Introducing high quality meaningful activities into an elderly persons life through the means of a varied activities programme is vital when delivering first class care to residents within a care home. This can include having a range of exciting activities for older adults that cater to all of their wants and needs. The team that work on delivering this programme to residents aim to provide the highest level of person-centred care for each and every well-being need. This is well reflected within the activities programme as it ensures the assisted living community receiving long term care can enjoy each day and make the most of everything that’s on offer.
As summer is rapidly coming to an end, it seems only right that care homes get prepared for the upcoming winter months and organise an array of suitable winter activities. Providing winter activities for seniors each week are both beneficial for residents well-being and their cognitive capabilities, and is the perfect way to introduce residents to new interests. This will also help bring people together in a community, creating unforgettable bonds and memories during a special seasons such as Christmas and New Year’s.
Sometimes, thinking of ideas for activities to bring into the care home, or offer to your loved ones that are appropriate for winter can be difficult to think of. We have therefore collated a list of the best winter activities you can organise to get your older target audience involved in that are both enjoyable and beneficial.
The first winter themed activity ideas to get your loved ones or residents involved in, is flower arranging. This is a calming activity for everybody to take part in but it also allows the residents to bring out their creative side and see what they can make with what they are given. There are multiple benefits to flower arranging that the older audiences can reap the rewards from as they take part in the activity. Not only will everybody have fun during the process, residents will then be able to show off what they have been able to create from colourful flowers and decorative pieces and even gift them to a loved one.
Another indoor activity that is senior friendly and be incorporated during the colder months is board games. This activity can be carried out at any time of day, and guarantees hours of fun. Some examples of board games that you could choose to play this winter is a game of trivia where residents can reminisce on their past years, play charades, dominoes, uno, guess who and many more. By playing fun games with residents, it will get their brain working in more ways than one and physically encourages them to use their motor skills, and not forgetting the social benefits playing board games provides.
Baking and decorating is something extremely popular within care homes that can be carried out all year round, so what better than to make some delicious holiday themed treats during a cold winter day. There are multiple benefits of baking regarding residents’ well-being which makes this sensory stimulated activity enjoyable for anybody involved. This activity can be anything from decorating biscuits or building gingerbread houses, to baking cakes or cupcakes that get personalised by residents. Residents can then tuck in and enjoy their bakes.
There is no better way to kick off the winter spirit than by hosting a themed party. Residents can decorate the home, then invite family and friends to join in the fun with them. This will be a great way to bring everybody within the community together, and show off where they get to call home! The party can also involve countless singing and dancing, something that is extremely popular within assisted living facilities which benefits everyone who takes part. It allows residents within the home to reminisce on what they sang or danced t during their younger years, which all in all enhances emotional well-being and physical activity for senior citizens.
One important event during the winter months that many look forward to is Christmas. There is no better way to celebrate its arrival than getting crafty with DIY Christmas cards. The concept of it is so vague that it allows residents to personalise and create this in any way they wish, which makes it a perfect winter themed activity for those of all abilities. The card itself could be made for the person making it to display in their rooms, or for a friend/loved one as a gift. This type of activity helps with residents’ development skills and motor skills whilst enabling them to make memories with team members and loved ones within the home.
A different yet engaging activity to get your residents involved in is bird watching. Even during winter it’s important to stay active and get out into the fresh air. There are numerous benefits of getting outdoors and the excitement of trying to find as many species of birds as possible while wrapped up warm can be easily organised. There are multiple locations that you can take your residents to bird watch around your local area that wildlife enthusiasts will highly enjoy. It could even turn into a competition of who can spot the most birds, which can be fun for everyone involved.
Winter can be a difficult time for a lot of people when it comes to finding a care home for a family member, however the team at Tŷ Llandaff would be delighted to help wherever we can. We offer individual-centred first class care for those in need of residential care, nursing care, dementia care and respite care 24 hours a day for older people in Cardiff.
Our purpose-built care home has a variety of facilities and services for our residents to make use of when they wish to. Some of our amenities include a salon & therapy room, arts & crafts, an activities programme and a library which have been created with our residents in mind. We pride ourselves in providing residents with the highest quality care and a fulfilling lifestyle which is supported by our individual-centred approach to care. We offer many activities within our weekly activities programme from chair yoga, to joining a book club or creating a seasonal collage, so you won’t be short of things to do at Tŷ Llandaff.
If you are interested in finding out more information about our home or the social care services we offer, please contact us on 02920 600 100 or email us at info@tyllandaffcare.com today, and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.