| |
Beach ball toss
This keeps people sharp as far as reacting to catch the ball or deflect it.
It would be difficult to get hurt form a misdirected beach ball.
Residents are able to get great therapy from this game as they have to use their arms and eyes and react quickly enough to catch or bounce the ball.
It really is fun. |
 |
Card games
Are another favorite for smaller groups.
Sometimes they can have several going at once.
Pam at a nursing home in Fall River, Ma. plays a form of card Keno with the residents.
She uses 5 large sized cards, and they have to match the cards called. First one to match 5 wins. |
 Computers
More seniors are online for e-mail etc.
Seniors are getting more into the new technology with cell phones and email and online games.
Some get more adventurous and use Google!
I spoke with an 88 year old man who was quite proud of the fact that he could keep in touch with his grand kids. |
TriviaThere are lots of trivia books out there and in different categories.
Trivia is great as a fill in activity when you are trying to fill a few minutes or even more. |
Simon Says This is another game that helps keep the brain working well.
Exercise games
YMCA (the song) or variations on Tai Chi are great for seniors as they can be done even in a wheelchair.
In Shanghai, elderly Chinese people often gather in local parks, in the early morning, and someone leads a Tai Chi class there. It's it great for all ages. |
Wheel chair bowling
Is fun and there are light weight plastic bowling
pins and bowling balls available that
are just right for this activity.
It is cheap for a set of plastic pins and balls, and they should last a long time. |
Puzzles
A table with a picture jigsaw puzzle that is left, for several residents to work on at their leisure, is a magnificent idea. I saw one that took a month to finish, but several people had a hand in doing it.
String beads
Residents can create necklaces or bracelets. A woman that I met in an Alzheimer's unit had been a jewelry designer all her life, and she was barely functional but could still make strings of beads with consistent patterns. |
Velcro Balls / dartboard
This is a super game for brain and dexterity. The balls are covered in velcro.
You get the residents close enough so that they might actually hit the target and keep a score or just cheer them on!
The balls are soft, and the target is a velcro bulls eye so it is easy to throw, and they stick on the target. |
 |
Chair exercise
There are lots of arm leg and upper torso exercises to do while sitting in a chair or wheelchair.
This really helps with circulation and for coordination as well as mental acuity. |
Was or maybe still is the number one game. This is a mentally challenging game.