How2Day: Eldercare Activities

Elder care involves social activities to prevent loneliness. Dougal Waters/Digital Vision/Getty Images
A 2004 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that for every 1,000 people in the U.S., 35 people aged 65 and over live in a nursing home. In order to keep their residents happy and healthy, nursing home activity coordinators must come up with ideas which will stimulate senior citizens physically and mentally. In addition, activities of a social nature keep loneliness at bay.

When an individual leads a sedentary lifestyle his muscle strength and balance decrease, and his chances of falling increase. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality, fall-related injuries among the elderly cost the U.S. $20.2 billion per year. Physical activity, even in small spurts, can improve balance and muscle strength. In addition, exercise improves other aspects of a person's health, and it can keep a senior citizen more independent if he can walk unassisted.

An August 2010 article in "Nature Reviews Neurology" recommends healthy senior citizens undergo memory training to maintain and even improve their cognitive abilities. The authors of the article cite two different studies on elderly subjects which show that memory training and cognitive intervention training helped study participants remember, reason, and solve problems better. Nursing home activity directors should include memory training activities such as sequence identification games, wordplay exercises, and math problems.

A study published in "Archives of Internal Medicine" in 2009 showed that elderly people with lower social activity displayed a faster rate of motor function decline than those with a higher level of social activity. Make sure the senior citizen in your care spends plenty of time with family and friends. Nursing homes should provide groups and clubs for residents to join, to encourage them to meet each other and make friends.

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