Enriching Self Care Activities for Seniors

Overview

Seniors have to plan their activity per the changing government rules & regulations. Here are some activities for seniors to stay focused on self-care during these frayed isolation periods.

A . Document Their Life Story

Seniors should make it their “legacy project”, to pass on their life’s experience and acumen to their descendants. Just imagine your parents’ or grandparents’ life stories being played out through their lens and cherished by further children in their family tree. The year they were born, the news they lived through, important historical events they witnessed. Hear them talk about their life and times with family members, relatives, and friends. One can even jot down some important memoirs in their handwriting as a part of this legacy project. Re-telling their life stories will help seniors retain their memory, reinforce their cognitive connections while strengthening their inter-generational bonds, and make them feel valuable by imparting their wisdom to the coming generations.

B. Listen To Books, Radio Shows, And Podcasts

Reading diverts your attention and lets you escape to a new place. According to research by the University of Sussex, reading helps lower blood pressure, decreasing heart rate and stress. Merely 6-7 minutes of reading can lower the stress levels by 68% (more than listening to music or having a teacup). So, reading books, magazines, newspapers or even old letters can be a pleasurable moment for seniors.

Seniors can find free audiobooks they like online. They can listen to games and sports broadcasts on the radio. Some seniors enjoy spiritual broadcasts, talk shows, science talks, etc on the radio.

Podcasts, like radio shows, cover a vast variety of topics and are available online for free. Seniors can explore and relish the world of podcasts for their benefit.

Read Also : 10 Best Fiction Books to add to your reading list

C. Stay Active With Senior-Friendly Exercise

Supplementary to eating healthy food and getting sound sleep, seniors should ensure they make time for physical workouts. The benefits of exercising for seniors are plentiful. Exercise helps them:

• Maintain muscle, bone, and joint health
• Manage joint swelling and arthritis related aches
• Improve muscle strength and build stamina
• Uplift mood and generate feelings of holistic well being
• Exercise also lowers the risk of:
• High blood pressure
• Coronary heart disease
• Diabetes
• Colon cancer
• Falling
• Fracturing bones

So regular exercise, even in the comfort of one’s home, is helpful to seniors in maintaining strength and balance in staying active, improving mood, and strengthening the immune system.

Read Also : Weight Loss Exercise for Seniors

D. Practice Relaxation, Mindfulness & Gratitude

Mindfulness means being intensely aware of your feelings and senses right now, being present in the moment, free from any judgment or interpretation. Mindfulness meditation involves guided visualisation with breathing methods to relax the mind and body while lowering stress. Use apps like Buddhify, Breathe, Calm, Headspace, etc. from your laptop or smartphone to access guided mindfulness meditations. Or practice mindfulness on your own by:

• Listening to relaxing sounds and music like rain sounds, piano music, or babbling stream water.
• Practicing deep controlled breathing to slow your heart rate and raise self-awareness.
• Taking a basic yoga sitting pose or sitting comfortably in a peaceful place and meditating.
• Practicing meditation through aromatherapy with essential oils or candles or even through the ambrosial scent of fresh-baked cookies.
• Taking a walk on the front porch and taking in your surroundings sights, sounds and smells while appreciating the singularity of your place and time.

Research by the University of California at Berkeley suggests practicing gratitude leads to many benefits like improved physical and mental health, greater life satisfaction and higher self-esteem, lower negativity and materialism, and many more. To practice gratitude, start each day by being thankful (for shelter, health, food, family, and friends), give back (volunteer for a cause or donate to a charity), send messages or better, write letters to important people. It’s immensely helpful if you could maintain a gratitude journal by jotting down every new thing, howsoever minuscule, you are grateful for in life.

E . Learn Something Enjoyable And Interesting

There are scores of free, wide-ranging, high-quality courses available online. These are available on YouTube, provided by various EdTech organisations, and some even given free by world-renowned universities. So, in your free time, you can easily learn a new language, improve your skills or explore new cultures and history. It is a fun way to pass time while keeping your mind sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can seniors do to increase their stamina?

Seniors can take up endurance exercises like stationary bike riding, brisk walking, swimming, low-impact aerobics, water aerobics, or any workout that will make their heartbeats and breathing faster. Endurance workouts need to be performed at least twice weekly.

What recommendations would you give seniors to stay as healthy as possible?

For optimum healthy living seniors should: • Eat consciously • Get sound sleep • Remember mental health & meditate • Socialise • Stay physically active

What can seniors do to improve their physical fitness?

The following activities can be carried out for muscle-strengthening and improving physical fitness: • Yoga • Pilates • Tai Chi • Lifting lightweights • Carrying heavy shopping bags • Training with resistance bands • Performing workouts that make use of your body weight (push-ups, sit-ups) • Rigorous gardening (involving digging and shovelling

What can bored seniors do to beat boredom?

Following indoor activities can help seniors get rid of the boredom • Explore & Draw your family tree after genealogy research • Stretch physical & cognitive possibilities with yoga • Enjoy board games • Start an indoor garden • Learn a new language • Make yourself some jewellery • Start a gratitude journal and make a list of their favourite things, note down every big and small accomplishment • Write/ Record your life story talking about their past, childhood, and favourite memories

About our care services

These are unprecedented times and seniors could use the inspiration to figure out how to manoeuvre during these tough days. This is where the Emoha App and Moh TV – India’s first & only live infotainment channel for seniors prove extremely utilitarian and rewarding. MohTV is now in a bigger avatar with 16 shows a day, 6 days a week and has something to every senior’s liking. Watch live immersive & interactive shows curated specially for seniors on several topics ranging from spirituality to health, fitness to food, art & craft to music on demand and so much more. Download the Emoha App now to begin the next chapter of your life!