Recreation & Entertainment
OVERVIEW
A day in the life of a senior citizen depends on a lot of factors – how independent is he or she – can he/she see very well, can he/she walk well, or with difficulty or not at all. Can he/she take care of his/her activities of daily living. These factors also play a big role when you are looking for activities to occupy your time and give you a better quality of life. However, given a few physical constraints that go with age, this is the right time and opportunity to undertake the activities that you have been fond of and have been wanting to do in your younger and adult life, but could not because you got stuck with the daily pressures of job, or looking after a home, children, family etc. Therefore, when you are looking for a recreational activity, the foremost is to think of all the activities that you did enjoy doing or wanted to do since very long.
• Indoor Activities for Seniors
• Outdoor Activities for Seniors
Indoor Activities for Seniors
1. Puzzles
A regular feature in the newspaper everyday, puzzles have a capacity to involve you for hours together, as they can be very addictive. If you are good with English, it is the daily crossword. http://www.oneacross.com/
If you have a knack with numbers, then a new game called Sudoku takes some space in the newspaper everyday in the leisure section. According to Wikipedia, Sudoku(meaning ‘single number’ in Japanese) is a logic-based number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each. The puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid. http://sosudoku.com/
If words and numbers are not your forte, then on the next trip to the bookstore, pick up an inexpensive Rubik’s Cube. In a typical Cube, each face is covered by nine stickers of one of six solid colours. A pivot mechanism enables each face to turn, thus mixing up the colours. When the puzzle is solved, each face of the Cube is a solid colour. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/
2. Board Games
If you do have a companion, whether it is a partner, friend, neighbour, servant, or a grandchild who is willing, playing Ludo, Carrom, chess, Chinese checkers and even cards is a great idea. It would make a lot of sense to set up a time, so that you look forward to it and there is a commitment from the other person, expecially if he/she is committed elsewhere.
Outdoor Activities for Seniors
1. Walking
It is perhaps the best form of physical exercise for all age groups. The chance to breathe fresh air and see the trees helps in alleviating depression and helps maintain emotional well being. It also gives an opportunity to meet other people. You must however wear comfortable walking shoes, which will give support to your feet and they will not feel tired. For those who feel the need for intermediate support, or a need to hold on to something, carrying a stick is a good idea. For those who can go for longer walks, or prefer to go and sit in the park, or garden, carrying a small bottle of water would help take care of thirst. However, if one is on a wheelchair, going to parks and gardens may not be very feasible owing to the physical barriers. There is however another boon – the malls, which can be accessed even in wheelchairs, with a helper. For the wheelchair borne, these walks may not be possible everyday but can be clubbed with window shopping, if one is interested and perhaps a coffee, with a friend, acquaintance, or a family member. Infact, apart from Malls, it could be other places that interest you – a museum perhaps which you could visit with a companion or alone, and then maybe stop by for lunch or coffee. A good way to figure out where to go is to look at “What’s on Today” section in the newspaper to get an idea about the forthcoming events of interest and plan your day or week accordingly.
2. Bird watching
A great activity for people who love nature but cannot go for nature walks, in the fields or forests because of physical constraints, lack of transport, companions or any other practical problem. You necessarily need not go to the forests for this. A park in the vicinity is a good idea to start this activity. Some ideas and lots of interesting information, if you are serious about this hobby can be obtained from http://www.birding.in/
3. Photography
Another activity, which can either be linked with the previous two, or can be practiced independently is Photography. All you need is a camera. A practical way is getting hold of a digital camera, and clicking whatever interests you, and capturing it in your camera, or computer. It could be a theme – like nature, or vehicles, or humans, anything that hold your attention. This can then be even consolidated into a scrapbook kind of file in your computer. Some more information can be obtained from http://www.asianphotographyindia.com/
4. Gardening
A purposeful activity that connects you to nature. All you need is a small patch of land, or a few pots that you can keep in your balcony or just outside your house, and some bright coloured equipment. A few websites and books are enough to help you create a garden and maybe even grow some vegetables, like http://www.seasonsindia.com/
5. Sports
If your doctor and physical health permits, sports is a very good exercise and recreational activity – be it golf, badminton, tennis, swimming, or any other that may interest you. It is also an excellent way to meet other people socially.
6. Exercise
This is one activity suggested by all doctors and health practitioners for all age groups. The seniors are no different. Different forms of exercise are now being practiced which are a great form of relaxation apart from helping physical and mental fitness. Some of these are.
a. Yoga
According to the Wikipedia, Yoga is aimed at achieving the union with supreme consciousness. However, it helps to achieve physical and mental fitness as well. A TV series by a professional Yoga Guru gives an idea about the benefits of Yoga and how to practice. You can also access this website http://www.yogapoint.com/
b. Tai-Chi
Chinese martial art that is getting a lot of recognition, especially for senior citizens because of its ‘soft skills’ and health and longevity benefits. It is long flowing movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each posture flows into the next without pausing. Just as Yoga, Tai-chi is beneficial for various diseases like arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis etc. A list of Tai-Chi Instructors in various cities of India can be found on http://www.taichinetwork.org/
