Tag: #elderlyactivities

Enjoy Family Fun for Free with a Summer Staycation

By Roz Jones

The annual summer vacation is a treasured family tradition that ensures family fun and relaxation. These days, the cost of a family get-away can seem astronomical due to the expense of vacation, entertainment and accommodations. Also some Caregivers may not be able to leave the home for vacation due to their loved ones diagnosis. 

However, you can avoid the cost and fuss of travel and lodging by making the most of your home. By prepping your home, you can create a fun, vacation-like atmosphere that’s relaxing for you and your client or loved one. 

Staycations also allow you to vacation with your pets and other family members in a place that’s familiar and comforting for them, reducing stress on your furry friends and the entire family.

Try these steps when planning for your next staycation: 

  1. Clean and organize your living space. A great deal of the enjoyment from staying in a hotel or resort is the clean, comfortable atmosphere surrounding you. 
  • Clean the house for tidiness and sanitation. Knowing you’re in an extremely clean environment will free your mind of worries that plague you during normal days at home. 
  • Completely catch up on laundry. After all, even on a vacation outside of the home you would need clean laundry for the week. The goal of having clean laundry is to match the atmosphere and comfort level that you and your client or loved one would experience at a place away from home. 
  • If you would prefer not cleaning the home yourself, search the numerous websites that give the customer coupons or discounts on cleaning services. Websites such as Groupon and LivingSocial offer such coupons for most cities in the United States.
  1. Plan activities to do in the home or surrounding area. A staycation should still be active. Staying at home the entire week of vacation is impractical and can cause friction after a few days. Survey and utilize your surroundings to plan fun activities for your clients or loved ones and the rest of the family.
  • Do some research in the weeks beforehand and have a game plan in place.
  • Look into low-cost or free local attractions to visit during the day. Depending on the interests of your family, these may include a museum, butterfly garden, aquarium, or a picnic at the local park. Many local education-related venues allow kids in for free. 
  • Not every activity has to be outside of the home. Plan activities that your client or loved oned, and children would enjoy doing, such as arts and crafts. If your children are older, play sports or set up a slip and slide in the backyard.
  1. Turn off the electronics. In order to create a relaxing atmosphere it’s important to disconnect from everyday life.
  • Turn off your cell phone and shut down your computer. Make arrangements with work beforehand and communicate that you’ll be out of touch for the entire duration of your vacation. 
  • On your work email account, you can set an automatic response that will reply to senders to let them know that you’re out of the office. This way, you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that your responsibilities at work will be handled.

Having a staycation is a positive, cost-effective way to take a break from your everyday life. Taking a short break from life’s responsibilities will allow you to become inspired to do better in other aspects of your everyday life. 

Your mind, body, and soul deserve a break, even if an extravagant vacation is not financially viable at the moment. With a little creativity and some extra effort in planning, you, your clients or loved ones, and the rest of your family can experience a relaxing and rejuvenating vacation – right in your own home.

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Are you a Caregiver taking care of two loved ones? Did you check out Part 1? Check out Part 2 to hear more from Caregiver, Christine Psalms and how she takes care of both of her parents!

Christine Psalms continues her story with us in this episode.

As a caregiver for both her parents, Christine shares:

1. How she worked on herself to prepare to be her father’s caregiver
2. How therapy, counseling, and journaling changed her life as  a caregiver
3. Navigating relationships with loved ones without resentment.
Listen Now!

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ATTENTION: INSTAGRAM UPDATE!!!

Thank you for your patience with me as I attempted to gain access to my Instagram account @rozjonesenterprises! Unfortunately, I have been prompted to create a NEW Instagram account.

Be sure to follow my new Instagram page @rozcaregiverconsulting and check out my top business mistakes as a Business Owner!

(Click the link above to access my new Instagram page with ease!)

What Activities Can an Elderly Parent Participate In?

By Roz Jones

Whether you’re living with your parents to provide care or dropping in to provide them with care, you may find that their wellbeing is always at the forefront of your mind. We note, however, that a rise in age comes with the decline of certain aspects of a person’s life. These include a person’s health and their ability to engage in physical and social activities. 

Engaging in a variety of activities stimulates your client or loved one’s brain and encourages a healthy lifestyle, which leads to a better quality of life. 

Our aging parents, unfortunately, may be hard-pressed to engage in the activities younger people actively enjoy. Still, there are several appropriate activities you can help your parents and loved ones enjoy. Let’s walk through some of these activities.

Activities elderly parents can engage in:

  1. Outdoor walks. Walking is one of the healthiest activities for humans. It requires little effort or equipment, but it still has long-term health advantages.
  • Our elderly parents, who have a harder time moving, should go for a stroll at least once every two days. It doesn’t have to take long, and it doesn’t have to be far.
  • Set a date with your parents, take a walk through a park and enjoy the scenery together. This would certainly be an activity your parents would enjoy.

  1. Playing board games. Enjoy classic games of old or learn new ones together.
  • Board games and card games are not only entertaining, but they can also assist your parents to keep their minds sharp.
  • Like board games, puzzles of all kinds can work too!

  1. Reading. For parents who may find it difficult to take part in activities that involve higher physical energy, reading is a fun pastime you can do with them.
  • Reading might help you relax and boost your memory, as well as your parents. Consider going to a park or beach to read together.
  • You could also try forming a book club for your parents with a few of their acquaintances. This is a good way to keep your parents engaged in vibrant discussions while also socializing as they get older.

  1. Gardening. Gardening is a relaxing and enjoyable activity your older parents might enjoy. It’s simple to enjoy in the sun or shade from the comfort of your parents’ house. You can still plant or re-pot flowers with your elderly parents even if they just have a small balcony or a windowsill.
  • Gardening is also an activity that may be enjoyed by multiple generations. You, your parents, and any children you have can all take part in planting bulbs or seeds and watching them grow into flowers or food that you can all eat together.

  1. Family bonding. Family activities that allow your elderly parents to interact with their children and grandchildren would surely appeal to them. Spend time with them while preparing meals for the family. Plan family cookouts or picnics.
  • Take them on vacations with the family. Spending quality time with loved ones is an activity that the elderly, who are more likely to be lonely, would enjoy.

Today’s culture, with its technological advancements, has led to a transfer of most people’s activities and attention to virtual spaces, and it’s easy for our aging parents to feel left out as they can’t keep up.

We can reassure our elderly parents that they are cherished and can still find delight in their later years by participating in these activities.

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Are you a Caregiver taking care of two loved ones? Did you check out Part 1 of last week’s episode? Check out Part 2 to hear more from Caregiver, Christine Psalms and how she takes care of both of her parents!

Christine Psalms continues her story with us in this episode.

As a caregiver for both her parents, Christine shares:

1. How she worked on herself to prepare to be her father’s caregiver
2. How therapy, counseling, and journaling changed her life as  a caregiver
3. Navigating relationships with loved ones without resentment.
Listen Now!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

ATTENTION: INSTAGRAM UPDATE!!!

Thank you for your patience with me as I attempted to gain access to my Instagram account @rozjonesenterprises! Unfortunately, I have been prompted to create a NEW Instagram account.

Be sure to follow my new Instagram page @rozcaregiverconsulting and check out my top business mistakes as a Business Owner!

(Click the link above to access my new Instagram page with ease!)