Whether you are a senior citizen or looking to place your aging loved one into a senior living facility, the move can be daunting. Will the food be good? Will the accommodations be spacious? Will there be plenty of activities to keep the mind engaged? These are just a few key things to consider when looking for a new home for yourself or a loved one.
10 Activities for Senior Citizen Centers
1. Virtual Bowling
While bowling is fun, it can be impractical for many seniors. But that doesn’t mean senior citizens have to give up this beloved pastime. The Wii allows seniors to play all sorts of interactive sports in complete safety and comfort.
In fact, many residents love how easy and fun the Wii is to use. Wii baseball and tennis are also great ways to let out your competitive side in the comfort of your new home.
2. Special Events
When it comes to activities for senior citizen centers, special events take the cake. These special events don’t have to be religious in nature. A special Thanksgiving lunch or classic car show on the last Sunday of the month can be just as meaningful as Christmas dinner.
When looking for a senior citizen center, ask about what special events are hosted to ensure you have things to look forward to every month.
3. Karaoke
You don’t need a voice like Dolly Parton or Elvis Presley to enjoy karaoke night. If you sing from your heart and have fun, everyone else will be moved or have fun, too. When you work your diaphragm and lungs hard to project your voice, these organs become stronger.
Your throat and palate muscles also strengthen, reducing the frequency and severity of obstructive sleep apnea and improving the quality of your sleep. The benefits of karaoke are nearly innumerable. Singing improves your physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.
But the bottom line is, belting out your favorite song for all your friends is fun! So, what are you waiting for? Ask any senior citizen center you are considering if they offer regular karaoke nights.
4. Classes and Workshops
Learning is a lifelong journey. The best senior citizen centers will have ample classes and workshops for their residents. Learn American sign language so you can communicate with a new friend. Take painting lessons to more effectively express your creativity. Join a book club, take computer classes, or learn a foreign language.
Just make sure you’re keeping your brain active. This can slow the onset or progression of neurological diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
5. Guided Group Fitness
Fitness for seniors goes far beyond a simple morning stretch. In fact, there are many octogenarians competing in marathons and IronMan competitions around the country every year. However, you don’t have to be in that kind of shape to benefit from guided group fitness at senior citizen centers.
Seniors of any mobility and fitness level can derive physical, emotional, and social benefits from fitness classes. If you love upbeat music and are more on the active side, you can enjoy working up a sweat with a guided Zumba class.
If you’re more into meditative exercises, look for the opportunity to take a gentler fitness class, like yoga or Tai Chi. With all the senior citizen centers to choose from, there’s a good chance you’ll find one that offers your favorite fitness classes.
6. Field Trips
The best senior citizen centers offer field trips for their residents. If you’re a local, you can enjoy being a tourist in your own town for the day. If you’re from another area, you can enjoy learning new things about your new city.
Look for a senior citizen center that offers day trips to local concerts, shows, sports events, and museums. Some senior citizen centers even have themed weeks, such as Sports Week, where residents can learn more about their favorite sport and gain a deeper appreciation as a spectator.
7. Entertainment
Karaoke is fun, but you should look for senior citizen centers that offer other forms of entertainment for their residents, as well. This may come in the form of local church choirs or bands coming to sing. Or, it may include standup comedy tours, drama groups, and celebrity impersonators.
Whether you enjoy Irish river dancers, fire dancers, or a quiet movie night, entertainment is an important consideration when looking for the best senior citizen center.
8. Dancing
It doesn’t matter if you’ve only danced at your wedding or you cut the rug every Friday and Saturday in your youth. Dancing is a great activity to look for in a senior citizen center.
Hang out with your friends at a swing dancing or line dancing lesson. Make a new friend at a ballroom dancing lesson. Whatever type of dancing you are interested in, just dance!
Dancing, like singing, is great for your social, emotional, and physical health. It is suitable for all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels. Just remember to stay hydrated, listen to your body when it needs to rest, and never stretch cold muscles.
9. Outdoor Excursions
Most seniors retire in cities with weather that is beautiful nearly year-round. If this is true of you, take advantage of the temperate climate and mild weather by going on regular outdoor excursions. Field trips are great, but they too often end in indoor locations.
Look for a senior citizen center with a garden you can tend. Or go on a weekly picnic at a nearby local, state, or national park. There are many benefits to walking outside.
First, walking is good for your circulation, which keeps your heart, lungs, and veins healthy. Second, it strengthens your muscles, increases bone density in your legs, and improves your balance to mitigate the risk of falls. While walking outdoors in itself is an incredibly meditative activity, you can combine it with other good-for-your-mind activities, such as identifying every bird you see or sketching a picture of a picturesque waterfall.
10. Board Games
Is bingo just a little too cliche for you? Are you not a huge fan of Wii Sports? Don’t worry! There are plenty of other outlets that allow you to bring out your competitive edge.
Challenge your friends to board games to keep your mind sharp. Scrabble offers you an excellent opportunity to learn words you’ve never heard of. A surprising amount of strategy is involved in dominating at Monopoly. And chess is often touted as the best hobby for maintaining and improving your cognitive function.
To make chess more challenging, add a timer to the mix. With enough practice, you may find that you only need 20 or 30 seconds to foresee your opponent’s move and make yours based on that insight.
Learn More About Activities for Senior Citizen Centers and More
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