There are various activities seniors with Parkinson’s might like that are mentally, emotionally, and physically uplifting. Here are some ideal activities for your loved one with Parkinson’s Disease.
Make Arts and Crafts
Making crafts with one’s own hands is not just fun but could benefit one’s mental health. Research shows that elders that engage in skills like knitting or pottery hold at least a 30 to 50 percent reduction in the overall risks of memory loss. Crafting may also reduce anxiety, alleviate depression, or cultivate a general feeling of joy and peace. Taking on a craft project may develop one’s confidence or offer seniors a sense of heightened engagement or leisure. There are diverse forms of crafting projects that elders can take part in, like collage, painting, knitting, sewing, coloring, pottery, or ceramics.
Get Some Physical Exercise
Regular exercise can have several benefits for physical health, including reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. But did you know that exercise can also boost brain health? Physically active people tend to have better cognitive function and memory than sedentary people. Exercise helps increase blood flow to the brain, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen.
In addition, exercise aids in the production of neurotrophic factors, which are chemicals that help to support the growth and development of nerve cells. Activity has also been linked to reduced inflammation, which is associated with cognitive decline.
Play Musical Instruments
Music is a fun, emotionally stimulating activity that enhances your attention and helps improve your memory or mental alertness. There are various ways to engage in music as a therapeutic mental activity. Learn the lyrics of songs, then sing the pieces aloud. Practice playing a musical instrument, like the guitar or keyboard, then perform concerts with peers. Intonation was discovered to stimulate the mind by calming chaotic thoughts with music. The singing practice may benefit your mental health by providing social, cognitive, or psychological therapy. Music may help to reduce depression, anxiety, or stress. It is also highly therapeutic as a mature mental exercise.
Games and Outdoor Sports
Sporting activity often allows you to exercise actively, build up your agility and fitness, or achieve a sense of being in harmony with the physical world. The exercise may prove very fulfilling, especially if you actively overcome obstacle courses or go on non-competitive races with others.
Birdwatching, Hiking, or Outdoor Expeditions
When the weather is clear and sunny, roaming outdoors may significantly help to enhance your mood. The natural outdoors is filled with beautiful sounds, sights, scents, and more sensory indulgences. Expeditions offer you the feeling of being on an adventure or with the sense that you are exploring a vast, unknown, and enthralling territory.
Playing with Animals and Wildlife Outdoors
Akin to their human counterparts, animals desire and need to experience leisure. Hence playing with animals can prove beneficial for both animals and humans.
Furthermore, it is relatively easy to find animals to play with, even if you do not have pets. Consider that most animal shelters are open to seniors who seek to pass on their cats, dogs, or old pets for better care.
Excursions and Hiking Outdoors
Many outdoor hiking opportunities are available, mainly if you gather as a small group of hikers to share touring experiences. You may be elderly, but you can still venture boldly on field trips to relax, enjoy, explore, and bond with peers. Nobody desires to spend all day indoors, even in a thriving assisted living community.
