Seniors with limited mobility should still be participating in several activities or taking up a new hobby. Most older adults experience a decrease in mobility due to diseases or conditions such as severe arthritis, stroke, or an injury sustained from a fall.
When this happens, hobbies and activities that the person once enjoyed may become difficult for the person to continue. However, limited mobility should never imply that the good times are over.
There are several ways to still have fun and remain engaged in activities without having to exert a lot of effort or move around.
There are many enjoyable hobbies for older adults with limited mobility. Some of the popular hobbies include playing music, reading, or gardening. It is also important for seniors to remain healthy and happy to protect them from illnesses such as depression, heart disease, and obesity.
Below is a list of fantastic activities and hobbies for adults that are experiencing restricted mobility.
1. Visiting A Park
Seniors with restricted mobility can feel isolated and lonely at times. This is one of the best reasons for them to get outdoors. Parks are great places for limited mobility seniors to hang out. Public parks are excellent venues for older adults to meet new friends and get a bit of exercise.
2. Coloring
Color therapy has rapidly become a popular hobby in the older generation circle. Just like for kids, there are now markers, pencils, and coloring books for seniors. These books contain images of subjects that range from architectural shapes to flowers.
Today, you can even find libraries that host coloring days or events for the elderly or for anyone else that enjoys this hobby. In addition to the fun, these activities are excellent when it comes to improving motor skills, increasing dexterity, and lubricating aching and tired joints.
3. Games And Puzzles
Puzzles and games are also a great hobby for limited mobility seniors. These games are also mobile, which means you can engage in these activities where and when you like.
Picture puzzles are great for seniors since they help to stimulate the brain. Older adults with limited mobility issues might not enjoy active games such as treasure hunting, but they can still solve puzzles. Many of these games are also rewarding and fun.
4. Stamp Collecting
Stamp collecting is an interesting hobby that can be relatively cheap. Turning into an active philatelist will also help to keep an older adult’s mind healthy and sharp.
5. Textile Related Hobbies
At times, older adults start to feel less important and that they are a burden on others when they start experiencing mobility issues. Textile activities or hobbies require minimal mobility and can help a senior to feel important to society and their families when they start creating useful objects.
For example, macramé, embroidery, crocheting, weaving, sewing, and knitting are all beneficial and enjoyable hobbies. An older adult with mobility issues can even approach charitable organizations looking for donations of blankets, hats, seat covers, pullovers, etc.
With these connections, they might find that their hobbies are contributing in a positive way to their community.
6. Playing Cards
Playing cards is an excellent way to improve the social lives of seniors, and it can also be beneficial for their eyesight. Constantly having to look at the cards and move them around will enhance focus and strengthen the nerves in the eyes. Playing competitive card games will also help to enhance brain activity.
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7. Blogging
Many older adults enjoy telling stories about their pasts and their memories of growing up. Instead of just sharing these memories with family and friends, they can also choose to write these tales down and publish them through one of the online blogs. Writing stories about experiences from their past will keep the hands and the brain active.
8. Gardening
While it can become harder for a senior with mobility issues to tend to their outdoor garden, this doesn’t mean they can’t move their love for plants indoors. Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow indoors since they love sunny spots such as a windowsill. They can be a good introduction to gardening as a hobby overall.
9. Audiobooks Or Podcasts
Reading is one of those romantic hobbies that provide readers with an ability to immerse themselves in fantastical and imaginative worlds. Reading books is also one of the best tools to find out more information about the world that we live in.
However, reading as a hobby requires a person to use their hands, and in certain cases, this is not always easy for an older adult with mobility limitations. This is when real books can be replaced with audiobooks. This allows the reader to listen and sit back without having to exert any physical effort.
Audio subscriptions are handy for those that love to read books since they offer the opportunity to browse through large libraries covering many different subjects and topics.
10. Birdwatching
Sitting and gazing out a window every day comes with its own advantages, especially for those that have an observant and keen eye.
Birdwatchers are passionate about being seated, particularly if this means catching a sighting of a very rare bird. In fact, birdwatchers also enjoy taking notes of their sightings that they add to a collection of the things they can tick off their lists.
For older adults that are no longer able to write things down, there is the option of using one of the text-to-speech services on a mobile phone to gather recordings or voice notes of what they have sighted.
11. Scrapbooking Or Journaling
Most older adults have memories that they would like to share or show their families. Journaling is an easy daily hobby to adopt where the person can fill the book with memories and stories that can be handed down to younger generations.
Scrapbooking is another hobby that involves pasting pictures and then writing stories next to them.
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12. Museum Tours
Many museums, planetariums, and zoos are wheelchair-accessible, and most science and art museums provide discounts for the elderly. These entertaining and engaging exhibits may contribute to the lifelong-learning goals of a senior.
Older adults with mobility issues can also join one of the senior activity groups that take these types of tours together regularly. Over time, seniors might even turn into experts on exotic animals, local artists, or modern art.
13. Genealogy Research
Lots of people enjoy learning about where they come from, their ancestors, or even tracking down a distant relative. For older adults that are experiencing limited mobility, these activities can prove to be particularly engrossing since it revives a feeling of connection to people that have already passed on.
Today, several online resources can be used to identify ancestors or to create cohesive and clear records of what they have found. Genealogy research can also be used to keep the mind active and to give the person a sense of purpose.
Final Thoughts
Older adults that are experiencing limitations in mobility should be looking for a hobby that stimulates them emotionally, physically, and mentally.
As a senior starts to grow older, they often become a lot more sensitive when it comes to isolation or boredom. With this in mind, it makes sense that older adults, especially the ones that have mobility limitations, carry on engaging in activities that provide them with enjoyment and a real sense of purpose.
It is also important that seniors have hobbies to stay engaged and active to ensure they retain mental fitness. Exploring new hobbies and trying a new activity is one of the best ways to achieve that.