Older adulthood is a propitious stage to venture into new areas. This time in their lives gives them the opportunity to devote more time to learning and leisure activities that perhaps in previous periods for work reasons they had to postpone. These types of practices are important because they increase the skills of the older adult and prevent cognitive deterioration (Villafuerte, 2018).
When an elderly person experiences life in senior living communities, he/she discovers that he/she has a wide range of possibilities, as he/she does not have to take care of the administration and maintenance of the home, since that is included in his/her stay; therefore, each resident can take advantage of his/her free time in a better way. Some of the activities enjoyed by the elderly are:
1. Take morning walks
Older adults like to take walks with other residents in the morning. It is an opportunity to get vitamin D, be physically active, relax, talk along the way, and admire nature. These walks should not take place after 10 am because that is when the sun's rays are strongest.
2. Read according to your personal taste
Whether from printed books or through technological devices, older adults love to spend time reading. From a novel, an autobiography, an educational book, etc., this is a pastime that fosters recreation, imagination and concentration in older adults. If you want to learn about the benefits of reading in older adults, we invite you to read the blog: Why is it important to implement the habit of reading in older adults?
1. Planting: There are some older adults who have participated in hydroponics or traditional planting courses and appreciate living the process of developing their crops. Others have acquired knowledge from years of experience and find planting a stimulating and relaxing activity at the same time.
2. Learning something new: Learning and development of the person must be present at any stage of life and old age is no exception. That is why learning new things every day allows the elderly person to keep up to date with information and knowledge, which, as we know, is constantly evolving. Some areas that people can explore at this stage are the following: languages, origami, about a particular culture or technology.
Bibliographic references:
Villafuerte, M. (2018) Relationship between leisure activities and cognitive skills in older adults. Retrieved from: https://core.ac.uk/download/268996488.pdf
