It your residents are up to the excitement of brewing, bottling and enjoying their own beer or wine, an activity can be made out of homebrewing by buying a homebrewing kit for your community. This activity can be a group endeavor or a one-on-one. Homebrewing is easier than most think at the onset, and is mostly comprised of keeping an eye on the fermenting process.
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Getting a set of bowling pins for your residents is an affordable and extremely satisfying activity to fill an afternoon. Rose Haven Nursing Home made their own spin on bowling by having residents use a pineapple as a bowling ball - I'm sure that got some smiles! So if you choose to use fruit as a bowling ball or not, introduce this activity to your community! It also helps residents practice their dexterity and hand-eye coordination while having fun!
Did you know you can get dart games that have velcro balls instead of actual darts? That's a perfect alternative to a fun-filled game to introduce into your community. Hang one of these games in a communal room and host a darts game with residents! This activity promotes dexterity, strength, hand-eye coordination, and socialization of course.
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Try your spin of this classic game at your community! The game of pinning the tail can be a centrepiece for a more general socializing hour, and it's a game everyone knows. Residents can have fun watching their neighbours try and pin the tail the best they can, have drinks, eat and be merry! For an extra twist, you can shake up the picture of what needs to be pinned - Santa's hat during the holidays, or the tail of a turkey during fall for example.
Another originality of Rose Haven Nursing Home, nerf-gun hunting can be played by many residents at once. It consists of handing residents their own nerf gun, and having staff members run across the room. The goal of the game is for residents to practice their aim and try to land a shot! Be sure everyone is wearing proper eye protection for this game! The beauty of nerf-gun hunting is that it can be played in groups, allows for easy social distancing, and allows residents to socialize and practice their hand-eye coordination.
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Booze n' Tattoos - now that'll get some laughs as an activity idea! :) and that's the idea! Set up a great time for your residents to relax, have fun, and get decorated while enjoying a selection of their favourite drinks! Rose Haven Nursing Home started this activity with their residents, and it's a big hit! To set it up, get a variety of water-tattoos and drinks. Next, present the tattoos artistically in a make-shift salon where drinks are had, tattoos are applied and conversations are had!
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Everybody has enough creativity to surprise themselves about what kinds of stories they can create and imagine. Some residents might thrive in creating short stories and regularly writing creatively! Consider setting up residents with the tools to start regularly writing ideas and stories by themselves. This could involve setting up a laptop with Microsoft Word or another software, ready for the resident to write. Or, it could be as simple as supplying a pen and paper; maybe even a journal! 30-minute sessions every day, or multiple times a week, seems to be a great tempo for effective writing! Writing creatively like this stimulates the brain to think abstractly, and helps keep anybody sharp no matter their age. In addition, the material residents produce is theirs to keep! Who knows, maybe they'll become a bestselling author!
Residents with smartphones can turn their daily step-count into an activity! It's crazy what a phone can do these days, and most people don't tap into half of its capabilities! If your resident has a smartphone, consider setting up their default fitness app to start counting steps. If the phone doesn't have a default app that counts steps, installing one of their choices is very simple from an app store. This continuous activity is a great motivator to get more physical activity in one's day! Reporting in with participating neighbours can broaden the benefits of counting steps, adding a socializing element to the activity. Alternatively, tracking one's physical activity on familiar pen and paper gives all the same benefits!
Redecorating their room can make a resident feel as though they're in a brand new place! It can be breath of fresh air and provide a boost, inspiration. Redecorating a room is also an opportunity to recreate the use of space. Maybe residents have always wanted more space to stretch or to have a writing desk, etc. This is the perfect time to tap into what the room should have, and getting rid of pieces and decor that aren't bringing happiness to your residents. This activity can span multiple days as well, perfect to use time productively and fruitfully!
Today, so many tools are available to take amazing pictures. Residents can easily tap into these relatively new technologies to learn the art of photography! Skillfully taking pictures is a rewarding and in-demand ability! Residents can start by reading up on the basics of photography online, or learning from a knowledgeable neighbour! After that, the activity consists of practicing by taking a plethora of pictures! Residents can use their smartphones if they have one. If not, consider purchasing a used and well-priced high-quality camera for your community for interested residents to use! Imagine all of the beautiful pictures your residents will be able to capture in and around your community! The best part of photography as an activity is that it never stops! It lends itself to learning new skills as well, like photo editing! After a while, residents will have developed an amazing and sought after skill they will always have!
