Nursing Home Activities

Nursing home activities are the activities planned and coordinated for the residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities. These activities encourage social interaction, creativity, and exercise for nursing home residents and can help stimulate the mind and improve quality of life. The benefits of activity programs on nursing home residents’ health and well-being are well documented.

The number of Americans ages 65 and older is about 52 million and is expected to nearly double by 2060. Many of these older adults will move to nursing homes. Good nursing homes that provide well-structured activities for residents can have a profound impact on the lives of these people.

This article will suggest a few types of activities that are great ways to engage older adults.

Benefits of Nursing Home Activities

Remaining engaged in physical and social activities as you age can improve quality of life and even reduce the risk of death. Structured activities are especially important for residents of nursing homes, who may not have much opportunity to participate in similar activities outside of their long-term care facility. 

Studies have found that participating in fitness activities can help improve strength and mobility for nursing home residents. Physical activity that combines motor and cognitive exercises may help improve cognitive function as well as mobility. For example, activities that combine balance and strength exercises with exercises designed to stimulate the mind and improve memory and attention have been shown to improve cognitive skills that are known to decline as people age.

Nursing home residents also benefit from activities that provide social interaction with either family members or residents who share their interests or have similar functional abilities. Older adults who have meaningful social relationships both inside and outside of the nursing home have better overall health, reduced rates of depression, and reduced mortality.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Stays

Most older Americans will need at least a short-term stay recovering and rehabbing from medical procedures such as hip, knee, or other joint replacement as well as serious medical conditions like a stroke.

Activity directors need to find ways to not just engage their long-term residents, but those who are only staying for a short time as well.

Music

Listening to or making music has a powerful effect on memory. Older adults can benefit from casually listening to or playing music together or having music therapy.

For older adults who have memory conditions like Alzheimer’s, music can be more than entertainment; it can also be an effective tool for connection and part of a treatment plan.

Technology

Electronics have changed activity programming for independent, assisted living, and long-term care facilities. While some older adults might hesitate to adopt new technology as quickly as younger people, they can still benefit from it.

Some of the ways you can introduce older adults to technology include the following:

• Set up a video or text chat to help them stay connected with loved ones.
• Find ways to use video games in their physical fitness routines or even physical therapy.
• Explore safe, informative, and fun ways to use the internet (for example, looking up where they used to live on Google Maps, doing a family history project using a genealogy website, or looking at social media accounts related to hobbies).

Reading

Reading can help relieve stress, anxiety, loneliness, and boredom, and may even help distract from pain. Having a lending library available for residents is one way nursing homes can encourage reading. Trips to the library and book clubs are other ways they can provide a variety of reading material.

For residents who can’t read, a collection of audiobooks or even podcasts can help them feel included.

Storytelling

Storytelling can help connect people and keep the mind active. Nursing homes can encourage residents to tell their life stories, considering each resident’s needs, abilities, and preferences.

For example, a resident who does not hear well may not want to talk about their life but may find it rewarding to write about their experiences. A resident who struggles to hold a pen or type, however, might have an easier time talking with someone who could write things down for them.

Some residents may have an easier time recalling memories than others. For some, open-ended questions help. Others might need specific prompts or reminders, like a song, photo, or film, to help jog their memory.

Art

Art projects for older adults can enhance their quality of life and learn a new skill. Some residents might be lifelong painters, sketchers, photographers, or sculptors who just need some modifications to help them continue to work on their projects.

Ceramics is another art activity that offers flexibility. The classes give temporary residents a chance to drop in but can also be an ongoing activity for long-term residents.

Some residents might be discovering these hobbies for the first time as older adults and can be inspired (and encouraged) by their fellow residents. For residents who aren’t interested or able to make art themselves, art appreciation also helps foster lifelong learning and mental stimulation.

Science and Current Events

One way that you can engage residents in what’s happening in the world every day is by bringing science to them. For example, tracking the weather, monitoring tide and moon charts, or measuring rainfall are daily tasks that residents can do for months or years.

Tools like telescopes or microscopes can also help residents feel connected to nature and the universe.

Memory

Sight, smell, and touch can all invoke memories. While incorporating memory care that engages all the senses into an activities program will be especially beneficial to residents with memory conditions, all residents can benefit from these experiences.

One example of an activity is making memory mats. These are table mats that residents can cover with photos and words to prompt memories and start conversations.

Cooking can be another way to engage the senses. A favorite food someone’s parents cooked when they were a child is likely to induce a pleasant feeling of nostalgia.

Physical Activity

Physical activity is important for lifelong health, but many older adults have special considerations for the types that they safely do. It’s important to find exercises that are more than just safe and beneficial—they also should be enjoyable for residents.

One example that works well for groups is Chair Chi. This exercise program is based on the principles of Tai Chi Chuan but is designed for older adults living in retirement communities, assisted living, personal care homes, nursing homes, and adult day centers.

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning programs can help older adults stay engaged with the world and pick up new skills. Seasonal programs such as gardening, belly dancing, foreign languages, or flower pressing can be combined with year-round offerings like photography, art techniques, and ethics.

One-on-One Activities

Some residents might not be able to participate in group activities because they can’t leave their rooms. You may also have residents who would prefer to do things one-on-one because they find groups too overwhelming.

Finding ways to engage residents individually is just as important as creating group activities. For some older adults, simply being with them and spending time with them might be all they want or need. Just sitting quietly and reading or doing a hobby can provide companionship and combat loneliness.

Other residents might like to talk. You can talk to them about their loved ones, ask them to tell you stories from “the good old days,” or get their thoughts on current events.

Nursing homes can also restructure activities usually done in groups so they work for an individual. For example, an arts and crafts project that the group is doing might be something your in-room resident can do on their own.

Journaling, writing down their stories, or using tech are also things they might be comfortable doing independently.

Summary

Nursing home activities can help older adults living in long-term care facilities or assisted living facilities maintain mobility and improve cognition. They can also provide social interaction, another important element of health and well-being.

Assisted living activities are required to meet the individual needs of each resident. Programs like art, technology, music, exercise, and science are just a few of the themes that a nursing home might feature in structured activities for residents.