Selecting appropriate activities to help stimulate the mind and memory of your aging loved one to keep them interested in and enthusiastic about life can be challenging. Two things that are vital to consider when selecting these activities are whether your loved one will feel happily occupied during the activity and if they will feel successful at it. That’s why it’s so important to carefully select activities that work well with your loved one’s current level of vision.

Involving your loved one in meaningful activities can help reduce anxiety and increase feelings of happiness and accomplishment. The five activities outlined below offer a variety of enjoyable things your loved one is sure to appreciate, especially when shared with someone close to them.

Listening to Music

Music is great for bringing people together. Playing your loved one’s favourite songs or music albums is a fun way of helping them reminisce over cherished moments and happy memories. Sing along to the lyrics together and encourage them to move to the rhythm of the music. There is also a growing trend in the revival of vinyl records. For a fun outing, why not go hunting for some of your loved one’s favourite old records at second-hand stores and play them back at home if you have a record player? This is something particularly sentimental that will make them feel like they have something to teach and offer you.

Visiting an Animal Shelter

Holding and petting animals (preferably well-behaved ones) is a brilliant, calming activity for low-vision seniors. We are lucky enough to have the Kloof & Highway SPCA just 20 minutes away from Le Domaine Care. The SPCA has a socialisation run and adult cattery open to the public, with a tea garden to enjoy some tea and cake after your visit. Another lovely spot to visit and pet the animals is the Animal Farmyard and Tea Garden in Assagay, especially if you have younger children accompanying you that need entertaining.

Reading Aloud to Them

For many low-vision seniors, the simple joy of a good story is lost when they are no longer able to read the small letters on the pages of their favourite books. Hearing stories by their favourite authors, recent newspaper articles, and even letters from loved ones read aloud is an entertaining pastime for many low-vision adults, as they are given the opportunity to use their imagination again.

Dancing

Dancing is a fun way of getting your aging loved one moving without them potentially hurting themselves. With you there to physically support them, encourage your loved one to dance with you, sway in their chair, clap their hands or tap their feet to the beat. Maybe they could even teach you some of the dance moves and sequences from back in ‘their day’! If they enjoy calmer music, try and get them to perform some simple chair exercises or yoga to boost their blood circulation, lift their spirits and improve their overall health.

Visiting Nature

Use a wheelchair or link arms with your loved one and take them for a walk outside in our beautifully manicured gardens so that they can feel the warmth of the sun on their skin and breathe in the fresh air. Another lovely place to take your loved one to visit during the week is Makaranga Garden Lodge. Book a garden tour and be taken around the gardens on a golf cart. Your friendly guide explains the different varieties of flora in great detail as you slowly drive around the gardens, with the opportunity to stop along the way and feel the different textures of the plants and smell the flowers. After the tour, you can sit on the deck of the restaurant and enjoy a cup of tea, soaking up the sunshine.