Homebound Living: 10 Activities to Keep Seniors Engaged
Being homebound is never easy, no matter what age a person is. For seniors, it is twice as hard because mobility issues may prevent you from leaving the house as often as you would like. But you can keep yourself engaged with activities within your home. These activities can add an element of joy and excitement, making you forget the fact that you are homebound.
Book club
Reading is a wonderful way to spark an individual’s imagination. The whole experience gets better when you get to discuss what you have read with your friends and loved ones. You can start a book club with family and friends, pick a book to read every month and discuss it.
Game night
Dedicate a day in the week when loved ones and friends get together and play games. Board games such as scrabble, monopoly, sequence, or card games like poker can be a great way to enjoy a night together.
Keep yourself connected to other loved ones
The internet has made it easier for people to communicate with each other not just by voice but video calls also. Homebound seniors can spend hours a day talking to family members not just in the U.S. but even internationally through WhatsApp, Skype, and tons of other platforms.
Exercise
Exercise isn’t just a great way to stay healthy but an activity that can be rewarding and entertaining. You need to be a little careful when it comes to exercises for seniors as lifting too much weight can be dangerous. Keep it simple and use your body weight, perform chair exercises for seniors, or just pick up yoga.
Pick up a new hobby
There are tons of hobbies you can pick up at home from cooking to indoor gardening. These can keep you engaged and bring you lots of joy.
Get in touch with your creative side
Not saying you should try to become an artist but test your creativity by taking up painting or drawing. If you feel that is not something that interests you then try coloring which is also a great way to relieve stress.
Learn an instrument
Inline with getting in touch with your creative side, you can pick up an instrument and learn how to play it. With more time at home now, learning how to play the guitar or piano is even more possible.
Movie nights
Similar to game night, you can dedicate a night in the week where your family gets together to watch a movie at your place.
Play video games
While this may not be an interest for everyone, console games can keep you entertained. Whether you enjoy sports or like to get lost in a compelling story, there are RPG, action-adventure, and sports games that will keep you engaged.
Online courses
With added time on your hands, you can finally take an online course and learn something you’ve pushed off learning due to the lack of time.
Just because you are homebound doesn’t mean your life should lack excitement. The 10 activities listed above should help you cope with being homebound and make the experience much more enjoyable.
