (a charming lady).
A conversation that uses a three-part punchline
We’d like to introduce a conversation technique you can use during recreation time that incorporates the “three-part punchline” (sandangochi).
This means that over the course of three statements, the last one delivers a humorous twist.
For example, you say, “I brought XX today,” but in the first and second statements you cut it off as “I didn’t.” On the third try, you complete it as “I brought XX today,” which gets a laugh.
The idea is to make people think, “The third time will be the same as the second,” and then switch it up, making it fun.
Older adults who enjoy comedy shows will likely get into it.
If the third statement sharply contradicts the first two, you can get a big laugh.
A funny conversation inviting someone to take a bath
Depending on how you encourage them to bathe, older adults may sometimes refuse.
However, this isn’t unusual in care settings.
Staff members are likely already trying approaches that suit each individual.
Conversations used to invite someone to bathe often incorporate a variety of ideas—such as adding humor or suggesting a change of clothes.
Reasons for refusal can include not feeling that bathing is necessary or finding actions like undressing burdensome.
If you find an approach that suits the person, please feel free to use it as a reference.
Ideas useful for monitoring walking
What’s important in supervising walking is to support safety while respecting the older person’s independence.
When they say, “I’m fine on my own!” start by praising them: “It’s great that you can do things by yourself.” Then add, “I’d be happy to walk together and have a nice chat,” which allows you to keep an eye on them naturally.
Avoid forcing anything and honor their pace.
Walking together might spark conversations about old memories.
Aim to create an environment where they can walk safely while enjoying pleasant conversation.