Nursing homes are filled with many activities every day, as there are typically entire branches of the nursing home staff dedicated to setting up, planning, and running activities. To keep the residents happy and engaged, staff put together spaces where the residents can interact in fun, stimulating ways.
If you’re looking to move into a nursing home soon, it can be useful to familiarize yourself with some of the most common activities, as this will help you make the transition in a much smoother fashion. And remember, there are lesser-known activities you may also come across (like age-adjusted yoga classes). To give you an idea of what to expect, here are eight common communal activities you can expect to see in nursing homes:
1. Card Games
Card games are among the most common and beloved activities that nursing home patients enjoy every day. If you go to a nursing home to visit a loved one, you can guarantee you’ll have highly experienced, practiced card game players to mingle with. Not only are card games fun, but the strategy they require helps to keep residents’ minds sharpened and engaged in a mental health-boosting manner.
2. Movie Nights
Nursing home residents have lived through decades of amazing, classic movies given their age. Due to this, the residents can appreciate movie nights where some of the community’s favorite films are being shown. Not only are they entertaining and nostalgic, but the act of watching them can bring back memories in a way that helps sharpen residents’ mental abilities. Some movie nights are sure to show off brand new films for the residents to fall in love with.
3. Mingling Events
Events focused solely on socialization are essential, especially for residents who have recently moved into a home. These events will help residents make friends and get familiar with the facility. Transitioning into nursing home care can be a trying experience, but the transition can become much smoother with these types of social and mingle-centric events.
4. Outdoor Clubs
Quality nursing homes have beautifully curated and maintained outdoor facilities for the residents to enjoy. Outdoor clubs that focus on activities that take place outside, or outdoor eating experiences, are common in nursing homes. Exposure to the sun, and the wide-open spaces of the outdoors, are essential for keeping nursing home residents’ mental health strong after all.
5. Cooking Clubs
Not all meals eaten in a nursing home are prepared by staff. Some residents will take advantage of communal cooking spaces or prepare small meals (such as salads) in their living facilities. After all, these residents are likely to have had a lifetime of experience making delicious, fulfilling meals, and moving into a home does not mean that this is no longer part of their lives. Some homes even have cooking clubs that keep residents actively learning new recipes. This allows residents to all cook together in a satisfying, communal manner.
6. Bird Watching
Although it’s a bit cliché, bird watching is relaxing and satisfying. The act of learning the behaviors, population demographic, and more of the birds surrounding your home is a delightful way to pass the time. The beautiful outdoor facilities of nursing homes have made the act of bird watching simple and accessible. The activity is popular enough that many nursing homes have bird-watching clubs for which residents can sign up (allowing residents who’ve never birdwatched before to gain an entry point).
7. Listening Parties
Like movies, nursing home patients have lived through decades of amazing music. Listening to parties in nursing homes can help boost the mood of the residents and allow them to take a fantastic trip down memory lane. Even if there is not an official club in your home, there are likely other residents who’d love to have someone to listen to some of the classics with from time to time.
8. Relative Nights
When residents’ relatives can visit, nights are common at nursing home facilities. After all, as the residents make friends in their community, they’ll be sure to talk about their relatives with them. Many residents are thrilled to meet their new friends’ families and friends, and this activity makes the nursing home community feel that much larger.
And Many More
These are only eight of the most common and enjoyable activities you can expect to find at any nursing home. If you’re moving into a nursing home soon, it’s worth your time to research what activities will be available. As this will be essential to your enjoyment of the home and your ability to transition into the new community effectively. With just a little bit of adjustment, you’ll come to love your new home.
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