Top Activities for Seniors That Promote Well-Being and Improve Quality of Life

It doesn’t matter what the activity is as long as you truly find joy in it and enthusiastically want to do it. Keep reading for some activities to explore that will help keep your brain sharp and improve your well-being.

Arts and Crafts

There’s something deeply satisfying about creating a piece of art or doing a craft and watching it come together. Engaging in arts and crafts enables people of all ages to explore their creativity. Plus, these activities can keep your fingers and hands nimble, which is ideal for older adults. 

Some arts and crafts suggestions include:

• Holiday crafts: Celebrate the season by putting together holiday crafts that you can share with family and friends. These easy crafts for seniors can be entertaining yet simple to put together.

• Painting: You don’t have to be Picasso or van Gogh to create a stunning painting. Paint-by-numbers kits range from easy to hard and come with simple instructions, so regardless of your level of artistic ability, you can create a beautiful work of art.   

• Scrapbooking: Putting together a book of photos while reminiscing is a great activity to do with family members. There are pretty papers, stickers, and other items available to decorate the pages and create photo backgrounds.

• Knitting: This activity will keep your fingers nimble while you create pieces that you, your family members, or friends can wear. And because they’re handmade, these one-of-a-kind gifts are even more meaningful.

Cooking and Baking

Bring your creativity to life with fun—and tasty!—snacks. Anytime is the perfect time to try new recipes and gather with friends and family to try new foods. These treats are fun to put together and are meant to be shared. Explore some of our favorite easy recipes here!

Games

Looking for an activity that builds your social connections, keeps your brain sharp, and is just plain fun? Board and card games are engaging activities that keep your mind working and offer social collaboration. Plus, these games don’t require endurance or physical strength, so everyone—no matter their age or abilities—can enjoy them.

In addition, studies have shown that older adults who have regular socialization opportunities enjoy better physical and mental health, so getting together with a group to play games offers benefits beyond improving memory and offering opportunities to strategize. 

There’s a wide array of board game options available today depending on your interests and the type of games you want to play. For example, there are board games about national parks, women’s history, cats, and more—the options are practically endless!  

Ongoing Educational Opportunities

There’s no age limit to learning! It helps to keep the mind sharp, improves memory, promotes socialization and connections with others, reduces anxiety and stress, and improves sleep. 

Following your passions can be truly transformative, and it’s never too late to take courses in a subject you’ve always been interested in. Always wanted to learn Italian but never had the opportunity? Want to learn to play guitar or the piano? 

It’s never been easier or more accessible for older adults to continue learning. There are many online classes available. Plus, colleges may offer reduced or free tuition for those over 55 or 60 years of age, and some independent senior living communities offer opportunities for residents to participate in continuing education and take in a lecture.

Exercise

Exercise can take many forms, such as gentle chair exercises, walking, and fitness classes. No matter what form of exercise you choose, what’s important is that it gets you moving and is something you enjoy doing. 

Exercise for seniors, including walking, fitness classes, yoga, and other exercises, offer both physical and mental health benefits, such as reducing stress, lowering the risk of heart disease and obesity, improving bone density, lowering cholesterol levels, and more.

Exercise can also boost the spirit, improve the body’s functioning, and even help you meet new people with similar interests. Plus, the new friends you meet on a walk or in an exercise class can help provide you with the motivation to stick with a new exercise habit because it’s an activity you’re doing with someone else.

Some low-impact sports for seniors include pickleball, golf, bowling, and tennis. If poor balance or joint pain is a concern, chair exercises can get you moving. These include stationary biking, dumbbell presses or curls, and squats with chair support. Remember to always consult with your physician before starting a new physical activity.

Books, Movies, and Shows

While reading a book or watching a movie or TV show is fun on its own, it’s a unique experience to be able to read the same book or watch the same movie or show with others and discuss the twists and turns afterward. This is an opportunity to bond with friends or family members over things you both enjoy and learn more about each other.

There are several resources available for seniors to pick up new books, audiobooks, or movies. For example, the Internet Archive is a nonprofit library of vintage radio programs, old movies, and TV shows. You can pick up a physical book at the library and enjoy the added benefit of browsing the shelves for a new read. Looking for an audiobook? There are websites you can browse to find everything from nonfiction books to novels. 

Need ideas for a TV show or movie you can watch with your friend or family member? Take a look at our list of some of the top documentaries, game shows, scripted shows, period pieces, and blockbuster movies that will keep you entertained and give you and your friends and family a lot to talk about.

Pet Care

Anyone who has had a cat or dog knows how comforting and relaxing it is to have their beloved pet curl up in their lap or next to them on the couch or chair. Many pet owners view their pet as another member of the family. The bond between pets and their owners is quite powerful and has been proven to enhance the quality of life for pet owners. 

Pets provide their owners with physical, emotional, and mental health benefits and offer opportunities to participate in more activities. For example, you can explore walking trails while taking a dog out for exercise or enjoy a few minutes of engaging a cat with its favorite toy. Owning a pet also often encourages socialization with other pet owners, whether they’re a friend or someone you meet in the park while walking your dog.

Travel

Traveling can be very enjoyable when it’s been planned well and prepared for, and retirement offers seniors more opportunities to thoroughly plan and enjoy a vacation. And with the low-maintenance lifestyle independent senior living communities offer, there’s a lot more time to pursue passions, including traveling.

There are many options available depending on your interests, from exploring U.S. national parks to visiting other states or countries. There are also options within these destinations that are accessible to those who may have limited mobility.

Some of the best cities in Europe for seniors to visit are:

• Rome, Italy: Embrace la dolce vita (the sweet life) as you enjoy a street-side cafe, explore the historical cityscape, and discover architectural and sculptural masterpieces.

• Porto, Portugal: Take in the breathtaking architecture, hills, and quiet water of the top vacation destination in Portugal. The area is also known for its delicious cuisine and gardens and is near the Douro Valley, one of the best wine regions in Portugal.

• Vienna, Austria: Vienna is perfect for seniors who are interested in the natural beauty of the landscape, architecture, history, and opera. The area also has historic coffee houses, blossoming gardens, and gorgeous fountains in Belvedere Palace.

Some popular destinations in the U.S. include:

• St. Augustine, Florida: You’ll find plenty of attractions in this historic city, from specialized tours to living history museums and more.

• Alaska: Magnificent landscapes, wildlife, glaciers—there’s a lot to see and do in Alaska.

• National parks: These gorgeous parks are accessible to those with mobility challenges, and those 62 years of age and older can get a lifetime pass to the national parks for a one-time fee.

Independent senior living communities offer a low-maintenance lifestyle that enables residents to better pursue their passions, travel, and meet new people with similar interests. 

Interested in seeing how independent senior living communities enable seniors to live more independently? Book a tour of one of our Bethesda communities today.