Assess Active Senior Activities
Introduction
The elderly's programs allow creative, musical, social, and group environments that promote interactions at a personal level, community involvement, and regular attendance. Activity programs offer a potential solution to reducing social isolation among the elderly. Isolation is linked to poor health outcomes (Coyle & Dugan, 2012). There is evidence that social, educational, and physical exercise programs for the elderly enhance the mental and physical health conditions (Leung, Orrell & Orgeta, 2015).
Physical exercise plans have been proven to enhance physical health outcomes among frail adults. The outcomes of the programs have been maintained for 12 months following participation. More research is needed to launch the impacts after the 12 months (Hobbs et al., 2013). This paper reviews activities for seniors' programs, related physical and mental gains, the complications in following the activities, and the openings available for seniors to participate in these health-enhancing programs.
Activities for a senior's program
Listed below are the top five social activity plans for seniors to help them stay physically, socially, and mentally astute.
Walking: Walking around with friends is the most beneficial physical activity for the elderly. This activity helps seniors to strengthen their body and enhances a positive attitude. It is common to find seniors walking around the parks together, in their neighborhoods, and in other outdoor locations. They also move around inside malls and department stores when the weather is not favorable (Kim et al., 2011). It is also common to find advertisements for walking groups in newspapers.
Classes for Exercise: Exercise helps to alleviate boredom and depression. It has also been found to be an effective activity for strengthening muscles. The latter is a critical part of the health of older adults. Exercise programs can enhance cognitive abilities. Such classes push the seniors to think about moving their bodies and parts thereof(Pruneti et al., 2019). Apart from providing aerobic classes and stretching exercises, many senior centers and gyms incorporate yoga in their exercise programs. Such aspects enhance flexibility, control, and balance.
Swimming and Water Aerobics Classes
Water aerobics and swimming are great activities to pursue. Indeed, water exercises are more effective than dry land activities for arthritis patients since it does not exert pressure on the joints(Pruneti et al., 2019). One can join water aerobics at the local center or register with a gym with an indoor swimming pool facility.
Dancing: There are many ways that dancing improves the well-being of the elderly. Since dancing can involve a dance partner, it is a highly-touted social activity. It has been demonstrated that dancing is great for the joints and heart(Noice, Noice & Kramer, 2014).
Dancing triggers mental alertness, which may help in lowering the chances of developing dementia. Apart from moving the body, dancing calls for thinking...
The thinking aspect includes memorizing the dance moves and steps. Dancing may also help seniors with Parkinson's
disease,
asthma, and
cancer if they get approval from the doctor.
Board Games: Board games happen to be a great way to make friends bond(Pruneti et al., 2019). One of the games that a lot of seniors enjoy is Bingo. It carries the capacity to stimulate mental health. Scrabble has also been a common favorite for a long time. Seniors are also known to love card games. The latter is an easy game to access, whether in a club or with family members.
How these activities contribute to older adults' physical and mental well-being
The gains of physical exercise for the elderly are many. Keeping healthy enhances the health of one's bones, joints, and muscles. It also helps prevent joints' swelling and arthritis pains (Johnson et al., 2020). Additionally, it has been established that exercising regularly...
…programs for seniors frequently. Furthermore, for seniors living in a definite community such as in gated communities, towns, villages, or estates, they can join and create a group where they can pursue a wide range of activities, including physical exercise and
socialization. The family has been identified as one of the most desirable and effective openings for engaging adults in the much needed physical and mental stimulation. The elderly benefit even more in families where there is a mix of both the elderly and the young. The seniors can engage the young in a range of discourses and be mentally and physically stimulated.
Finally, some openings are available through independent and corporate programs such as SilverSneakers. The older adults can access physical and mental stimulation services through SilverSneakers, a nationwide program designed to cater to seniors over 65. Participants in this group also need to have registered with Medicare Advantage Plans. The members are spread across 17 000 locations in the US. They include national gyms, Seniors Centers, and Community Centers. The program also provides online physical exercise videos for seniors who prefer engaging in activities from home or whose movement is restricted for whatever reason ("Activity programs," 2020). Another popular physical activity program is Choose to Move. It is based in British Columbia in Canada. This program offers tailored physical exercise lessons and sessions for free. It also facilitates social interaction by enabling them to meet. Such meetings could be via virtual interaction, or even physical contact meets organized by the group. As a result, it is evident that there are many initiatives to help seniors stay active and promote their well-being. The important role of the family is evident in these efforts. Family members, associates, and friends can play a significant role in enabling the seniors to access the highlighted…
