In Home Care – Assisting Hands – Schaumburg, IL

Our Office Serves: Schaumburg, IL | Hoffman Estates, IL | Rolling Meadows, IL | Inverness, IL | Des Plaines, IL | Palatine, IL | Elk Grove Village, IL | Niles, IL | | Park Ridge, IL | | Chicago, IL |

Safe Winter Activities for the Elderly

Winter is a unique season. The gentle cascade of beautiful snowflakes, heaps upon heaps of snow, stunning icicles and cooler air are enjoyed by many. Icy sidewalks, subfreezing temperatures and the many cold and flu virus strains that flourish in cold weather are, however, unwanted characteristics of winter. Still people of all ages, even seniors in need of home care, can remain active in the chilly season. There are many safe, enjoyable and diverse activity options that the elderly can pursue during the cooler months.

A senior’s activity level can point him or her to the most fitting winter activities. If your loved one is homebound, indoor activities are ideal, fun and entertaining. A physically robust senior can enjoy several outdoor winter activities and games. A senior whose activity status is somewhere in the middle has the opportunity to gingerly pick from a little of both.

Soothing Winter Activities

Facing winter’s elements can be intimidating. Ice sheets and bone chilling weather are far from safe for even the strongest senior. These calmer leisure activities promise to be as stimulating as braving the great winter snowscape while in the pursuit of the ultimate senior recreation.

Cook Up a Winter Feast

When a winter storm is brewing outside, you and your loved one can cook up a storm inside. Turn on the oven, mix together nutritious ingredients and prepare a homemade chicken pot pie from scratch—all in the coziness of the senior’s kitchen.

Cooking is good not only for the appetite, but the acts of reading recipes, measuring ingredients and setting the timer are excellent mental stimulators for seniors. Wheelchair-bound seniors can participate in the kitchen fun, too. Serving as a chef’s assistant, your loved one can read the recipes out loud or stir up the gooey mess of cake batter on a low-lying table.

Knit Stockings for Charity

A loved one who enjoys knitting or crocheting will find increased fulfillment by crafting colorful socks, warm throws, quilts or baby bonnets for a local hospital or homeless shelter. The senior discovers newfound purpose knowing she is creating items for people, both young and old, in dire need. Experiencing a sense of meaning can cause any symptoms of mild depression to loosen their grip.

Visit Nature Museums

Bridge indoor activities with safe outdoor ones by visiting local arboretums on a less icy day. A loved one who delights in nature will jump at the chance to wander inside a space filled with vibrant, green potted plants and blooming flowers cultivated to intriguing perfection. When the snow disguises the lush leaves of backyard trees and bushes, a visit to a nature museum is the perfect remedy. An hour or two in the midst of nature offers relaxation and restoration.

Grow Indoor Plants

While visiting an arboretum is a one-time activity, your loved one has daily access to nature when she grows a flowering plant inside her home. Tending to an indoor flower garden yields useful results. The calming natural setting, the chance to look outside oneself and the sense of purpose in growing a plant offer significant emotional benefits to seniors.

Plants that do well in the minimal winter sunlight, the season’s shortened days and the cooler temperatures include an amaryllis, orchids, Christmas cactus, begonias and miniature roses.

Vigorous Winter Activities

In the depths of winter, getting out of the isolated indoors and into a social setting dissolves the lingering feelings of loneliness. Staying social boosts seniors’ overall emotional well-being. Exercise, too, has been proven to improve cognitive function and memory and to alleviate dementia symptoms.

Swing to Music

Seniors with rhythm can engage in ballroom dancing, like the waltz and foxtrot, in local senior centers. The dance floor gives older people plenty of opportunity to socialize with seniors of a similar activity level. Aside from the social rapport built on the dance floor, seniors develop agility and flexibility through the remarkable dance movements. Dementia risks are believed to be lessened, as each dance partner must make split-second decisions to stay in step.

Bowl a Lucky Strike

If swinging your hips is not your loved one’s cup of tea, bowling just might be. Seniors who form bowling teams enjoy a sense of camaraderie and fun. The competitiveness many bowlers experience is a much-needed adrenaline booster.

Join a Local Senior Center

Local senior centers offer a wealth of physical activities for seniors of all ages and capabilities. Yoga classes geared toward seniors, swimming in heated indoor pools and local senior center fitness groups offer the elderly the daily or weekly opportunity to improve their cardiovascular fitness.

Travel

When winter weather dominates your loved one’s home, she can jet off to warmer climes. Airlines make it financially easier for the elderly to hop on board with their attractive senior discounts. Seniors traveling with a friend, spouse or tour group can rest assured they’ll have pleasant, like-minded companionship. Plus, cooking, dancing, shopping or swimming in a whole new country, state or city is an opportunity for seniors to experience life in an exciting new way.

Call Assisting Hands Home Care

No matter how active the senior in your life happens to be, he or she can always use a helping hand at home. Assisting Hands Home Care offers compassionate elder care services designed to keep your active loved one as independent as possible and those seniors who require extra care supervised by a caring in-home caregiver.

Assisting Hands Home Care provides comprehensive, non-medical caregiving services like fall prevention, dementia care and personal care to help seniors improve their quality of life. Respite care is offered to relieve family caregivers for a short duration.

As a licensed and bonded senior home care agency, Assisting Hands Home Care gives families and their senior loved ones peace of mind. Our caregivers offer experience in caring for the elderly, skill in meeting seniors’ most common requirements and a compassionate disposition.

Choose Assisting Hands Home Care for all your elder care needs. Our team of dedicated senior care providers proudly serve the elder populations in the Park Ridge, Illinois, communities.

Get a Free Consultation

To schedule a free consultation regarding home health care services in the Park Ridge, IL area, contact Assisting Hands Home Care at (224) 444-6422.