Best Summer Activities for Seniors

10 Summer Activities To Watch Out

Given its fun-loving nature, one could never talk about summer without all the blissful (and sometimes wild) memories it harbors. Every summer is a story to remember! Who says making exceptional summer days are for young adults only. It can be just as enjoyable in your retirement. No matter what age, you are no exception to indulging in the pleasure of warm weather. Creative summer activities for seniors vary a lot, so grab a pen and start making a bucket list for you or your senior loved one. Below, we've prepared the best summer activities made conducive for all types of senior living facilities.    

Outdoor Activities

Indeed, summer makes for the most inviting outdoor activities. Soaking under the sun is not only fun but also beneficial for your health. Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, increases production under sun exposure. This reduces risks to heart diseases, multiple sclerosis, cancer, flu, anxiety, and depression. Although indulging outdoors could be healthy, it is also advised to keep wary of risks to heat strokes and skin cancer. Hence, hydration and balanced exposure are to be maintained.

1. Nurture Your Own Garden

Plants not only make good company, but they also provide health benefits and pave the way towards social interactions too. Most senior living facilities are equipped with community gardens, which is a great place for socialization. Botanicals alone also give satisfaction and stress relief. Seniors can find it therapeutic to nurture them. Gardening may seem like a recreational activity, but it is also a form of aerobic exercise, making it a healthy form of leisure. It lowers the risk of dementia by 30%, reduces risk to hypertension, reduces anxiety, and provides clean oxygen. From succulents to flowering plants, growing a lush-green garden under the summer skies is nothing short of advantageous and fun for all senior communities.  

2. Walk Around Nature

While most senior living facilities are equipped with walking paths outside, local nature preserves make the best areas for brisk walking. Nature parks, watersheds, or wildlife are home to flora and fauna conducive for trailing while replenishing your spirits. Regardless of mobility, seniors can surely enjoy a tour around new surroundings. Nothing offers better tranquility than the beauty of nature. Take advantage of bright weather to do this.   1

3. Go for a Swim

Is it even summer if you have not once gone for a swim Summer is for a dip and splash! Since most senior living amenities come with a swimming pool, this fun is easily possible for seniors too. In fact, it provides a wide array of health benefits. Whether you opt for dipping your toes in the community pool or taking part in light water aerobics, both are relaxing and beneficial. Swimming is proven to improve heart health, flexibility, and muscle strength. It also lowers the risk of injury and can help improve your mood.  

4. Go for a Picnic With Your Family and Friends

Relish summertime nostalgia over a good old picnic set. Share laughter and stories upon a blanket of food outdoors. Invite friends and family and hold this activity in a park or on the grounds of your facility. Aside from dishes to share you can prepare snacks, drinks, music, and even a flying disk to play with. You could also lay on the picnic blanket while playing French melodies or vintage songs. All this while watching the summer skies. It's those tiny moments that make unforgettable summer stories.  

5. Participate in Community Events

Engaging in social activities with fellow residents in the retirement community is a great way to spend your summer. Most assisted living facilities offer amenities for social gatherings, so take advantage of this. Build relationships by celebrating events like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Grandparents Day. Surely, your community would come up with something to spice up the gathering. Community events may also offer art walks, museum activities, musical performances, sporting events, and car shows. Whichever your preference is, you'll find something to suit your idea of fun. In turn, socialization would not only combat loneliness, but it will prolong life.  

6. Volunteer in the Community

Volunteering in the senior community can increase motivation, socialization, self-esteem, and can even give a sense of purpose. Join an organization with your peers and offer your skills. Certain destinations may benefit from assistance such as libraries, elementary schools, homeless shelters, hospitals, etc. Partaking in this act will not only keep you busy but will motivate you to pursue goals.    

Indoor Activities

Of course, summer is not limited to doing things outside. Whether you prefer being indoors or rainy summer days forbid you to go out, here are equally fun and beneficial indoor activities:  

7. Organize Book Club Activities

Join or start your own book club with activities that can vary according to a theme. You can share stories of your favorite novels set in summer or tell poems about summer. Each session can change its theme, but the members will surely keep a close company throughout.  

8. Plan a Coffee or Tea Party

Invite your friends and set up a cozy or fancy table for a tea party. You can also create a coffee group in which members can take turns hosting the event. Conversations told between coffee and tea would never cease.  

9. Board Game Marathon

There are a number of board games to choose from. Invite friends to play over some snacks. This activity will bring excitement and bursts of laughter while also exercising the brain.  

10. Organize an Arts and Crafts Activity

From cross-stitching, to crocheting, to painting and building handicrafts; nothing beats the fun of learning arts. There are a lot of tutorials to look up online. Once learned, you could even make this a hobby or turn it into tiny profits.

Conclusion

Whether outdoors or indoors, however you choose to spend your summer is totally okay as long as you do what's good for your well-being. Summer has endless and laid-back hours to indulge in whatever pleasure you prefer. Be it relaxation or pursuing a passion you've left behind, keep nourishing your brain and strengthening your physique. Just live fully.