Great Hobbies for Your Grandparents to Embrace
Grandparents always need hobbies to keep them physically and mentally active. More specifically, they need hobbies that will keep their cognitive and motor functions strong and in good shape as they age.
While places offering Independent living in Clear Lake can provide plenty of hobbies for your grandparents to partake in, here is a list of 10 hobbies that are great to introduce to your grandparents yourself:
Video Games
If you’ve ever settled into a relaxing video game after a hard day at work, you know calming and entertaining it can be. There’s no reason why your grandparents can’t enjoy this experience themselves. Set them up with relaxing, easy-to-play games that can keep their interests for hours on end. Some good examples include farming simulators and action-adventure games. Plus, you can even join them from time to time, whether at their house or online (you might have to show them how to play online though).
Book Clubs
Book clubs are perfect for elderly people, as they keep their brains sharp through reading and their social lives lively through interacting with other book club members. This social aspect of book clubs is arguably more important than the books themselves, especially at any senior living community in Clear Lake.
Water Aerobics
Water aerobics is an excellent way for your grandparent to get exercise with little risk of them hurting their joints. Stemming from that, swimming is also a great way for your grandparents to recover from any injuries. You can find great water aerobics classes in any active senior community in Clear Lake, where your grandparents can get involved in social groups, get more active, and enjoy the sun while swimming in the outdoor pool!
Crafts
Knitting isn’t the only option for your grandparents. You can introduce them to clay making art, scrapbooking, or any other type of craft that could help keep their motor skills and hand-eye coordination up to par. To get them started, offer them a care package with all of the necessary materials needed for the specific craft they want to pursue. If they’re having trouble getting started, sit down with them and show them some YouTube tutorials. Who knows–you might have a brand new set of plates come Christmastime as a result!
New Technology
Have you ever shown your grandparents your new phone? If you have, you likely know how impressive the advancement of technology is in their eyes. With technology advancing far greater and quicker than ever before, especially compared to our grandparents’ generation, one of the most interesting things you can introduce your grandparents to is new technology. Offer to share some books, websites, or other resources they can use to catch up on the current state of technology.
Online Blogging
With so much life experience, elderly people have a lot to say. By setting them up with an online blog, you can open up an avenue for them to be able to tell their stories. Even if they don’t want their blog to be available to the public, their blog can be just for the family. This can help younger members in the family understand their family’s history and get closer to their grandparents. Of course, their blog doesn’t have to be about family history; it can be about anything they’re interested in, whether it’s sports, news, politics, or any other imaginable topic.
Casual Sports
Sports can help you grandparents stay active, connected to friends, and get outside of a healthy dose of vitamin D. These sports don’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) incredibly active or physical, as the main benefit comes from the routine of being active and social with other people. Some good casual sports they can play include tennis, squash, golf, walking, soccer, and basically any other sport that accommodates the fragility of older people.
Instruments
Listening to music is fun, however, learning to play an instrument is a whole different beast. The euphoric feeling of nailing your favorite song on a guitar or piano can’t be matched. This positive feeling, paired with the fact that instruments require constant attention and practice to master, makes learning new instruments a perfect pastime for your grandparents. Plus, the hand-eye coordination involved with reading notes and playing them accordingly is excellent cognitive stimulation. You can even sign your grandparents up for online classes, or teach them yourself if you’re capable.
Social Media
Social isolation can affect older people far more greatly than younger people. With this in mind, signing up your grandparents for social media can be a great way to reconnect them with old friends and family. It can also be a great way to connect them with new people who share their interests. However, be sure to teach them the importance of ignoring comments from people they don’t know, as this can result in social media becoming more of a negative influence than a positive one, especially to older people unfamiliar with the workings of the internet.
Takeaway
It’s very important that your grandparents have hobbies that keep them in tip-top shape mentally and physically–sitting indoors all day, watching TV, and not being social is no way for them to spend what are supposed to be the best years of their lives.
Encouraging them to get involved in social groups, learn how to use technology, play low-impact sports, learn how to place an instrument, write down their thoughts and stories, take up a craft, or to pursue any other activities listed above can go a long way in making their golden years truly golden.
