Living away from home and family is definitely not easy. No matter what you do to make senior residents feel like they’re home at a senior living facility, you just can’t fully make them feel so. But you can try to make the time seniors spend at your facility as much fun as possible.
Older people are bound to go through spells of loneliness and depression. There will be times when they miss their home and family immensely. But you can’t let senior residents go through these emotions too often because it might affect their health. It’s critically important to keep them engaged and busy, so they don’t feel lonely or depressed.
We’ve put together a list of some ways in which you can make senior living at a senior living facility fun for the residents.
Celebrate Birthdays
Birthdays are usually those occasions when seniors would feel the urge to see their families, and being unable to spend the day with them might make them sad. One way to make a senior living facility fun for the residents is celebrating birthdays just like you would celebrate a child’s birthday. Decorate the facility with balloons, bring a cake, and ask the birthday boy or girl to blow the candles and make a wish! Make them feel like a kid again!
Plan Outdoor Trips
Keeping the elderly limited to the facility might make them feel like they’re caged, which you don’t want. Plan outdoor trips for them. You can take them to a park where they can breathe in some fresh air and relax, or you can take them out for lunches or dinners on special occasions that would give them something to look forward to. Keeping them indoors 24 x 7 and then expecting them to be happy is just not it!
Establish a Book Club
Reading is a great hobby for people of all ages. A good book absorbs you and disconnects you from the rest of the world. Establish a book club at your senior living facility and equip it with books from different genres so that there’s a book for everyone. When senior residents read a book they genuinely like, it’ll help them have a good time at your facility.
Arrange Musical Nights
Who doesn’t like to listen and groove to good music? Everybody does! If you want to make your facility fun for your senior residents, arrange musical nights every few days. Let the senior residents forget the world, sing, and dance their hearts out! The happier they feel living at your facility, the better it is for their health and mental well-being.
Dealing with seniors and ensuring their happiness at a senior living facility is challenging. Most seniors have one or more health conditions that they’re dealing with, which, topped with loneliness and homesickness, can make things more difficult for you and them.
If you’re looking for a senior living facility where you can rest assured that your dearest ones will have a genuinely good time, visit us at Inspirit Senior Living. We aren’t just a senior living facility but everything you can ever wish for your dear ones!
